React Native vs Ionic: Which Framework Is Best For Your App Development

Pratik Purohit July 24, 2020

Table of Contents

React Native and Ionic are two hybrid frameworks that often confuse the newbies and business owners who are looking to get their apps developed. The primary reason is that the objectives of these frameworks share common ground and both seem to be performing similar tasks. React Native and Ionic are consider in the top 3 frameworks of the year.

However, if you would dive deeper into detailed comprehension of the frameworks, you would be able to identify how diverse both the frameworks are from each other.

In this article, we will show you how the two above-mentioned frameworks are dissimilar based on different parameters and derive the comparison of React Native vs Ionic. The article discusses below points in detail.

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source SDK based on JavaScript and it is used for developing cross-platform apps. The framework utilizes native elements of different platforms to create a native-like experience. The app is created from a single codebase for all the platforms. RN framework renders UI control with the help of React and JavaScript for iOS and Android.

React Native literally implies the slogan: “Learn Once, Write Anywhere.” So, if you want to reduce the development time and cost while maintaining the native-like quality up to a certain level, React Native has got your back.

What is Ionic?

Ionic is a framework for hybrid app development but it is web-based. This open-source mobile UI toolkit is ideal for the development of iOS, Android, Electron and Progressive Web Apps using React and standard web technology. It supports web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It also uses PhoneGap and Cordova plugins to render native elements for enhanced user experience.

Ionic is all about “Write once, use everywhere.” The slogan indicates that the app written in Ionic can be run on every platform in the form of hybrid mobile apps, desktop apps, and progressive web apps. The same code can be shared across various platforms, not just iOS and Android.

Have you got a glimpse of how one framework takes a different approach than the other in app development from above introductions? Once you will reach the end of this article, you’ll see that it’s not just the availability of the resources that derive your decision of choosing the most suitable framework for your project. Rather there are more driving forces behind it.

Similarities Between React Native and Ionic Frameworks

Since both the frameworks are cross-platform SDKs, if you are unfamiliar with coding and development, you may assume that both of the above-mentioned platforms… In fact, all the cross-platform frameworks are alike. It’s a popular opinion that the decision of choosing the most suitable framework depends upon the stack that the developer is most comfortable with. But such is not the case.

All frameworks, whether native, cross-platform, or hybrid, are different from each other in many ways. However, we can find some similarities amongst them. React Native and Ionic have a few similar traits such as the fact that both the frameworks are used for cross-platform app development.

All the cross-platform frameworks are developed with the objective to enable the developers to create apps using technologies that they don’t know while leveraging the technologies that they are well-versed with. Cross-platform frameworks reduce the cost and time required for development. All these frameworks are being upgraded regularly to enhance the look and feel of the final app with minimum efforts.

Another similarity between React Native and Ionic is the advantage of creating a single shareable codebase. The shareable codebase improves the app development process allowing you to put more effort into the features and other nitty-gritty of your app to deliver a native-like experience to the users.

Despite the similarities, the two frameworks are two sides of a coin donning many differences that make a developer consider the requirements before selecting the one. But before jumping into the discussion of the comparison between React Native and Ionic, let’s discern the difference between hybrid native and hybrid web.

Hybrid Web Vs Hybrid Native

The competition between iOS and Android has grown to an extent where the majority of businesses now prefer to develop apps for both the platforms not to miss out on potential audiences. According to the statistics published in Review 42, The estimation says that there will be 2.87 billion smartphone users by the end of 2020. So, why not reach maximum users via hybrid apps?

So, when we talk about hybrids, there are majorly two kinds of hybrid apps. One is the hybrid native-OS-specific that targets native platforms and takes advantage of native APIs. Another type is the hybrid web which leverages web technologies and is accessed through web browsers.

Hybrid web apps are built using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The user interface is rendered through web browsers. The code is shareable across all the platforms including web and desktop. In the majority of the cases, the code doesn’t need to be modified to suit a specific platform or web browser.

On the other hand, hybrid native apps are ideally what you would usually refer to as cross-platform apps. These apps are built using various intermediate languages such as JavaScript, Dart etc. The codebase needs to be created only once but requires alterations based on different platforms.

Such apps are targeted for mobile operating systems rather than the web. The shareable code cannot be reused 100% unless the app is very basic and doesn’t require access to the device’s native elements. Hybrid native apps are closer to native apps in many ways primarily because the code is bridged with native components for the native-like experience.

React Native vs Ionic

The paramount difference between React Native and Ionic is of the ability to develop considerably divergent apps. React native is used for developing cross-platform native apps while Ionic typically targets all platforms but through web components.

Technology Stack

The technologies that RN and Ionic use for apps are completely different. Clearly, one has to take advantage of native components to deliver native-like UI while the other opens a wide range of options with just one codebase.

With Ionic’s new update, Ionic allows you to integrate multiple technologies to build amazing apps offering its benefit of targeting multiple platforms including web and desktop. The framework equips any web developer with the superpower of developing hybrid mobile apps with minimum learning.

Performance

One of the major concerns for app developers and app owners is how well their app will perform. The end goals of the desired app are, in most cases, progressive user engagement and incredible user experience that would spell-bound the audience and create a long-lasting relation with it.

If an app successfully delivers the requirements to help achieve the end goal, the purpose is served.

If your app is needed to be closer to native apps in look, feel, and UI, you must opt for React Native for development. But, if your app is required to be present on many platforms inclusive of web and desktop, Ionic is the best choice here.

Application Size And Time Of Development

Let’s see where both the frameworks stand in terms of application size built using each of them and time of development.

Hence, Ionic will help you develop lighter apps in less time when compared to React Native. If the layers of plugins were not needed to envelop Ionic apps, they would be loading a lot faster than any other apps.

Security

Providing security measures in an app is crucially important for the developers. There are a variety of functions that are now performed using apps. And if not secured with advanced plugins, users’ data and payment information would not be protected. It will, in turn, reduce the reliability of the app and finally affect user retention.

React Native wins over Ionic when it comes to data and privacy security in apps.

Testing And Debugging

Testing and debugging is a lot more similar and none of the frameworks defeats another except in case of some apps Ionic lags.

Popularity

Ionic was created by Drifty.co in 2013 while React Native was launched in 2015 by Facebook. Although Ionic came before React Native, the latter is more popular than the former. Most businesses prefer to target only mobile platforms to stay closer to providing near-native experience to its users. Hence, there is more demand for React Native in the market.

From the developers’ point of view, React Native allows them to build more expressive and stable apps that are capable of delivering high-end features. Even web developers can easily earn skills in RN and start developing cross-platform apps using it.

On the other hand, small businesses, startups, and businesses that are on experiment stage with online presence prefer developing web-based apps. This gives them flexibility and availability on a wide range of platforms including desktop and web. They can derive conclusions on customers’ interest and later develop dedicated mobile apps accordingly.

Maintainability

When you look out for the framework that accounts for less maintenance after development, you will find that maintaining Ionic apps is easier. React Native majorly depends upon third-party libraries that keep getting updated or outdated with time. To keep the app up and running smoothly, time-to-time modifications are necessary.

There’s also a slight difference between codes of the same app on different platforms. The apps need to be maintained on all platforms. Contrarily, with Ionic, you only need to look after and maintain one app across all the platforms. These apps do not call for maintenance very often.

Conclusion

React Native and Ionic are two distinct frameworks that have their varied values for particular requirements. The apps that are needed to be created with Ionic should better be created with Ionic only and so do the apps with React Native. Both frameworks own their pros and cons.

If you are targeting only mobile platforms for your app, getting your app developed with React Native for cross-platform would be the best choice. However, if you are aiming for multiple platforms such as desktop, web browsers, and mobile platforms, you can get a progressive web app developed using Ionic.

React Native	Ionic
React Native is hybrid-native	Ionic is hybrid-web
React Native targets native mobile platforms.	Creates an app for all the platforms including desktop and web.
Code is written in JavaScript, UI is done in JSX.	Code is written in JS and UI is done in HTML & CSS.
React Native uses bridge to communicate with native UI elements.	Ionic leverages web technologies and plugins to call native functionalities.
Development is easier and faster than most frameworks except Flutter and Ionic. React Native lacks the presence of internal libraries and has to depend upon third-party libraries for many functionalities.	Development is faster than React Native owing to its built-in components.

React Native	Ionic
Apps created with React Native are somewhat similar to (Not exact similar) native apps.	Apps created with Ionic lack the quality when compared to a native app. However, Ionic apps can also call native features for native-like performance.
Some code is modified according to different platforms such as iOS and Android.	Code is written once and is run everywhere. Hence, it requires the use of plugins to access native elements.
The user interface is more stable and is capable of handling large-scale applications.	Since it is built across web technologies, the UI is a bit fragile when it requires heavy UI and graphics.
Apps created in RN are high-performance and responsive.	Apps created in Ionic are smooth and fast but theoretically a bit slower than RN.

React Native	Ionic
The apps built in RN are a combination of (most of the times) two or three languages compiled together.	The apps built with Ionic are majorly composed of web tools such as HTML and CSS.
The heavy language stack, necessity to native UI compilation and advanced features make the app size larger than web-based apps.	The language stacks are very light and written on web-browsers which are indeed very light. Thus, such apps are way too lighter than RN apps.
According to an experiment done by Simform, an app took 1.5 months to develop in RN.	The same app was developed in 1 month using Ionic.

React Native	Ionic
React native has the benefit of accessing many third-party libraries to confer users with advanced features.	Developers can extract encryption on iOS with the help of secure stage Cordova plugins.
Three reliable third-party libraries primarily help developers to store sensitive data locally.	On Android devices, using a screen lock can protect the app however, encryption doesn’t work that efficiently.

React Native	Ionic
Testing in React Native can be performed using ReactTestUtils, Jest and Jasmine, Mocha, XC test, etc.	Testing in Ionic is done using Karma for components, unit testing using Jasmine and Karma & end-to-end testing with Jasmine and Protector.
Debugging is done using Console.log or React Native debugger app.	Debugging in Ionic is carried out using tools like Chrome Development tools.
Debugging in RN is easier owing to JavaScript.	Debugging in Ionic is a bit more difficult than RN in apps that use hardware features of ngCordova.