Software Alternatives & Startups
Register | Login

Expo VS React Native Material Design

Compare Expo VS React Native Material Design and see what are their differences

Expo

The fastest way to build an iOS and Android app 📱

Rating
0 reviews
Promote on VibeVoted
Alternatives Is it good?
React Native Material Design

React Native UI Components for Material Design

No screenshot yet
Rating
0 reviews
Promote on VibeVoted
Alternatives Is it good?
LibHunt
LibHunt tracks mentions of software libraries on relevant social networks. Based on that data, you can find the most popular projects and their alternatives. sponsored

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Expo seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 35 times since March 2021.

social mentions
35 vs 0
Developer Tools popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 9

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Expo
React Native Material Design
Website expo.io react-native-material-design.github.io
Listed in
Application Builder Mobile App Builder Developer Tools Development Tools +1
React Native React Native App Templates React Components Development Tools +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Expo 6 features
React Native Material Design 4 features
  • Ease of Use
    Expo simplifies the development process by providing a managed workflow that handles configuration and builds, allowing developers to focus on coding.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Expo enables developers to write code once and deploy it on both iOS and Android platforms, ensuring a consistent user experience across devices.
  • Pre-Built Components
    Expo offers a library of pre-built components and APIs that streamline the development process and reduce the time needed to implement common functionalities.
  • Over-the-Air Updates
    Developers can push updates to users in real-time without needing to go through the app store review process, facilitating quick bug fixes and feature releases.
  • Strong Community Support
    Expo has a vibrant and active developer community, offering a wealth of resources, tutorials, and third-party packages to assist developers.
  • Integrated Development Environment
    Expo provides tools like Expo CLI and Expo Go that make it easier to build, test, and debug applications, particularly for newcomers to mobile app development.

Possible disadvantages

  • Custom Native Code Limitations
    Expo's managed workflow restricts the use of custom native code, limiting developers when they need to integrate with third-party native libraries not supported by Expo.
  • Larger App Size
    Expo includes additional libraries and dependencies by default, which can result in a larger application size compared to custom builds.
  • Performance Overhead
    The abstraction added by Expo can introduce performance overhead, making it less suitable for highly performance-sensitive applications.
  • Dependency on Expo's Updates
    Developers are dependent on Expo's update cycle for bug fixes and new features, which may not always align with their project timelines.
  • Limited Configuration Options
    Expo's managed workflow abstracts many configurations for build processes, which can be a hindrance for developers needing granular control over app settings.
  • Ejection Complexity
    Ejecting from the managed workflow to a bare workflow for more customization can be complex and time-consuming, potentially negating some benefits of using Expo.
  • Cross-Platform Consistency
    React Native Material Design provides a consistent UI/UX by adhering to Material Design guidelines, which ensures that applications look similar across Android and iOS platforms.
  • Pre-Built Components
    The library includes a wide range of pre-built components, which speeds up the development process and reduces the amount of code needed to implement Material Design concepts.
  • Customizability
    Developers have the flexibility to customize the components to fit their specific design requirements while still maintaining the Material Design aesthetic.
  • Community and Support
    React Native Material Design has a dedicated community that provides support, resources, and third-party integrations, making it easier to find solutions to common problems.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance Overhead
    Using an additional library for Material Design can introduce performance overhead, which can be a concern for applications where performance is critical.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers who are new to Material Design or React Native might face a learning curve in understanding how to effectively use the library's components and customize them appropriately.
  • Limited Documentation
    The documentation for React Native Material Design may not be as comprehensive as the official React Native documentation, potentially leading to challenges in learning and implementation.
  • Dependence on Updates
    The library may not be as actively maintained or updated as other libraries, leading to potential compatibility issues with newer versions of React Native.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Expo
React Native Material Design

Overall verdict

  • Expo is a solid choice for developers looking to quickly build and deploy mobile applications using React Native. Its ease of use and comprehensive toolset make it particularly attractive for rapid prototyping and development of small to medium apps. However, some advanced native functionalities might require ejecting from Expo, which can introduce additional complexities.

Why this product is good

  • Ease of use
    Expo is known for its user-friendly interface that allows developers to quickly prototype and build apps with React Native without needing to set up native development environments.
  • Cross platform
    Expo simplifies the process of building cross-platform applications, giving developers tools to deploy apps for both iOS and Android effortlessly.
  • No native code
    With Expo, developers can build applications entirely in JavaScript, which is beneficial for those who may not be familiar with native coding languages.
  • Developer tools
    It provides a suite of tools such as an interactive development environment, error reporting, and debugging services that enhance the development experience.

Recommended for

    {"beginners" => "New developers who are just getting started with app development will find Expo's simplicity and comprehensive documentation helpful.", "rapid_prototyping" => "Teams seeking to quickly prototype and iterate on ideas can benefit from Expo's convenient tools and cross-platform capabilities.", "react_native_developers" => "Developers familiar with React Native who want a streamlined solution to deploy apps without deep diving into native code."}

Overall verdict

  • React Native Material Design is a decent choice for developers who want to quickly implement Material Design principles in their React Native apps, though it's worth noting that the React Native ecosystem has evolved significantly and there may be more actively maintained alternatives like React Native Paper that offer better long-term support.

Why this product is good

  • Provides pre-built Material Design components that save development time
  • Follows Google's Material Design guidelines for consistent UI/UX
  • Reduces the need to build custom styled components from scratch
  • Helps maintain design consistency across Android and iOS platforms

Recommended for

  • Developers building React Native apps who want Material Design aesthetics without custom styling
  • Small to medium projects needing quick UI implementation
  • Teams already familiar with Material Design patterns from web or Android development
  • Prototyping and MVP development where speed matters more than deep customization

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Expo 3 videos + Add
React Native Material Design 0 videos + Add

Scenes from the 2019 National FFA Convention & Expo | Review Video

More videos

  • - Auto Expo 2020 Film | Real-life review
  • - Expo Dry Erase Set Unboxing & Review

No React Native Material Design videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Expo
React Native Material Design
100% 100%
Developer Tools
0% 0%
0% 0%
React Native App Templates
100% 100%
89% 89%
Development Tools
11% 11%
0% 0%
React Components
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Expo and React Native Material Design. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Expo 35 mentions
React Native Material Design 0 mentions
  • Video player with React Native. Part 1: Expo
    We are going to review it in a series of two articles. This is the first one, where we will touch on Expo. Expo is quite popular and is even recommended in Getting Started guide for React Native. But it differs a lot. Here we will go... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • State Management Nx React Native/Expo Apps with TanStack Query and Redux
    This workspace is created using @nx/expo (Nx and Expo). - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • New OAuth Vulnerability (CVE-2023-28131) impacts hundreds of websites and Apps
    Just be clear this isn't an OAuth vulnerability. It's an vulnerability in expo.io. It doesn't even really have anything to do with OAuth. They've just terrible return url handling so it probably impacts a lot more than just stealing... Source: over 3 years ago

View more

Tracking React Native Material Design since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to Expo and React Native Material Design

When comparing Expo and React Native Material Design, you can also consider the following products.

Loading...