Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Draftbit VS NativeScript

Compare Draftbit VS NativeScript and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Draftbit logo Draftbit

The ultramodern app builder for iOS, Android, and Web. Coding optional, source code included.

NativeScript logo NativeScript

Build truly native apps with JavaScript
  • Draftbit Draftbit Builder
    Draftbit Builder //
    2024-07-01

Want to build cross-platform apps for the web, iOS, and Android with or without coding? Draftbit is a premium visual app builder that's easy enough for no-coders, and powerful enough for developers.

Connect to virtually any REST API, build your UI with dozens of available components (or build your own), use custom code and npm packages, preview your app live as you build and see changes in realtime in the browser and your own iOS and Android devices, and more!

Draftbit apps are built on open source tooling like React Native and Expo - the same technology that powers some of the biggest apps available - and you always own your source code.

  • NativeScript Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

Draftbit features and specs

  • Visual Builder
    Add, rearrange, align, and configure - in your browser
  • Fonts & Styles
    Reuse saved stylesheets, blocks, and Google fonts
  • Navigation
    Connect your screens and transitions together, visually
  • Data & Integrations
    Connect almost any backend with REST or GraphQL APIs
  • Live Preview
    Right as you build, on Android, iOS, and web
  • Publishing
    Easy deploy to the Web, Apple and Google stores
  • Code Export
    Clean, reusable React Native code and libraries
  • Live Collaboration
    Designers, developers, and viewers - working together
  • On-Call Support
    In-app, via email, or in- person to ensure success

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 Draftbit

Overall verdict

  • Draftbit is a solid choice for both non-technical users and developers seeking to accelerate their mobile app development process while maintaining control over the codebase.

Why this product is good

  • Draftbit is a good platform for those looking to build mobile applications without deep coding knowledge. It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that enables rapid prototyping and design integration. Additionally, Draftbit allows developers to export clean, customizable React Native code, which can be further refined outside of the platform. Its integration with various APIs and services, as well as its support for custom code, makes it a versatile tool for app development.

Recommended for

  • Non-technical entrepreneurs
  • Startups needing a fast MVP
  • Developers looking for a rapid prototyping tool
  • Designers interested in translating designs into functional apps
  • Educational purposes for learning app development basics

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.

Draftbit videos

New Draftbit UI Quick Tour - May 2024

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 Draftbit and NativeScript)
No Code
100 100%
0% 0
Development Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
28 28%
72% 72
JavaScript Framework
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Draftbit Reviews

We have no reviews of Draftbit yet.
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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

NativeScript might be a bit more popular than Draftbit. We know about 20 links to it since March 2021 and only 17 links to Draftbit. 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.

Draftbit mentions (17)

  • What do you wish you could learn from a React Native Pro? Now's your chance.
    I started a YC-backed company called Draftbit that made it easy to build react-native apps right in the browser. I'm now working on a open-source React Native app called Backpack. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Discussion Around Bubble Pricing Changes
    • Draftbit (https://draftbit.com/) - Draftbit is a no-code platform that enables you to create beautiful mobile apps without writing any code. The platform comes with a library of components and supports multiple languages. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (July 2022)
    Draftbit | Senior Software Engineer | Full-Time | Remote, Anywhere (US Central Time overlap of >=4 hours) | https://draftbit.com We're building a new way for teams and enterprises to visually design, build, and iterate on mobile apps. We're a no-code platform but that also generates source code as an output, which enables collaborative product development between both engineers and non-engineers; our early users... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Best Nocode Mobile App Developer?
    I'd also recommend Draftbit which enables you to publish as a PWA. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Best production-quality mobile app builder? Thunkable, Adalo, other?
    By the way, this solution is solid for performance and possibilities => https://draftbit.com/ but harder to use than Adalo. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

NativeScript mentions (20)

  • 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 / 5 months 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 / about 1 year 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 / about 1 year 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 1 year ago
  • Mobile App Development for both iOS and Andriod
    There is also https://nativescript.org/ which would allow you to use Vue (or several other frameworks) to build a mobile app. Used it myself a while back for an iPad app using Vue 2 and it was pretty straightforward. It seems like there have been quite a few improvements since then so might be worth a look. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Bubble.io - Building tech is slow and expensive. Bubble is the most powerful no-code platform for creating digital products.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Adalo - Build apps for every platform, without code ✨

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

Thunkable - Powerful but easy to use, drag-and-drop mobile app builder.

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