Software Alternatives & Startups

Adonis JS VS NativeScript

Compare Adonis JS VS NativeScript and see what are their differences

Adonis JS logo Adonis JS

AdonisJs is a Node.js web framework with breath of fresh air and drizzle of elegant syntax on top of it

NativeScript logo NativeScript

Build truly native apps with JavaScript
  • Adonis JS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • NativeScript Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

Adonis JS features and specs

  • Modern Eco-System
    AdonisJS uses the latest JavaScript (ES6/ES7) features, providing an up-to-date and efficient development environment. This includes async/await for handling asynchronous code, making it easier to write and understand.
  • ORM Support
    The framework includes a built-in ORM called Lucid, which simplifies database interactions by allowing developers to work with database records through straightforward JavaScript models.
  • MVC Architecture
    AdonisJS follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern, which helps organize code in a clean and maintainable manner, making it easier to manage large applications.
  • Built-In Authentication and Authorization
    AdonisJS comes with out-of-the-box solutions for user authentication and authorization, reducing the time required to set up these critical features in applications.
  • Thorough Documentation
    AdonisJS provides comprehensive and well-maintained documentation, which makes it easier for developers to get started and find solutions to their problems quickly.
  • Rich CLI
    The Command Line Interface (CLI) for AdonisJS is rich with features, facilitating a range of tasks from project scaffolding to running migrations, thus speeding up the development process.

Possible disadvantages of Adonis JS

  • Learning Curve
    Although the framework is well-documented, its rich set of features and unique conventions can present a steep learning curve for beginners or those new to JavaScript frameworks.
  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established frameworks like Express.js or Laravel, AdonisJS has a smaller ecosystem of third-party packages and community resources.
  • Performance Overhead
    Due to its comprehensive feature set, AdonisJS can have more performance overhead compared to microframeworks that offer more control and fewer built-in features.
  • Smaller Community
    While growing, the community around AdonisJS is still smaller than that of other established frameworks. This can sometimes make it more challenging to find community-driven support and solutions.
  • Rapid Changes
    As a relatively new framework, AdonisJS undergoes frequent updates and changes. Keeping up with these changes can demand additional effort from developers.

NativeScript features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    NativeScript allows developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, which saves time and resources.
  • Native Performance
    Since NativeScript directly uses native components, it delivers high performance comparable to native applications, unlike some other cross-platform solutions.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    NativeScript offers a rich ecosystem of plugins and modules, making it easy to extend functionalities and integrate with various services.
  • Single Codebase
    Maintaining a single codebase for both iOS and Android reduces development and debugging efforts.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, NativeScript has strong community support and continuous improvements driven by developers around the world.
  • Access to Native APIs
    NativeScript allows direct access to native APIs, giving developers more flexibility and control over platform-specific features.

Possible disadvantages of NativeScript

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The framework requires an understanding of native development concepts, which can be complex for new developers or those not familiar with mobile development.
  • Lack of Third-Party Components
    Compared to more mature frameworks, NativeScript has a limited number of third-party libraries and UI components available.
  • Performance Overhead
    Despite high performance, there is still some overhead compared to fully native applications due to the abstraction layer.
  • Limited Community Support
    Although the community is growing, it is still smaller compared to mainstream frameworks like React Native or Flutter, which might result in slower issue resolution and fewer resources.
  • Maintenance and Updates
    Keeping the framework and its plugins up to date with the latest iOS and Android releases can be challenging and resource-intensive.

Analysis of Adonis JS

Overall verdict

  • AdonisJS is a good choice for developers looking for a complete, opinionated framework with a focus on developer productivity and ease of use. It is especially beneficial for those who appreciate a well-documented toolkit with out-of-the-box features necessary for web development. However, like any framework, it may not be the best fit for every project, especially if you have specific requirements beyond what AdonisJS easily provides or if you prefer using a less opinionated environment.

Why this product is good

  • AdonisJS is a Node.js MVC framework tailored for building scalable server-side applications. It is often praised for its opinionated structure that makes it easy to follow best practices, which can accelerate development. Additionally, it offers built-in support for authentication, data modeling, and other features that are commonly needed in web applications, reducing the need for third-party packages. Its emphasis on developer experience, with features like an intuitive CLI, ORM, and an edge templating engine, contributes to its appeal among developers who prefer an all-in-one toolkit. Furthermore, the AdonisJS community is growing, and there are increasing resources and plugins available.

Recommended for

  • Developers building server-side applications with Node.js who need a structured approach.
  • Teams that benefit from having a consistent, opinionated setup with built-in features for common tasks.
  • Developers who appreciate a strong focus on development experience and concise documentation.
  • Projects that require scalability and maintainability without relying heavily on external packages.

Analysis of NativeScript

Overall verdict

  • NativeScript is considered a good choice for developers seeking to create cross-platform mobile applications with a native look and feel while using web technologies they are already familiar with. It balances the flexibility of web development with the performance and capability of native apps.

Why this product is good

  • NativeScript is a popular open-source framework for building native mobile applications using JavaScript, TypeScript, Angular, Vue.js, or Svelte. It allows developers to write and maintain a single codebase for both iOS and Android, which can significantly reduce development time and effort. NativeScript provides access to native APIs, ensuring that apps can leverage device capabilities to deliver a truly native user experience. Additionally, the community and plugin ecosystem offer resources and tools to enhance app functionality and streamline development processes.

Recommended for

  • Web developers looking to leverage their existing skills to build mobile apps.
  • Teams that need to maintain a single codebase for multiple platforms.
  • Projects that require deep integration with native device features.
  • Developers familiar with frameworks like Angular, Vue.js, or Svelte who want to build mobile applications.

Adonis JS videos

Tutoriel NodeJS : Découverte d'Adonis

NativeScript videos

NativeScript VS React Native 2019 | performance | community | plugins

More videos:

  • Review - Which one is best for you? Flutter, React Native, Ionic or NativeScript?
  • Review - 7 Things to Know When Learning NativeScript

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Adonis JS and NativeScript)
Web Frameworks
100 100%
0% 0
Development Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
74 74%
26% 26
JavaScript Framework
61 61%
39% 39

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Adonis JS and NativeScript

Adonis JS Reviews

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NativeScript Reviews

Top 10 Flutter Alternatives for Cross-Platform App Development
With the framework, developers get the option to craft a completely native experience even without interfering with the user interface. Those who are familiar with JavaScript can leverage NativeScript to its fullest.
Top 5 Flutter Alternatives for Cross-Platform Development
NativeScript is a powerful framework that empowers developers to build Web, iOS, Android, and Vision Pro apps on a single codebase. If you’re comfortable with web development, especially Angular or VueJS, you’ll find NativeScript accessible.
Source: www.miquido.com
10 Best Open Source Firebase Alternatives
The native apps you develop use the richness of the mobile platform and offer the performance you need for mobile devices. NativeScript uses native APIs and controls to render, allowing you to create more sophisticated apps compared to using a hybrid approach.
10 Best Tools to Develop Cross-Platform Desktop Apps 
NativeScript doesn’t require Angular or Vue.js but works better when used together for cross-platform app development. This runtime framework implements JavaScript, its superset TypeScript and Angular Native, and can render a variety of apps, be they gaming, streaming, geolocation, or chat apps. The user interface is in XML and CSS. A single, reusable codebase can be applied...
Top JavaScript Frameworks For Mobile App Development
NativeScript is an open-source, cross-platform, free mobile framework that assists in the creation of a truly native Android and iOS mobile apps. These apps can be built with JavaScript, Angular, Vue.js or TypeScript. Programming using NativeScript reduces the development time and lines of code, to a large extent. Many organizations globally have been implementing it because...
Source: medium.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Adonis JS should be more popular than NativeScript. It has been mentiond 81 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Adonis JS mentions (81)

  • I Built a SaaS with AdonisJS 7, and I Loved It
    If you've never seen Adonis in the wild, or you've only ever reached for Next.js / Nuxt / a decoupled SPA, this article is the gentle tour I wish I'd had. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • You're Doing Rails Wrong
    Batteries included backend frameworks exists in the JS ecosystem, just look at https://adonisjs.com/ . The problem is that the nodejs ecosystem started off with micro-frameworks as the antithesis to what they believed were “overbearing” frameworks, like rails and Django, at the time. I remember express’s selling point was to build quick and dirty. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • The One-Person Framework in Practice
    I'm currently building out an app using AdonisJS. Its billed as a Rails like experience but in node. https://adonisjs.com/ I did a comparison between Rails, Adonis and Fiber (a Go "framework") before settling on Adonis (mostly due to node ecosystem and type safety). It's been excellent so far, and the creator has an excellent series of tutorial videos that can get you up to speed quickly... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • My Software Development Process
    Database Migration files and Models: For my backend, my go to NodeJs framework is AdonisJS. I love it because it comes with libraries for building production ready applications out of the box such as auth, emails, CORS, migrations, seeders, etc. It also uses Typescript. So, I create a basic AdonisJS app, and using my Database design, I prepare database migration files and models that match, This is easy because... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Validate your data structures with Vine in your Dart projects
    Vine is a data validation library developed by Harminder Virk for the Adonis framework. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

NativeScript mentions (21)

  • Top 10 Frameworks for Hybrid Mobile Apps in 2026
    NativeScript is a hybrid mobile app framework that allows developers to build truly native iOS and Android apps using JavaScript, TypeScript, or Angular. Unlike frameworks that rely on WebViews, NativeScript provides direct access to native APIs, ensuring apps perform like native applications. It is ideal for developers who want the convenience of JavaScript while leveraging full native functionality. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • What are JavaScript Engines?
    NativeScript is a good example of a runtime built specifically for cross-platform native mobile application development built using JavaScript. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Gio UI – Cross-Platform GUI for Go
    A long time ago, nativescript[1] seemed to be a strong alternative to reactnative. Is that still the case? [1] https://nativescript.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Flutter or React Native?
    I'm curious about this topic as well. I would also add NativeScript[1] in the comparison. [1] https://nativescript.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Svelte Native: The Svelte Mobile Development Experience
    This is not so much the Svelte equivalent of React Native as it is just NativeScript (https://nativescript.org). - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Adonis JS and NativeScript, you can also consider the following products

ExpressJS - Sinatra inspired web development framework for node.js -- insanely fast, flexible, and simple

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Nest.js - A progressive Node.js framework for building efficient, reliable and scalable server-side applications.

Apache Cordova - Platform for building native mobile applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript

Koa.js - Next generation web framework for node.js

Ionic - Ionic is a cross-platform mobile development stack for building performant apps on all platforms with open web technologies.