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React Native VS Inferno

Compare React Native VS Inferno and see what are their differences

React Native logo React Native

A framework for building native apps with React

Inferno logo Inferno

An extremely fast React-like javascript library for building modern user interfaces.
  • React Native Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-16
  • Inferno Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

React Native features and specs

  • 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 of React Native

  • 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  • Potential for outdated documentation
    As React Native evolves quickly, some documentation or tutorials might become outdated, leading to confusion and extra effort to find up-to-date information.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.

Inferno features and specs

  • High Performance
    Inferno is known for its impressive speed and performance, often comparable to or surpassing many other front-end frameworks and libraries, making it suitable for high-performance applications.
  • React-Like API
    Inferno uses a similar API to React, which makes it easier for developers who are already familiar with React to transition to or integrate Inferno.
  • Compatibility
    Due to its React-like API, Inferno can work with many existing React components and libraries, enhancing its versatility and integration capabilities.
  • Small Size
    Inferno has a small footprint, reducing load times and improving overall application performance, especially on mobile devices and slower networks.
  • Server-Side Rendering
    Inferno supports server-side rendering out of the box, allowing for faster initial page loads and better SEO.

Possible disadvantages of Inferno

  • Smaller Community
    Inferno has a smaller community and ecosystem compared to more widely used libraries and frameworks like React, potentially leading to fewer resources, plugins, and support.
  • Limited Third-Party Libraries
    While compatibility with React libraries is a strength, there are still fewer third-party libraries specifically designed for Inferno, which can limit development options in some scenarios.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers who are not familiar with React, there can be a learning curve associated with understanding the Inferno API and concepts.
  • Infrequent Updates
    Compared to larger projects like React, Inferno may have less frequent updates and new feature releases, which can impact the adoption of the latest web development trends.
  • Less Market Demand
    There is currently less market demand for developers proficient in Inferno compared to those skilled in more popular frameworks and libraries, potentially affecting job prospects and opportunities.

Analysis of React Native

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.

Analysis of Inferno

Overall verdict

  • Inferno is considered a good option for developers who prioritize performance and need a library that offers React-like features with potentially enhanced speed. Its active community, clear documentation, and ease of use contribute to its positive reception.

Why this product is good

  • Inferno is a modern JavaScript library specifically designed for building high-performance user interfaces. It is well-regarded for its lightweight size, fast rendering speed, and compatibility with React, making it a suitable choice for applications that require high performance and efficiency.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a faster alternative to React
  • Projects with performance-critical requirements
  • Teams with existing React knowledge seeking a complementary or alternative library
  • Applications targeting environments with limited resources

React Native videos

React Native in 2019 & Beyond

More videos:

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

Inferno videos

Inferno - Movie Review

More videos:

  • Review - Inferno - Movie Review
  • Review - Inferno - Official Movie Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to React Native and Inferno)
Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Javascript UI Libraries
86 86%
14% 14
JavaScript Framework
86 86%
14% 14
Development
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 React Native and Inferno

React Native Reviews

Explore 9 Top Eclipse Alternatives for 2024
Pioneered by Meta Platforms, Inc., React Native is a remarkable JavaScript framework that merges native app development with JavaScript libraries, offering a dependable solution for creating exemplary native apps for Android, iOS, and other platforms.
Source: aircada.com
Top 10 Flutter Alternatives for Cross-Platform App Development
Introduced in 2015 by Facebook, React Native is an open-source framework based on JavaScript. Being a developer-friendly framework, it’s a mobile-first platform that is capable of rendering mobile apps for multiple platforms, including iOS and Android.
Exploring 15 Powerful Flutter Alternatives
React Native is an open-source UI framework for writing native Android and iOS apps using JavaScript and React. React Native does deliver excellent prototyping capabilities, however. The React framework lends itself nicely to creating basic proofs of concept and experimenting with different interaction models and UI designs with little overhead. Features like Fast Refresh...
THE BEST 34 APP DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE IN 2022 LIST
Create native apps for Android and iOS using React. React Native combines the best parts of native development with React, a best-in-class JavaScript library for building user interfaces. You can use React Native in your existing Android and iOS projects or you can create a whole new app from scratch. Written in JavaScript—rendered with native code. React primitives render...
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
React native is famous for enabling the users to develop the core native applications and offers the best quality. It does not compromise on providing the best customer services and support. The react-native components surround the codes that already exist and then interact with the native APIs. That, in turn, allows the developers to learn the development process and makes...

Inferno Reviews

The Best JavaScript Frameworks You’re Not Using
There isn’t an overall number we can use to gauge performance on the chart above, but smaller numbers are better. Obviously, Inferno performs very well again. If you’re a React developer and have a project that requires excellent performance, Inferno is definitely something you should consider. We’ll finish with this from the Inferno “About” page:
Source: jsreport.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, React Native seems to be a lot more popular than Inferno. While we know about 232 links to React Native, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Inferno. 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.

React Native mentions (232)

  • Apprendre Flutter
    React Native: Assez faile à prendre en main si on maitrise React. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Migrating from AngularJS to React
    React skills work for React Native development - Although React Native is a separate framework designed specifically for building mobile applications, many of the skills a developer gains working with the React framework are applicable here as well. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • The Mobile Development Tech Stack for 2025
    React Native (Official Documentation) allows you to create apps for both iOS and Android with a single codebase, while TypeScript adds type safety to your JavaScript, reducing bugs and improving code quality. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • React + AI Stack for 2025
    React Native is the powerhouse for cross-platform mobile development. Write once, run everywhere, get native performance when you need it, enjoy hot reloading for rapid development, tap into a huge ecosystem of libraries and tools, and integrate with native modules when you need platform-specific features. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • How Do I Start a New React Native App?
    React Native is a powerful framework for building cross-platform mobile applications using JavaScript and React. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a beginner, starting a new React Native project can be both exciting and challenging. This guide will walk you through the essential steps, tools, and best practices to set up your React Native project efficiently and effectively. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
View more

Inferno mentions (2)

  • Solid vs React - the Fastest VS the Most Popular UI Library
    Some might argue that React’s relatively poor performance (it’s still plenty-fast for many apps) is due to Virtual DOM and prioritization of development experience, i.e., clarity over complexity. To counter the first argument - there’s React-like Inferno. For the second one - there’s Solid. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • A Look at Compilation in JavaScript Frameworks
    A VDOM library like Inferno uses this information to compile its JSX directly into pre-optimized node structures. Marko, and Vue hoist their static VDOM nodes outside of their components so that they don't incur the overhead of recreating them on every render. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing React Native and Inferno, you can also consider the following products

jQuery - The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.

Preact.js - Preact is a fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.

Babel - Babel is a compiler for writing next generation JavaScript.

Svelte - Cybernetically enhanced web apps

Flutter - Build beautiful native apps in record time 🚀

Deku - Functional view library for building UI components as an alternative to React