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Underscore.js VS React Native

Compare Underscore.js VS React Native and see what are their differences

Underscore.js

Underscore is a utility-belt library for JavaScript that provides a lot of the functional...

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Alternatives Is it good?
React Native

A framework for building native apps with React

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Alternatives Is it good?
Modelence
Create production-ready applications with zero code sponsored

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, React Native seems to be a lot more popular than Underscore.js. While we know about 245 links to React Native, we've tracked only 24 mentions of Underscore.js.

social mentions
24 vs 245
Javascript UI Libraries popularity
31% vs 69%
alternatives listed
217 vs 240+

Base details

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

Underscore.js
React Native
Website underscorejs.org reactnative.dev
Pricing
Open source
Open source
Listed in
Development Tools Javascript UI Libraries JavaScript Framework UI +1
Development Tools JavaScript Framework Javascript UI Libraries Libraries And Widgets +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Underscore.js 5 features
React Native 6 features
  • Utility Functions
    Underscore.js provides a wealth of utility functions for common tasks such as map, reduce, filter, and more, making it easier to perform operations on arrays, objects, and collections.
  • Consistency
    The library offers a consistent API, which can make your code more readable and maintainable by providing a standard way to perform common programming tasks.
  • Lightweight
    Underscore.js is lightweight compared to full-featured libraries like Lodash, which can be a benefit if you're looking to minimize your application's footprint.
  • Browser Compatibility
    It supports a wide range of JavaScript environments, making it a good choice for projects that need to work across different browsers and Node.js.
  • Quick to Learn
    Easy to pick up for developers with even a basic understanding of JavaScript, due to its straightforward documentation and familiar function names.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance
    Underscore.js may not offer the same level of performance optimizations as more modern utility libraries like Lodash, potentially leading to slower execution for some tasks.
  • Limited Functionality
    While it covers many basic utility functions, its feature set is not as extensive as Lodash or other similar libraries, which provide a broader range of capabilities.
  • Outdated
    With the advent of ECMAScript 5 and later versions, many of the functions provided by Underscore.js are now natively available in JavaScript, reducing its necessity.
  • No Modularization
    Underscore does not support modular builds in the same way Lodash does, meaning you might end up including the entire library even if you only need a few functions.
  • Community and Maintenance
    While still maintained, Underscore.js has seen less active development and contributions compared to newer libraries, which could impact its long-term viability and support.
  • 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.

Analysis

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

Underscore.js
React Native

Overall verdict

  • Underscore.js is a reasonable choice if you need a lightweight library for concise, functional programming helpers. While newer libraries or vanilla JavaScript have made some of its functions less essential, Underscore.js remains useful for its simplicity and comprehensive utility set.

Why this product is good

  • Underscore.js is a popular JavaScript library that provides a comprehensive set of utility functions for common programming tasks. It is valued for its simplicity and ease of integration, especially in projects that require functional programming patterns but do not need the full capabilities of larger libraries like Lodash. Underscore.js is lightweight and can significantly enhance productivity by offering functions for tasks such as object manipulation, array operations, and function binding, making code more readable and maintainable.

Recommended for

    Developers working on smaller projects or legacy codebases that require a reliable utility library with functional programming techniques. It’s also suitable for those who prefer a minimalistic approach and don’t require the extensive features of heavier alternatives.

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.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Underscore.js 1 video + Add
React Native 3 videos + Add

Introduction to Underscore.JS

React Native in 2019 & Beyond

More videos

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

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
Underscore.js
React Native
31% 31%
Javascript UI Libraries
69% 69%
23% 23%
Development Tools
77% 77%
40% 40%
Libraries And Widgets
60% 60%
7% 7%
JavaScript Framework
93% 93%

User comments

Share your experience with using Underscore.js and React Native. 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.

Underscore.js no reviews yet
React Native no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Underscore.js yet. Be the first one to post

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

Underscore.js 24 mentions
React Native 245 mentions
  • JavaScript Awesome Package
    Underscore - JavaScript library that provides a whole mess of useful functional programming. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • JavaScript evolution: From Lodash and Underscore to vanilla
    Underscore was created by Jeremy Ashkenas (the creator of Backbone.js) in 2009 to provide a set of utility functions that JavaScript lacked at the time. It was also created to work with Backbone.js, but it slowly became a favorite among... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • KlongPy: High-Performance Array Programming in Python
    There was a step-change improvement for me when I tried expressing some JS patterns via `underscore.js` instead of procedurally: eg: http://underscorejs.org/#each Thinking of something as `each | map | filter | sum` is waaay less buggy... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago

View more

  • 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 / 9 days ago
  • AI React Native Form Builder: The Complete Data-Entry Stack in 2026
    The takeaway isn't "AI writes forms now." AI has written forms for two years. The takeaway is that the useful surface has moved: from generating the visible pretty layer to generating the whole data-entry pipeline (migration, RLS, typed... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Yoga: A Simple Guide to Layout in React Native
    When you build layouts in React Native, you write styles that look a lot like CSS: flexDirection, alignItems, justifyContent, and so on. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago

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Alternatives to Underscore.js and React Native

When comparing Underscore.js and React Native, you can also consider the following products.

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