React Native and Swift both make real iOS apps. Swift is Apple's language, written in Xcode on a Mac, for Apple platforms only. React Native writes the app once in TypeScript and draws native views on iOS and Android. Pick Swift for an Apple-only app that needs the newest iOS features, React Native for one codebase on both phones.
React Native vs Swift at a glance
| Factor | React Native | Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript or JavaScript, with React | Swift, with SwiftUI or UIKit |
| Platforms | iOS and Android from one codebase, and the web through react-native-web | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro; no Android |
| Tools | Any computer; Expo's EAS builds the iOS app in the cloud | Xcode, which runs only on macOS |
| Interface | The platform's own components, driven from JavaScript | Native, written directly against Apple's frameworks |
| New Apple features | Through Expo or community modules, sometimes later | Available the day Apple ships them |
| Updates after release | JavaScript changes can ship over the air with EAS Update, without store review | Every change goes through App Store review |
| Who can work on it | Any React or TypeScript developer | iOS specialists |
Is React Native as fast as Swift?
For most apps, people cannot tell them apart. React Native draws real platform components, not a web page in a frame, so lists, navigation and text behave like the rest of the phone. Animation runs on the UI thread through react-native-reanimated. The gap shows in work that runs every frame for long stretches, such as games, heavy graphics, or real-time camera and audio processing, where Swift talks to Metal and the hardware directly.
When should you choose Swift?
- The app is for Apple devices only, and Android is not on the roadmap.
- It depends on Apple features from the first day of each iOS release, such as widgets, Live Activities, or Apple Watch and Vision Pro apps.
- It does sustained heavy graphics, audio or on-device machine learning.
- Your team already writes Swift.
When should you choose React Native?
- You want iPhone and Android users from one codebase.
- You or your team already know React and TypeScript.
- You work on Windows or Linux: EAS builds the iOS app in the cloud, so you never need a Mac. See how to make an iOS app on Windows.
- You want to fix bugs without waiting for review, through over-the-air updates.
How do you make one app for iOS and Android?
Use React Native with Expo. You write one project, and EAS builds an iOS binary and an Android App Bundle from it and submits each to its store. Where the platforms differ, the code branches on Platform.OS, or a component gets sibling files such as date-field.ios.tsx and date-field.android.tsx.
Vibely writes exactly this kind of project from a description. Every Vibely mobile app is React Native and Expo, previews on your phone in Expo Go, and builds for the App Store and Google Play through EAS. Because it is a standard Expo project, a developer can pick it up in any editor; see how to move your app off Vibely.
What do React Native and Swift cost?
Both are free to write with: Swift, Xcode, React Native and Expo cost nothing, and EAS has a free tier. Swift needs a Mac. Publishing costs the same either way, $99 a year for Apple's Developer Program, plus a $25 one-time fee for Google Play, which only the React Native app can use.
Frequently asked questions
Is React Native good for iOS apps?
Yes. A React Native app is a native iOS app in the App Store, built from Apple's own components, and it goes through the same review as a Swift app.
Can React Native use Swift code?
Yes. A native module can be written in Swift and called from JavaScript, and Expo's module system is built for that, so a React Native app can drop into Swift for one feature.
Is SwiftUI the same as Swift?
No. Swift is the programming language. SwiftUI is Apple's framework for building screens in Swift, and UIKit is the older one.
Should a beginner learn Swift or React Native?
Learn Swift if you want to build for iPhone the way Apple intends and are on a Mac. Learn React Native if you want both phones from one codebase, or already know some web development.
To see a React Native app built for you, start a mobile app on Vibely and open it on your phone from the QR code in the project header.