NativeScript Vs React Native- A Complete Comparison

 

These days the mobile industry is growing very rapidly and every day new tech stacks enter the market as a framework option to choose for your next project. So it becomes difficult to choose the right framework for your native mobile app development project. Nativescript and react native both are popular javascript frameworks. Though both of these frameworks offer native app development possibilities, they vary mostly in performance, codebase, functionality and so on. Then which one will you choose to build complex apps? Or applications that an extend enterprise level or niche-scale? To help you in the decision making, here we’ll compare Nativescript vs react native on the basis of various parameters. But before digging to the comparison let’s see overview of each one in detail.

What Is NativeScript? 

It is an open-source framework used to build cross-platform apps for android and ios using Javascript. It transpiles one programming language to another while building native apps using Vuejs, Angular and TypeScript. Nativescript has a rendering engine which provides native performance and user experience. You can develop simple gaming apps, real time apps, geolocation apps, music or video streaming apps with Nativescript.

What Is React Native?

React native is a popular open-source framework that runs on Javascript. Mainly it focussed on native rendering of apps that is highly compatible with ios and android. React Native is written with the combination of XML- Esque markup and Javascript which is also known as JSX. It is supported by facebook community.

With react native you can build simple cross-platform apps, quick prototype apps, apps with simplified UI, apps with reusable components and so on. 

Know the reasons to build app app with React native at- Why you should build your app with react native?

Nativescript Vs React Native- A Comparison

1. App Architecture-

NativeScript –

It follows the MVVM or MVC architectural pattern. Whereas, this framework widely functions on Modules, CLI and Plugins. It’s structure composed of multiple modules and each of them enables a set of specific features. Page module and root module are the two important modules that make up the architecture. Togetherly, they form an app module including CSS style, business logic and XML-based UI codes. Nativescript has an ability to efficiently manage module dialogs because of its MVC friendliness.

React Native-

React native possesses a bridge between Native thread and Javascript thread. According to this functionality, Javascript code interfaces with the platform and the Native API. In case of iOS, React native makes use of Javascript separately to run all codes, whereas it bundles the JavascriptCore within the android app. While this may increase the native functionality, it also increases the application size, resulting in performance issues or device lag.

2. User Experience-

Nativescript-

You can build enterprise level business apps with nativescript and it is one of the best benefit of choosing this framework. Also, you could customize the free, professional-grade UI elements that Nativescript offers. It’s all features are supported by native functionality and native controls so it gives you performance that improves user experience. Nativescript tests its libraries, templates and UI elements before implementation to achieve the desired user-interface. With the use of getFrameByld, classes such as Frame and properties like navigationContext you can improve user experience to the next level.

React Native-

Style Design in iOS and Android’s  Material design are transforming by the day and it becomes challenging for React native to keep up with the constant change in the requirements of native platforms. Also, ready-made React Native UI kits like React Virgin, Shoutem and And Design makes it challenging to create consistent designs across platforms. Some important components like ScrollView fixed header, Activity indicators, Modal components, Snap carousals and pagination components help to improve UX across multi-platform.

3. App Size-

NativeScript-

Simple Native app built with NativeScript can be more than 12MB. But it is still small-sized considering the package of native elements and features. Self-containing multiple APKs within one package with single codebase targets various device configurations and reduces size of app. ABI mechanism of Nativescript with android allows device to automatically extract machine code and scan for shared library during development. It saves app size because device identifies the 32 bit and 64 bit compatibility.

React Native-

The size of hello world app built with react native is 7MB and when native dependencies were added, the size increases up to 13.4 MB. React native can iterate apps faster and at minimal size better than NativeScript. Also, allowing Proguard and using enableSeperateBuildPerCPUArchitecture element will reduce the sie by auto-generating split builds for native and external libraries.

Know more at- https://solaceinfotech.com/blog/nativescript-vs-react-native-a-complete-comparison/