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Zeal VS React Native

Compare Zeal VS React Native and see what are their differences

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Zeal logo Zeal

Zeal is an API Documentation Browser.

React Native logo React Native

A framework for building native apps with React
  • Zeal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18
  • React Native Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-16

Zeal features and specs

  • Offline Access
    Zeal allows users to download documentation sets and access them offline, which is beneficial for those who need to work without an active internet connection.
  • Speed
    Zeal provides quick and efficient searches across multiple documentation sets, making it faster to look up information compared to online searches.
  • Customizability
    Zeal supports a wide range of docsets and allows users to add their own, making it highly customizable to individual needs.
  • Cross-Platform
    Zeal is available on multiple operating systems including Windows, Linux, and macOS, ensuring broad usability.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Zeal is free to use and can be improved or customized by anyone with the requisite skills.

Possible disadvantages of Zeal

  • User Interface
    Some users find Zeal's interface to be less intuitive or aesthetically pleasing compared to other documentation browsers.
  • Documentation Sync
    Zeal does not automatically update documentation sets, requiring users to manually download the latest versions, which can be a hassle.
  • Initial Setup
    Setting up Zeal and downloading docsets can initially be time-consuming, requiring a bit of configuration to get everything in place.
  • Dependency on Docsets
    Zeal's usefulness is highly dependent on the availability and quality of docsets, and less common technologies may not have comprehensive documentation available.
  • No Real-Time Collaboration
    Zeal does not support real-time collaboration features, which can be a limitation for team-based projects requiring coordinated documentation efforts.

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.

Analysis of Zeal

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Zeal is considered a good tool for developers who need fast, offline access to various documentation. Its ease of use, wide range of supported docsets, and customization options make it a valuable resource.

Why this product is good

  • Zeal (zealdocs.org) is highly regarded because it offers offline access to a vast range of documentation sets. It's particularly useful for developers who need reliable access to documentation without depending on an internet connection. Zeal supports documentation sets for numerous programming languages and tools, and it's easy to integrate into various development environments.

Recommended for

  • Software developers working in environments with limited internet access
  • Developers who frequently switch between different programming languages and frameworks
  • Programmers who prefer local, quick access to documentation rather than relying on online searches

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.

Zeal videos

ZEAL for Life Wellness | Product Review!!!

More videos:

  • Review - Zeal & Ardor - Stranger Fruit ALBUM REVIEW
  • Review - Zeal review 7lbs down in 4 days !

React Native videos

React Native in 2019 & Beyond

More videos:

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

Category Popularity

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Javascript UI Libraries
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User comments

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Reviews

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

Zeal Reviews

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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...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, React Native should be more popular than Zeal. It has been mentiond 232 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.

Zeal mentions (64)

  • Patterns for Personal Web Sites (2003)
    Yeah, I keep thinking that CHM was the peak format for offline docs. Today we have Kiwix [0] and Dash/Zeal [1] – both amazing projects, but somehow they feel more complex, and the formats they use aren’t as ubiquitous. [0]: https://kiwix.org/en/ [1]: https://kapeli.com/dash for macOS, https://zealdocs.org/ for others. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • DevDocs
    There's also Zeal (https://zealdocs.org/) which is basically the same as Dash but open source and runs on non-Mac devices. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How would you work effectively with an extremely slow 56Kbps connection?
    For offline tech documentation you can use Zeal. Must have tool for poor internet connection places. Present in ubuntu repos. https://zealdocs.org/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: How do I code offline for a week?
    Check out Zeal if git cloning docs is something you do. https://zealdocs.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: How do I code offline for a week?
    There’s stuff like https://zealdocs.org/ that allow you to take all relevant documentation with you so offline coding will work. If you just want to be productive, you could also bring a lot of books or downloaded tutorials on a drive. Btw, make sure your drive is encrypted and you think of a way to backup your data so you don’t lose the offline progress. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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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 / 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 / 5 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
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What are some alternatives?

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

DevDocs - Open source API documentation browser with instant fuzzy search, offline mode, keyboard shortcuts, and more

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

Dash for macOS - Dash is an API Documentation Browser and Code Snippet Manager. Dash searches offline documentation of 200+ APIs and stores snippets of code. You can also generate your own documentation sets.

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

DASH - DASH is a secure, blockchain-based global financial network which offers private transactions.

OpenSSL - OpenSSL is a free and open source software cryptography library that implements both the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, which are primarily used to provide secure communications between web browsers and …