Proton Native VS React Native Desktop

Proton Native

A React environment for cross platform native desktop app

React Native Desktop

Build OS X desktop apps using React Native

Landing page //
2021-07-28

Landing page //
2023-09-30

Proton Native

Website: proton-native.js.org

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Proton Native features and specs

Cross-Platform
Proton Native allows developers to build applications that run on multiple operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux with a single codebase, enhancing accessibility and reach.
Native Performance
By using native components, Proton Native applications often achieve better performance and responsiveness compared to web-based solutions.
JavaScript and React
Developers familiar with JavaScript and React can quickly adapt to using Proton Native, leveraging their existing skills to build desktop applications.
Open Source
As an open-source framework, Proton Native allows developers to contribute to its development or customize it to better fit their project needs.

Possible disadvantages of Proton Native

Maturity and Stability
Proton Native is less mature compared to other frameworks like Electron, which means it might have more bugs or lack certain features that developers expect.
Community and Support
The community around Proton Native is smaller, which can make finding support and resources more challenging for developers new to the framework.
Limited Libraries and Tools
Compared to more established frameworks, Proton Native may have fewer third-party libraries and tools available, limiting the ease of development for more complex applications.
Documentation
The available documentation for Proton Native may not be as comprehensive or updated as other frameworks, making it harder for developers to understand and use effectively.

React Native Desktop features and specs

Cross-Platform Code Sharing
React Native Desktop allows for code sharing between mobile and desktop platforms, reducing development time and effort. This promotes a unified codebase across iOS, Android, and macOS platforms.
React Ecosystem
Developers can leverage the extensive ecosystem of React and React Native, including libraries, tools, and community support, thus simplifying development and benefiting from existing solutions.
Hot Reloading
React Native Desktop supports hot reloading, which allows developers to see changes immediately without rebuilding the whole application. This greatly enhances development speed and productivity.
Native Performance
React Native Desktop aims to deliver a performance close to native applications on macOS, allowing for smooth user experience and efficient utilization of the system's resources.

Possible disadvantages of React Native Desktop

Immature Project
React Native Desktop is still a relatively young project compared to its mobile counterpart. It may lack some stability, advanced features, and support that are available in more mature frameworks.
Learning Curve
Developers familiar with only web development might find it challenging to adapt to React Native's paradigms and native coding patterns required for desktop applications.
Limited macOS-Specific Components
There might be fewer out-of-the-box components and libraries tailored for macOS when compared to those available for mobile, requiring more custom implementation work.
No Official Support
As an open-source project, React Native Desktop doesn't have official support from Facebook or a large organization, which might lead to slower updates and a greater reliance on community contributions.

Analysis of React Native Desktop

Overall verdict

React Native Desktop can be a good choice if you are already invested in the React Native ecosystem and are looking for a way to expand your application's reach to desktop platforms without starting from scratch. It benefits from the familiar JavaScript and React syntax, as well as a large community of developers who contribute to its growth. However, depending on the project's specific needs and the level of maturity expected, it might lack some features or optimizations available in native desktop application frameworks.

Why this product is good

React Native Desktop is designed to allow developers to use React Native for creating desktop applications. It leverages the existing React Native ecosystem, which means that developers familiar with React Native can transition to desktop app development more easily. By allowing code sharing between mobile and desktop platforms, it can significantly reduce the development time and effort required to maintain consistency across platforms.

Recommended for

This framework is recommended for JavaScript developers who are already comfortable with React Native and want to leverage their existing skills to develop cross-platform applications that include desktop environments. It is suitable for projects that require rapid prototyping and consistent user experiences across mobile and desktop devices.

Proton Native videos

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Getting Started With Proton Native

React Native Desktop videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Proton Native and React Native Desktop)

Proton Native

React Native Desktop

Development Tools

32 32%

Development Tools

68% 68

Developer Tools

0 0%

Developer Tools

100% 100

Rapid Application Development

100 100%

Rapid Application Development

0% 0

Cross-Platform Development

100 100%

Cross-Platform Development

0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Proton Native and React Native Desktop

Proton Native Reviews

Electron.js Alternatives For Cross-Platform Development

Proton Native allows developers to create effective cross-platform solutions using React Syntax. It uses the same syntax as React Native and allows developers to utilize all the available react-libraries for creating complex desktop solutions with ease.

Source: www.atatus.com

Electron Alternatives﹣5 Best JavaScript Frameworks for Desktop Apps

Proton Native is a fresh release. It was made available on GitHub in the early months of 2018. What Proton Native does for desktop app development is similar to what React Native has done for mobile.

Source: brainhub.eu