Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

NativeBase VS BEM

Compare NativeBase VS BEM and see what are their differences

NativeBase logo NativeBase

Experience the awesomeness of React Native without the pain

BEM logo BEM

BEM โ€” Block Element Modifier is a methodology, that helps you to achieve reusable components and code sharing in the front-end.
  • NativeBase Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • BEM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-21

NativeBase features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    NativeBase offers components that work seamlessly across both iOS and Android, ensuring a consistent user experience across different devices.
  • Rich Component Library
    Provides a vast collection of pre-built UI components, such as buttons, forms, navigations, and more, significantly speeding up the development process.
  • Customization
    Highly customizable themes and components that allow you to match the look and feel of your app to specific design requirements.
  • Community Support
    Active community and extensive documentation make it easier to find solutions to common problems and get support from fellow developers.
  • Integration with React Native
    Designed to work specifically with React Native, offering better integration and performance compared to more generalized component libraries.
  • Accessible Design
    Offers components and practices aimed at making apps more accessible, which is crucial for creating inclusive applications.

Possible disadvantages of NativeBase

  • Learning Curve
    Can have a steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with React Native or component-based design.
  • Performance Overhead
    May introduce some performance overhead due to the abstraction layers, which might not be suitable for performance-critical applications.
  • Dependency Management
    Frequent updates and changes in the library can lead to dependency issues that require regular maintenance and updates.
  • Limited Advanced Customization
    While basic customization is easy, deeply customizing components to fit unique use cases can be challenging and may require additional effort.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Relying heavily on any proprietary framework or library can make it difficult to switch technologies in the future, constraining flexibility.
  • Size
    The library can add to the overall size of the application, which might be a concern for apps where minimizing the footprint is crucial.

BEM features and specs

  • Consistency
    BEM enforces a structured way of naming and organizing CSS classes, which promotes consistency across the codebase.
  • Scalability
    The methodology is designed to handle large and complex projects by keeping styles modular and reusable, which helps in maintaining scalability.
  • Maintainability
    By using a clear naming convention, BEM makes it easier for developers to understand and maintain code, even if they weren't the original authors.
  • Flexibility
    BEM allows for flexible and modular component development, making modifications easier without affecting unrelated parts of the codebase.

Possible disadvantages of BEM

  • Verbose Naming
    The class names in BEM can become quite long and verbose, which might make the HTML markup harder to read.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers unfamiliar with BEM may need some time to adapt to its conventions and understand the methodology well.
  • No Enforced Hierarchy
    BEM does not inherently enforce any specific hierarchy or structure among elements, which might lead to inconsistencies if not carefully managed.
  • Increased Initial Setup
    Implementing BEM from scratch can involve significant upfront planning and setup, which might be seen as an overhead for smaller projects.

NativeBase videos

NativeBase Market Purchase Flow

BEM videos

BEM REVIEW! is Bem worth watching?

More videos:

  • Review - BEM - First Impressions
  • Review - Bem Episode 1 Discussion/ Review BEM HAS THE MUSIC!!!!!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NativeBase and BEM)
Development Tools
64 64%
36% 36
Developer Tools
33 33%
67% 67
Design Tools
30 30%
70% 70
CSS Framework
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, BEM should be more popular than NativeBase. It has been mentiond 49 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.

NativeBase mentions (22)

  • Exploring the Best UI Component Libraries for React Native apps
    Gluestack, like any other customizable UI library, is built to make styling less cumbersome. It comprises a set of themed and unstyled components easily integrated across different platforms and devices. Originally, Gluestack was a part of NativeBase, a component library for both React and React Native. With performance and maintainability in mind, NativeBase was split into two parts, focusing on a universal... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Best headless UI libraries in React Native
    Just like the other libraries mentioned in this article, Gluestack is another unstyled component library. Originally a part of NativeBase, the developer team created this library to prevent bloat and enhance maintainability of the project. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • An Overview of 25+ UI Component Libraries in 2023
    KumaUI : Another relatively new contender, Kuma uses zero runtime CSS-in-JS to create headless UI components which allows a lot of flexibility. It was heavily inspired by other zero runtime CSS-in-JS solutions such as PandaCSS, Vanilla Extract, and Linaria, as well as by Styled System, ChakraUI, and Native Base. ### ๏ปฟVue. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • 7 Popular React Native UI Component Libraries You Should Know
    NativeBase is a collection of essential cross-platform React Native components. The components are built with React Native combined with some JavaScript functionality with customizable properties. NativeBase is fully open-source and has 18,000+ stars on GitHub. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • React vs React Native: How Different Are They, Really?
    CSS-based UI libs don't make sense on mobile; your new options include NativeBase, React Native Elements and others). Some web-based UI libs do have RN siblings though - such as React Native Material and React Native Paper (for Material-UI), and tailwind-rn (for Tailwind). This just means new decisions to make, some learning, and new paradigms for how to use the new libs. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
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BEM mentions (49)

  • Why CSS Is So Hard for Generative AIs to Understand?
    Beyond the countless ways to achieve the same result, there are just as many methodologies for writing CSS itself. Have you ever came across BEM, SMACSS, OOCSS, atomic CSS, etc. If not, then you can add yours to the list. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • hearing Michael Scott.
    SCSS makes it easier to use mixing and variables. I'm exploring it's applications for Codepen as well as the use of BEM to modularize reusable CSS components. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • The CSS Odyssey: Why I Turned back to CSS After Trying Everything Else
    Style conflicts is one. Although CSS class definitions are placed in reverse import order, problems still occur in Next.js when some pieces only appear in page but not layout CSS bundles. Following BEM (Block Element Modifier) and "Composition over Extension" patterns to separate concerns helps avoid styling collisions significantly. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • :where() :is() my mind?
    BEM encourages a flat structure with minimal nesting and specificity, making styles easier to read and maintain. It significantly reduces the risk of unintended style overrides and enhances modularity. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • SASS, CSS, or Tailwind: Which One Should You Choose?
    Keep in mind you also have to use BEM. If you use just SASS, there are little to no advantages compared with CSS. I am going to cover BEM in a separate article, but for your understanding, BEM is a methodology for writing good CSS. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing NativeBase and BEM, you can also consider the following products

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Sass - Syntatically Awesome Style Sheets

React Native Desktop - Build OS X desktop apps using React Native

styled-components - styled-components is a visual primitive for the component age that also helps the user to use the ES6 and CSS to style apps.

React Native UI Kitten - Customizable and reusable react-native component kit

Tailwind CSS - A utility-first CSS framework for rapidly building custom user interfaces.