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React Native VS Apache Cordova

Compare React Native VS Apache Cordova and see what are their differences

React Native

A framework for building native apps with React

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
To be Vibe Voted
Alternatives Is it good?
Apache Cordova

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

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Promote on VibeVoted
Alternatives Is it good?
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Which is more popular?

Based on our record, React Native should be more popular than Apache Cordova. It has been mentioned 247 times since March 2021.

social mentions
247 vs 45
Development Tools popularity
80% vs 20%

Base details

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

React Native
Apache Cordova
Website reactnative.dev cordova.apache.org
Pricing
Open source
Open source
Listed in
Development Tools JavaScript Framework Javascript UI Libraries Libraries And Widgets +1
Development Tools JavaScript Framework Developer Tools Javascript UI Libraries +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

React Native 6 features
Apache Cordova 5 features
  • Cross-platform development
    React Native allows developers to write code once and use it to build applications for both iOS and Android platforms, significantly reducing development time and effort.
  • Performance
    React Native uses native components under the hood, providing better performance compared to hybrid technologies like Cordova or Ionic.
  • Community support
    React Native has a large and active community, which means plenty of libraries, tools, and support are available to help developers solve problems and add features.
  • Hot reloading
    React Native supports hot reloading, enabling developers to see the results of the latest change instantly without losing the application's state.
  • Reusable components
    Developers can use React Native's component-based architecture to create reusable UI components, making code more modular and easier to maintain.
  • Strong backing
    Backed by Facebook, React Native benefits from continuous development, regular updates, and a high level of reliability and stability.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complexity for advanced features
    Implementing complex features and achieving deep integrations with native APIs may require more effort and a good understanding of native programming.
  • Performance limitations
    While React Native performs well for most use cases, it may still fall short in performance-intensive applications compared to fully native solutions.
  • Limited third-party libraries
    Some third-party libraries might not be available for React Native, or they may lack features compared to their native counterparts.
  • Platform-specific code
    Despite being cross-platform, certain features might still require platform-specific code, increasing the complexity when developing for both iOS and Android.
  • Potential for outdated documentation
    As React Native evolves quickly, some documentation or tutorials might become outdated, leading to confusion and extra effort to find up-to-date information.
  • Size of the application
    React Native applications tend to have larger file sizes compared to their native counterparts due to the inclusion of the JavaScript runtime and other dependencies.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Apache Cordova enables developers to build applications for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.) using a single codebase, which saves time and resources.
  • Use of Web Technologies
    Cordova allows the use of standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it accessible for web developers to create mobile applications without needing to learn platform-specific languages.
  • Extensive Plugin Ecosystem
    Cordova provides a wide range of plugins that enable access to native device functionalities (such as the camera, accelerometer, GPS, etc.), allowing for more versatile app development.
  • Cost Effective
    By reducing the need for multiple native developers and leveraging a single web development team, Cordova can significantly cut down the costs of application development.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Apache Cordova benefits from community support and contributions, leading to continuous improvements and a wealth of shared knowledge and code.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance Issues
    Applications built with Cordova may experience performance issues, especially with complex graphical or computational tasks, as they are essentially web applications wrapped in a native container.
  • Limited Native Functionality
    Although Cordova provides many plugins, accessing the latest native features often requires custom development, which can be complicated and time-consuming.
  • Dependency on Plugins
    Developers often rely heavily on third-party plugins to access native features. If these plugins are not well-maintained, they can introduce compatibility issues and bugs.
  • User Experience
    The user experience of Cordova-based apps may not be as smooth or responsive as fully native applications, potentially leading to lower user satisfaction.
  • Security Concerns
    Using multiple plugins and technologies can increase the surface area for security vulnerabilities. Also, web-based applications can be more susceptible to common web security issues.

Analysis

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

React Native
Apache Cordova

Overall verdict

  • React Native is generally a good choice for mobile app development, especially if you're looking for a cross-platform solution. Its ease of use, combined with the ability to leverage a single codebase for both iOS and Android, makes it a popular option among developers.

Why this product is good

  • React Native is considered good because it allows developers to build mobile applications using JavaScript and React, enabling code reuse between Android and iOS platforms. This can speed up development time and reduce costs. It also has a vibrant community and a strong ecosystem with numerous libraries and tools, making it easier to implement complex functionalities. Additionally, React Native provides a native-like performance for most use cases, which enhances the user experience.

Recommended for

  • Startups and small businesses looking to develop mobile apps quickly and cost-effectively.
  • Developers with a background in JavaScript and React who want to expand into mobile app development.
  • Projects that require rapid prototyping and iterative development.
  • Applications that need to maintain a shared codebase between web and mobile platforms.

No analysis of Apache Cordova yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

React Native 3 videos + Add
Apache Cordova 2 videos + Add

React Native in 2019 & Beyond

More videos

  • - What Is React Native?
  • - Why React Native is garbage.

Apache Cordova - Hello World from Android and iOS

More videos

  • - What’s Your View on Apache Cordova?

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
React Native
Apache Cordova
80% 80%
Development Tools
20% 20%
84% 84%
Javascript UI Libraries
16% 16%
76% 76%
JavaScript Framework
24% 24%
100% 100%
Libraries And Widgets
0% 0%

User comments

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

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

React Native no reviews yet
Apache Cordova no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

React Native 247 mentions
Apache Cordova 45 mentions
  • Native edges: principles for native apps with a shared core
    Electron, React Native, and more recently Tauri came out of that. They gave teams a dynamic runtime, hot reloading, and the whole ecosystem of web libraries, so one team could ship to several platforms at once. And it worked: Slack,... - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • What the F*ck is Firebase Now?
    I usually leave Crashlytics out of my my posts, but with a lot of React devs now using React Native often, I had to keep it here. Firebase Crashlytics is a real-time crash reporter that helps developers track, prioritize, and fix... - Source: dev.to / 25 days ago
  • Comparing Ionic, NativeScript & React Native
    React Native is currently the most popular JavaScript framework for creating mobile apps. Neither Ionic nor NativeScript can match its popularity. Its popularity comes from the fact that it was tied to React from the start, while both... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago

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  • Top 10 Frameworks for Hybrid Mobile Apps in 2026
    Apache Cordova is a pioneering hybrid mobile app framework that allows developers to build mobile apps using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It wraps web applications in a native container, giving them access to... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Show HN: I Made a Web App to Bring Children's Drawings to Life
    This is truly amazing. Is there a 'How it Works' a 'Potentials' section? I work with things that push to inspire creativity and learning to foster the passion behind creativity and authentic works where otherwise we'd see how 'AI copies... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • PWAs wont replace native iOS apps
    Anyone have experience with/opinions on Apache Cordova? [1] It seems like it would solve most of the PWA issues. Although I vaguely recall reading that Apple is not too fond of apps that are basically just wrapped web views. [1]... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago

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Alternatives to React Native and Apache Cordova

When comparing React Native and Apache Cordova, you can also consider the following products.

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