React Native has been around for more than half a decade now, and we have a lot of users commending it for all its benefits. Cross-platform development, use of Third-party libraries, faster app development, reduced complexity, etc.

Every framework comes with its own set of limitations, and React Native is no exception. There are a few glitches that React Native is riddled with, which has put off even the most seasoned of developers.

The major drawbacks of React Native were thrown into the limelight when Airbnb famously switched from React Native, sunsetting the technology to focus its efforts on building the Native app.

Companies like Udacity soon followed suit and moved out of React Native, citing performance and maintenance issues.

So is React Native the best choice for you to build your app? In this article, we look at some of the drawbacks of the React Native framework and why it is probably not the best solution for you to build your app.

1.Applications with complex User Interfaces

Imagine you are building a chat app. The app requires a high level of customization, and there are a lot of processes running in the background at any given point of time. If you ask any developer which framework they would prefer to build this app, the chances are slim that they would answer React Native.

Although Javascript allows developers to build fast and smooth apps, native building platforms, such as Java, Swift, and Objective — C, are much better to build apps that are resource-intensive.

Native iOS offers far better solutions for creating complex animations when compared to React Native. Also, if you have to use Camera, Touch ID, GPS, etc. for your app, React Native does not offer support for these. You have to use the native framework to access these features.

Developers may face issues while dealing with screens using complex gestures since there is a sea of difference between Android and iOS touch subsystems to be combined in a unified API.

2.Building utilities such as battery monitors

When you set out to build utilities such as battery monitors, media players, antivirus, etc. it is much easier to use native app development compared to React Native. This is because these applications always use native features and APIs provided by iOS.

One could argue that we could use native wrappers for APIs and components to build these utilities, but this takes up a lot more time and effort on the part of the developers, compared to using native components.

#react #javascript #react-native #mobile-app-development #app-development