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Vincent is the founder and director of Rubix Studios, with over 20 years of experience in branding, marketing, film, photography, and web development. He is a certified partner with industry leaders including Google, Microsoft, AWS, and HubSpot. Vincent also serves as a member of the Maribyrnong City Council Business and Innovation Board and is undertaking an Executive MBA at RMIT University.
Organisations seeking to streamline mobile development often evaluate cross-platform frameworks to reduce duplicated engineering requirements and improve release efficiency. React Native and Expo have become established choices across many industries. Their combined use can offer significant development speed, refined tooling, and efficient update management. Selecting the correct approach, however, requires a clear understanding of technical scope and long-term operational needs.
React Native allows developers to build mobile applications using JavaScript while generating native interface components on iOS and Android. This supports substantial code reuse and typically results in up to 90 percent shared logic in projects with standard requirements. Industry reports from 2024 indicate that organisations adopting React Native reduce development and maintenance cost by 30 to 40 percent by consolidating workflows into a single codebase.
React Native remains effective for medium to high UI complexity, steady feature iteration, and situations where engineering teams benefit from widely available JavaScript skills. These characteristics make it a suitable choice for organisations that prioritise fast iteration, predictable release cycles, or alignment across mobile and web development teams.
React Native allows developers to build mobile applications with JavaScript while generating native interface components on iOS and Android. This structure supports substantial code reuse and typically delivers 90 percent shared logic across platforms in projects with standard functional requirements. Industry reports from 2024 indicate that organisations adopting React Native reduce development and maintenance cost by 30 to 40 percent, primarily due to the consolidation of engineering efforts.
React Native performs reliably in applications with medium to high interface complexity and predictable integration needs. The availability of JavaScript talent shortens onboarding periods and reduces recruitment constraints. These characteristics make React Native a suitable option for organisations that prioritise rapid iteration, consistent release cycles, and alignment between mobile and web development capabilities.
Although React Native simplifies delivery, it does not replace all native engineering. Features that rely on specialised hardware or low-level device access still require development in Swift, Objective C, Java, or Kotlin. Examples include secure credential storage, industrial Bluetooth communication, low-latency media processing, and system-level background tasks.
Industry-wide project data shows that 20 to 25 percent of cross-platform builds eventually require at least one custom native module. These modules must be maintained throughout iOS and Android annual update cycles, which can introduce regression testing needs and additional approval steps. Organisations operating in finance, healthcare, or similarly regulated sectors must consider this maintenance overhead when planning the technical approach.
Expo provides a structured environment that simplifies React Native development. It includes a comprehensive SDK of pre-built modules, a command-line interface for project configuration, the Expo Go application for immediate device testing, a browser-based demonstration environment, and cloud-based build and update services.
This level of standardisation supports consistent implementation across distributed teams, external vendors, and high-turnover engineering environments. Stakeholders benefit from the ability to review updates on physical devices without requiring internal build infrastructure. This contributes to faster feedback loops and more predictable development cycles.
Expo helps teams accelerate implementation, shorten configuration steps, and stabilise release cycles. Metrics published in 2024 showed that engineering teams using EAS Build reduced configuration time by 35 percent and increased successful build rates by 25 percent.
These efficiencies are particularly helpful in projects requiring frequent releases, early stakeholder validation, and rapid changes based on user feedback.
Advantages
These characteristics make Expo suitable for organisations that value speed, predictable workflows, and reduced overhead in the early and mid-lifecycle of mobile applications.
Expo also introduces constraints that must be considered early in the architectural planning process. Applications built using Expo typically generate larger binary sizes because the runtime includes modules that may not be directly used by the project. Comparative testing throughout 2024 found Expo builds to be between 15 and 25 percent larger than equivalent bare workflow builds.
The Managed Workflow further limits access to low-level native features. Projects requiring specialised hardware, advanced background processing, or custom system integrations may need to transition to a bare workflow. Industry observations indicate that roughly 30 percent of long-term applications eventually require capabilities that exceed the Managed Workflow, creating additional migration and refactoring effort.
Limitations
These factors must be evaluated before development begins to ensure the selected approach remains viable throughout the application lifecycle.
The choice between Expo, standard React Native, or fully native development depends on functional requirements, compliance needs, performance expectations, and maintenance planning. Expo is well suited to projects prioritising speed and predictable updates. Standard React Native supports deeper native customisation while still maintaining cross-platform efficiency. Fully native development remains the preferred option for high-performance, highly specialised, or regulated applications.
Rubix Studios integrates these considerations into its architectural decision process, ensuring that organisations adopt a mobile approach that remains sustainable across operational, regulatory, and technical cycles. React Native and Expo both offer strong foundations for mobile delivery, provided their capabilities are matched correctly to the project’s objectives.
React Native and Expo provide strong foundations for cross-platform mobile development, provided their capabilities are matched correctly to the project’s technical and operational objectives. Expo offers clear advantages for rapid delivery and predictable workflows, while standard React Native enables deeper platform integration. Fully native development is reserved for specialised or highly regulated applications.
With informed architectural planning and structured assessment, organisations can adopt a mobile approach that supports long-term reliability and measurable business value. Rubix Studios assists teams in evaluating these options and delivering mobile solutions that meet strategic, technical, and operational expectations.
Vincent is the founder and director of Rubix Studios, with over 20 years of experience in branding, marketing, film, photography, and web development. He is a certified partner with industry leaders including Google, Microsoft, AWS, and HubSpot. Vincent also serves as a member of the Maribyrnong City Council Business and Innovation Board and is undertaking an Executive MBA at RMIT University.