React Native vs. NativeScript – Which Is Better for Cross-Platform Apps?

With businesses gravitating towards cross-platform mobile app development to minimize costs and production timelines, teams often don’t know which framework is best for their project goals and specifications – NativeScript or React Native.

Thanks to multiple advancements in cross-platform app development, teams are not bound to stick with native development. They can now use a single codebase to launch mobile apps across iOS and Android.

A few years back, cross-platform apps would not perform as well as native apps. However, that’s not the case in 2025. Frameworks like NativeScript and React Native allow developers to build feature-rich mobile apps with native-like performance across both iOS and Android. 

But which framework is the perfect one for your mobile app development workflows?

Read More: Achieving Excellence with Cloud-Native Solutions

This blog presents an in-depth comparison between the two cross-platform development frameworks, helping you choose the right one for your project.

What is Nativescript?

NativeScript is a free and open-source framework that lets developers build native mobile apps on iOS and Android using JavaScript, TypeScript, or Angular. Having to create and maintain just one codebase for all platforms is a luxury NativeScript offers.

The key difference between NativeScript and other mobile development approaches is that it creates real native apps, not web apps packaged as mobile applications.

Now, here’s what makes NativeScript special:

True Native Performance

• Your apps run at native speed because NativeScript directly uses the platform’s native UI components.
• No middle layers or web views slow down your app.
• Users get the smooth, fast experience they expect from mobile apps.

Single Codebase, Multiple Platforms

• Write your code once and deploy it to both iOS and Android.
• Save time and resources by maintaining one codebase.
• Updates and fixes only need to be done once.

Familiar Web Technologies

• Use JavaScript, TypeScript, or Angular – whichever you’re comfortable with.
• No need to learn Swift, Objective-C, or Java.
• Apply your existing web development knowledge to mobile apps.

Access to Native APIs

• Use device features like camera, GPS, and fingerprint scanning.
• Connect to native libraries and SDKs directly.
• No plugins are needed for basic native functionality.

Rich Ecosystem

• Large collection of ready-to-use plugins
• Active community support
• Regular updates and improvements
• Extensive documentation and learning resources

Read More: Benefits of Adopting a Cloud Native Approach

What is React Native?

React Native is a popular mobile app development framework created by Facebook (now Meta). It allows developers to build apps for iPhone and Android using one codebase. 

It’s like having a universal language for creating apps for any smartphone operating system. This saves time and effort compared to building native-like apps for each platform.

Here’s what makes React Native stand out:

Write Once, Run Everywhere

• Create one app that works on both iPhone and Android
• Save time by not writing separate code for different phones
• Make updates easier by changing code in just one place

Real Mobile App Experience

• Apps look and feel just like regular phone apps
• Smooth and fast performance
• Users can’t tell the difference between React Native apps and traditional apps

Easy to Learn and Use

• If you know web development, you can learn React Native quickly
• Uses simple JavaScript, which many developers already know
• Lots of ready-made components to build apps faster

Live Updates

• Fix bugs and add new features without going through app stores
• Users get updates instantly
• Saves time waiting for app store approvals

Strong Community Support

• Huge library of pre-made components
• Many developers share solutions and help
• Regular improvements and updates
• Lots of learning resources and tutorials

Cost-Effective Development

• Cheaper than building separate apps for iPhone and Android
• Faster development time
• Easier to maintain and update
• Requires fewer developers

Read More: Native Vs. Hybrid – Which One is Best For Enterprise App Development?

React Native vs. NativeScript – A Detailed Comparison

Both React Native and NativeScript enable you to build cross-platform apps by using a single JavaScript-based codebase. This allows for faster, cheaper development than building truly native apps separately.

While both these technologies help build custom mobile apps that feel, look, and function like native ones, there are some key differences you should consider:

How They Work

React Native “bridges” JavaScript to native app components. It interprets your JS code at runtime, mapping it to platform-specific UI elements. For example, a <View> tag gets mapped to UIView on iOS and TextView on Android.

On the other hand, NativeScript embeds native APIs directly inside its JavaScript environment. Thus, you can access native components directly without bridging, reducing overhead compared to React Native.

Usability

React Native uses familiar React concepts like JSX, components, and state. So, it’s easy for React web developers to master it. There are also multiple guides and documentation that may facilitate adoption.

NativeScript uses plain JavaScript with some Angular/Vue syntax for templating. There’s a learning curve coming from web development. However, detailed documentation and guides are available, plus the API design makes accessing native features simple.

Community & Ecosystem

React Native has enormous community support, and Facebook backs it. There are abundant libraries, tools, tutorials, and developers available. Finding solutions and skilled talent is easy.

The NativeScript community is smaller but still active. The official premium plugins and integrations make up for less open-source libraries. However, the overall community support is still very responsive and helpful.

Performance

React Native is the go-to framework for cross-platform development for many enterprises globally because of its performance.

Development teams love how responsive cross-platform apps built using React Native are, providing near-native speeds. 

However, the difference in performance between React Native and NativeScript is only noticeable in complex apps with lots of visual or animation elements.

Platform Access

React Native provides basic cross-platform capabilities but requires “bridging” modules for full access to native APIs. High-quality community bridges exist, but you may need to write your own.

NativeScript injects native APIs directly into JavaScript, so everything is callable immediately. No external native modules are required for full access. This makes it simpler for apps requiring tight hardware/OS integration.

Feature	NativeScript	React Native
Community Size	1,600+ contributors	24,400+ contributors
GitHub Commits	7,462+ commits	34,423+ commits
Stack Overflow Questions	7,293+ questions	142,344+ questions
GitHub Stars	24,400+ stars	120,000+ stars
Plugin Ecosystem	Wide variety of pre-built plugins	Extensive (NPM ecosystem)
Developer Support	Extensive community support	Regular updates and discussions

Choosing Between React Native and NativeScript for Cross-Platform App Development

For business application development needs over the next 2-3 years, React Native appears to be the safer long-term bet. The momentum of its community and developer base will likely keep solutions easy to find. 

NativeScript offers some unique advantages but may lack the ecosystem width for sustainable long-term support. 

Evaluate both against your specific needs – but the continued rapid innovation from React Native’s community makes it a likely front-runner for most business use cases moving forward.

When choosing a cross-platform framework, you want the best of both worlds: code that can be written once and run anywhere, with easy access to native functionality.

React Native and NativeScript take slightly different approaches but achieve similar results – high-performance apps from a shared JavaScript codebase.

React Native is immensely popular and supported by an active open-source community. It also has an abundance of third-party libraries and documentation.

On the other hand, NativeScript imposes a more initial learning curve. But what you lose in community-fed convenience, you gain in out-of-the-box native simplicity. Direct access to native APIs and official support avoids dependence on external open-source projects.

Read More: 12 Reasons Why You Should Use React Native for Mobile App Development

Final Thoughts

Both these frameworks have their own benefits and trade-offs. It totally depends on your app development project, specifications, goals, and overall product vision.

If you lack expertise in any of these frameworks and want to fill such skill gaps within your teams, you can always count on Cubix.

We boast an extensive team of developers specializing in both React Native and NativeScript that can help bring your product vision to life.

Contact our representatives, and we’ll see how we can assist you.