One of the ways that mobile app development companies can optimize the development process is through cross platform app development. Through cross-platform development, developers can save time, effort, and money on app development, by working on a single codebase. This means that they can simply reuse the majority of the codes written for a platform like Android, on a completely different platform like iOS.
In order to aid the cross-platform development process, tech giants have come up with development frameworks that enable code reusability and other such features. React Native, owned by Facebook, is one such popular multi-platform app development tool. Considering how important this development framework has become today, it is important that we take a closer look at it to understand its working process. Therefore, in this article, we would like to take a look at the factors that affect the development process on React Native. So, let's begin!
A Glance At React Native
We shall get to the factors that affect app development on React Native in just a moment. But before that, we would like to properly introduce React Native as one of the most used development frameworks in recent times.
A Brief History
React Native was released in 2015 by Facebook and is an open-source mobile app development framework that facilitates cross platform app development. It was developed as part of a hackathon and has since become wildly popular amongst developers. Often considered to be one of the most powerful development frameworks of our times, this platform is based on JavaScript. The creation of this framework has single-handedly changed the face of mobile app development technologies today.
How does It work?
React Native, as we have now seen, is an app development framework that runs on JavaScript. It relies on ReactJS, which is a JavaScript library, to build the codes for the front end of a website. It allows a React Native app development company to use a set of UI components in order to compile and launch apps for iOS and Android.
React Native, and ReactJS, make use of a mixture of JavaScript and JSX (a special markup language) based codes to create apps. However, the syntax that is used in JSX, to render the elements, is different from ReactJS and React Native. Due to such structures, this framework is able to communicate between JavaScript-based threads and native app threads.
To facilitate such communication, React Native uses a 'bridge'. So, although the JavaScript threads and the native app threads are written in completely different languages, this bridge allows it to form a two-way connection. This means that if you have an existing native app thread, you can easily use it to perform React Native development.
Why React Native Is Unique?
What makes React Native more unique is the fact that it does not use WebView to render the codes. Instead, it uses native views and components.
Factors That Affect React Native App Development
So, now that we have a brief idea of what makes React native so popular, let's take a look at the factors that affect React Native app development services.
- App Complexity
The very first factor that has the potential to affect the development process of your React Native app is its complexity. Depending on what you expect from the project, the deliverables, the development phases, and the time consumption of the processes are likely to vary a lot.
Generally, mobile app development can take anywhere from a week to six months to complete. However, the longer the development stages run, the more expensive the app is going to be. This in itself is not a bad thing, if it is within your budget. But it certainly makes it necessary for you to consider the complexity of your app, and thus the time it will take to be completed, in comparison to your budget.
- What Features the App Has
Based on the number of features an app has, and the time it takes to be developed, they can be divided into three - Low Complexity, Medium Complexity, and High Complexity. These categories are affected by the following features:
- Deployment Architecture Model: In backend development, there are two options - custom or BaaS. In the custom option, clients can choose their own architecture while in BaaS, the backend has a ready-made architecture.
- Admin Panel Deployment: This is what helps clients manage their apps and keep track of the activity that goes on in the mobile app. It allows them to update the content without the help of the developers.
- Third-party Integration: In order to make an app truly user-friendly, it needs to interact with other apps and their functions. This process is slightly more complicated in React Native and so, can make the app more complex and affect the development process.
- In-App Purchase: The inclusion of in-app purchases is not really easy on React Native. Therefore, the more in-app purchases you include in the app, the more complex it gets.
- Using The Device's Built-In Features: When an app has to use the native features of the device like GPS, camera, Bluetooth, and so on, it can increase the complexity of React Native app development services.
- Integrating The Enterprise/Legacy System: If a client wants an app that is integrated with an enterprise system, rather than one that is standalone, the cost and time of development will go up. Therefore, this factor can affect the React Native development process.
These factors, therefore, can make the app less or more complex. This way, they alter the length, cost, and depth of app development on React Native.
- User Authorization
An app that requires a login or signup process is likely to be more costly than one that doesn't need such features. User authorization features require extra security and firewalls which can affect the development process. This then determines the length of the development phases.
Hence, such features require combined efforts from the enterprise system development team and the app development team. This is the only way to ensure that the apps are developed and deployed properly.
- Add-ons
When building a customer-centric app, you may wish to integrate social media platforms into the app, and perhaps include some add-ons as well. These add-ons are instrumental in determining the cost and complexity of React Native hybrid development services. The in-app purchases are an extra add-on, and the apps can be as vast as possible or as small as a single-page app. All of this can alter the development process on React Native.
- The Design of The App
The design of your mobile app must take into account both the user interface and the user experience. An efficient mobile app enables a targeted group of users to perform a specific set of related tasks. This is what must keep them entertained or engrossed in the app.
For instance, an app that has smooth transitions from one screen to another, a seamless user flow, and well-timed animation are likely to attract more users. But to design each of these features, React Native developers have to take into consideration the functioning of the development framework. Also, these features are some important determining factors in the cost of developing the app.
- Developer Experience
A major factor that affects the development process on React Native is the developer's experience using it. Although this framework uses JavaScript, a well-known programming language, it still has its own set of complexities. This is why it is important that the developers have enough experience working with this framework. The more experienced someone is, the better their work will be. This will reflect in the quality of the final product. However, hiring an experienced senior developer is certainly going to be more expensive.
Here, clients may choose to hire a React Native app development company instead of an individual developer, especially on complex projects. For simple projects, however, it is far easier to hire a freelance developer. When working with a higher budget and bigger profit margins, a development company would be able to give you a full-round service. They can help you with market research, app design ideas, feature complexity, and other such factors that affect the length, cost, and efficiency of the development process.
- Location of the Developers/Development Company
The location of the app development company or freelance developer can affect the cost and efficiency of the development. Let's take a look at how the location can affect these factors. Here, we have provided the region-wise breakdown of hourly development charges for mobile apps on React Native.
- North America: In this region, countries like Canada and the USA have companies that charge approximately $110-$150 per hour for React Native app development. These countries are also some of the best in terms of skill set.
- South America: South American countries like Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and others, are some of the top contenders for outsourcing. Here, a React Native app development project may cost around $30 to $50 per hour.
- Europe: Western and Eastern/Central Europe have a huge disparity in terms of the cost of React Native development. Western European countries generally charge more per hour. Therefore, in this region, the hourly rates for React Native development are around $60 to $95.
- Russia: Close to Europe, Russia is a major outsourcing region for React Native app development. Here, the hourly rates could be anywhere from $25 to $45.
- Asia: Asia has some major mobile application development services in countries like China and India. These regions have some of the lowest hourly rates for React Native development and can range from $18 to $45. With these countries, the biggest advantage is that, alongside the low rates, there is a huge amount of skilled labor available.
- Oceania: Oceania refers to Australia and New Zealand. Here, the hourly rates are similar to Europe, ranging from $60 to $95. In this region, much like Western Europe and North America, the React Native developers are extremely skilled.
Depending on where a company is located in these regions, their quality of work, skills, and hourly rates can vary a lot. This then affects the quality of React Native app development.
- Distributions of App
The distribution channels you target can also affect how the app development process changes. With many distribution channels available today, it is more profitable to target as many of them as possible. Therefore, if there are multiple platforms to write or reuse the codes for, the development process can take slightly longer. Commercial app stores like Apple Store and Google Play Store may charge developers around $100 to provide them with licenses. The apps will also require the permission of the host to ensure the standards of security policies are met.
- App Maintenance
There is no doubt that the cost of React Native development does not end once the app has been launched. It needs to be maintained and updated regularly to fix bugs and other issues that may creep up over time. Moreover, a development company that follows the recommended testing procedures also has to invest in frequent app testing processes. These factors can affect the cost of the app's upkeep, the quality of a React Native app, and so on.
Further, React Native itself undergoes frequent updates that make it more efficient. Due to this, apps that were made through it may also need to be updated for numerous reasons. The app maintenance and support are often considered to be 20% of the total cost of app development. These include things like design changes, updates, bug fixes, and so on.
- App Templates
Some React Native mobile application development services also make use of app templates. This can help reduce the cost of development, as many features are already premade. If a client has a low budget, this is often recommended.
For both iOS and Android, these templates offer a lot of benefits. Depending on the components used in these templates, the quality of the apps can also vary. Also, templates can reduce the time required for developing an app.
React Native Features That Affect App Development
While there are many factors that affect the cost and efficiency of the React Native app development process, there are also many features of the framework itself that can have an impact on the apps. Let's have a look at them.
- Code Reusability
React Native is known for its cross-platform development features. One of the biggest reasons it can support cross-platform and hybrid app development is the code reusability feature.
Code reusability refers to the ability of the framework to let developers use one codebase for all platforms. So, developers may write the code for an Android or iOS app, and then reuse it to write the codes for the other platform. This platform can integrate almost 90% of the Native framework for reusing the codes for multiple platforms.
- Web Development Tools
React Native supports hybrid app development as well. This is due to the fact that it allows developers to use web development technologies to write apps for mobile devices. This allows hybrid development services to create apps with the use of HTML and other web development tools. This makes the apps more efficient in nature.
- Large Developer Community
Being an open-source JavaScript-based framework, React Native has a huge support base of developers. They are welcomed to contribute towards the further improvement and development of the framework. As a result, the quality of apps created through this platform often remains high.
Moreover, the support that developers receive through this community can be instrumental in deciding the quality of the services they provide their clients.
- Fast Refresh
Fast Refresh is a feature that lets developers run the codes while they are making changes to the codebase. This lets them see in real-time how their codes are read. This saves the time required for app updates, thereby reducing the cost for such projects. Also, it allows developers to improve the quality of the app as they get to see in real-time what does and doesn't work on the app.
- Simple UI
React Native development uses React JS library to build the app's UI. This makes the apps more responsive and faster while also reducing the loading time. As a result, it allows development companies to build efficient and user-friendly apps that attract more users and bring in better profits.
- Better For The Future
This framework develops at a fast rate, allowing it to be considered the framework of the future. As a result, it is often preferred by developers and thereby affects the cost, development time, and effort of an app development project.
Negative Factors That Affect React Native App Development
Although this platform has mostly positive features and factors that ensure the high-quality of the apps they produce, there are also some negative ones. Let's take a look at how these features can affect the quality of the apps.
- Lack of Custom Modules
React Native has a lack of exceptional custom modules, and they leave room for improvement. For instance, if you are trying to develop an app from scratch or hack another existing one, you may need to run three separate codebases. This can often beat the purpose of a cross-platform framework, and increase the cost and time of developing an app.
- Debugging Issues
React Native, while being a widely used framework, is still in its beta phase. This means that its owner, Facebook, is constantly updating the framework. With various versions of the framework being released so frequently, the app development process can get delayed or face issues during the debugging phase. There may also be some compatibility issues due to this factor. This is especially true if the developers are not very experienced with React Native.
Read the blog- How To React Native App Development Saves A Lot Of Development Cost For Start-ups And Enterprises?
- Scalability
In most cases, React Native works well even if the app eventually grows into a complicated set of codes. However, many companies have still chosen to back out of this framework due to its complexity. Therefore, a cross-platform and hybrid app development company may have trouble creating efficient apps with it. For instance, Airbnb proclaimed that it was opting out of using React Native due to the fact that it took them longer to create the apps for different platforms.
- Requires The Knowledge of Native Development
React Native works by bridging the JavaScript-based threads with the Native ones. This means that a developer needs to know both Javascript and Native app development. Therefore, there will always be some need for assistance from iOS and Android developers.
Consequently, a developer with knowledge about a single platform like Android may also not be able to use the cross-platform features of this framework with satisfaction. This suggests that the quality of the app created on this framework depends a lot on the experience and background of the developer. Finally, this can also increase the cost of development as a development company must hire a Native developer to assist in some sections of the project. In such situations, development companies may use software consulting services which add up to the cost of development.
- Slower Apps
The JavaScript used by React Native does not run very fast when compared to Native code. This can often affect the performance speed of the app. However, this is barely visible to the human eye and is generally not noticed by users.
Final Words
Evidently, React Native is a great solution to your cross-platform and hybrid app development needs. Although it has some disadvantages, it is still one of the most used development frameworks. It allows a hybrid app development company to save hours of development time and thus, money and effort. It also gives you access to a wider audience, on multiple platforms, through its features. And so, in the case of simple and uncomplicated apps, React Native is the perfect framework choice.
