Created and nourished by Facebook, React Native has taken the world of app development by storm it was launched way back in 2014. Earlier building hybrid apps that run across multiple platforms used to be regarded as the vital alternative to native app development for particular platforms. With React Native, we have a new approach called cross-platform development.
In a React Native app development project, maximum code can be reused across platforms. Still, the platform-specific UI layers for iOS and Android are created separately to ensure a more engaging native user experience. With React Native cross-platform development, you get the cost advantage of hybrid development and superior quality of native apps.
Why Do Businesses Prefer React Native for their App Projects?
Businesses prefer using React Native for their app projects primarily because of its code reusability and robust toolset allowing great flexibility and higher quality while keeping costs low. React Native can be used for developing iOS and Android native apps and apps for all device platforms, including Windows, Web, macOS, tvOS, Android TV, and wearable platforms.
Let’s look at Some Of the key reasons React Native is preferred for mobile app projects.
- Businesses can save tremendously on resources and development costs simply because this framework allows reusing maximum code for developing apps across the platforms.
- React Native developers typically need to have command on a set of skills required for cross-platform apps and do not need command on a lot of different technologies.
- Also React Native by assuring maximum code reusability helps build apps quickly and thus keeps the development cost in check.
- React Native app projects typically require very little human capital. An app project requires only a team involving two or three developers, a project manager, a designer, and a QA testing expert.
- React Native has typically known simplicity of user interface design and offers a smooth, seamless and responsive design that loads instantly.
- The biggest draw for using React Native is that the framework allows reusing 90% of the core codebase across platforms while keeping the unique native UI layer intact.
- React Native as an open-source development framework boasts of a large community of expert developers who are continuing to create reusable components that can be incorporated into any app project as per the necessity.
How Much Does React Native App Cost: The Contributing Elements
Now that we have an idea about the key value propositions of the React Native framework, it is time to have a deeper understanding of the crucial cost factors for building an app by using this framework. Here below, we explain the most significant cost factors for React Native projects.
App Complexity
How complex an app you want to build can have a significant bearing on the development cost of an app. An app with a simple interface and a few app features can be developed much quicker than a rigorous app with a heavier load. What are the key areas or components depending upon which an app becomes complex?
- Deployment Architecture: For the app Backend, you can build a custom backend or get onboard a Backend as a Service (BaaS). The custom Backend development costs are higher.
- Admin Panel: This is common to most apps for taking stock of user statistics, activities, etc.
- Third-Party Integration: To make an app user friendly, an app from time to time may need to ensure interactions with other apps, which requires integration of third-party APIs.
- In-App Purchase: Most apps rely on in-app purchases for generating revenues. The complexity of the app will increase in proportion to the number of in-app purchase options.
- Access to Device Features: An app accessing most of the inbuilt features of the device, such as Camera, Bluetooth, Accelerometer, GPS, Barometers, etc., may increase complexity.
- Legacy Software Integration: Does the app work as a standalone solution requiring no other app or integration with legacy software systems for different features? Depending upon this, the app may be more complex.
UX/UI Design
How the app will look and how easy it will be for the users depends on the UI/UX design. Since the user interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) are crucial for keeping the users engaged, this involves creative skills and a prime focus. For UI/UX design, it is recommended to have more flexibility in respect of budget.
Hiring App Development Team
Inhouse hiring can prove to be expensive compared to remote hiring or outsourcing development teams. Since in-house hiring involves long term cost overhead, you can always go for outsourcing. Make sure you research development teams well and make them pass through stringent validation criteria before opting for the most competitive rate.
App Maintenance
Building an app fulfils the very basic and first step in a long queue of responsibilities. You need to ensure frequent app updates and regular app maintenance to keep the app security up to date and ensure required value addition as per user feedback.
Conclusion
In case as a business, you are just trying to start with your first app, and your budget Is Low, you can always find React Native cross-platform development as the right way to cut down costs while ensuring robust community support. All these cost factors and components may vary from one project to another. But you primarily need to focus upon the target platform, features and complexity, UI/UX design, hiring of the development team, and app maintenance cost.
