---
title: "React Native development"
description: "Why we build iOS and Android apps with React Native: one codebase, live updates and push, when it fits a product, and when we'd pick native instead."
canonical: "https://goodtogrid.com/technology/react-native"
updated: "2026-10-02"
---

# React Native development

> Why we build iOS and Android apps with React Native: one codebase, live updates and push, when it fits a product, and when we'd pick native instead.

URL: https://goodtogrid.com/technology/react-native · Technology · Updated: 2026-10-02

Most of the apps we design need to be on both iPhone and Android, built by one small team. React Native lets us ship both from one codebase, and we use it when the product fits.

- **Used for:** Mobile Development
- **Backed by:** 2 case studies · 2 concepts
- **Updated:** 2026-10-02

## Why we use it

- One codebase for iOS and Android, so features land on both phones together
- Live data and push notifications, like a queue that tells you when to leave
- Offline storage for maps and itineraries that have to work without signal
- Web skills the same team already has, so design and build stay in one room
- Prototypes on a real phone early, while the design can still change

## When we don’t

- Apps built around heavy 3D, camera processing or custom graphics
- Products that need a platform feature on the day Apple or Google ships it
- Teams that already have separate iOS and Android engineers

## Alternatives we weigh

- **Native (Swift and Kotlin).** Two codebases and two sets of engineers. Worth it when the app lives on the edge of what the phone can do.
- **Flutter.** Another single-codebase option. A sound choice; we use React Native because it shares a language and tooling with the web apps we build.
- **A web app.** When the product doesn't need the home screen, push or offline, a web app ships faster and updates without a store review.

## How we use it

Clinic Queue App and Travel Planner are both React Native. The queue updates live and sends a push when it's nearly your turn. The travel planner downloads each day's map the night before, so it works without signal.

We prototype on a real phone from the first weeks. If something only feels right on the device, that's where we want to find out.

## Related work

_Studio concepts: designed and built by the studio to show the approach, not client work._

- **[Clinic Queue App](https://goodtogrid.com/work/clinic-queue-app)** — Patient booking and a live queue for a clinic network. _Studio concept · Health · iOS · Android · 2026_
- **[Travel Planner](https://goodtogrid.com/work/travel-planner)** — Trip itineraries, bookings and offline maps. _Studio concept · Travel · iOS · Android · 2025_

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a React Native app feel like a real app?

Yes. It renders native interface components on each phone, so scrolling, gestures and system controls behave the way people expect on iOS and Android.

### Can you add features later without rebuilding?

Yes. Iteration after launch is part of how we work, and one codebase means each change reaches both platforms.

## Read next

- [Native vs cross-platform apps](https://goodtogrid.com/compare/native-vs-cross-platform) (Comparison) — Native or cross-platform for an iOS and Android app, side by side, with a verdict.
- [Mobile app development](https://goodtogrid.com/services/mobile-app-development) (Service) — iOS and Android apps, from a prototype on a real phone to the store.
- [Mobile app development cost](https://goodtogrid.com/cost/mobile-app) (Cost guide) — Price bands for iOS and Android apps, and the choices that move the budget most.

[Start a project](https://goodtogrid.com/start-new-project?service=mobile#brief) · [All technology](https://goodtogrid.com/technology)