Companies using React Native seek to prioritize performance but also efficiency.
Most developers agree that native apps are the way to go when it comes to building mobile applications.
However, in 2015, Facebook saw the opportunity for a React-based framework geared towards mobile and created React Native to help businesses build hybrid apps.
Some of the more popular global companies using React Native include:
- Bloomberg
- Uber Eats
- Discord
- Skype
- Salesforce
- Baidu
- Walmart
- Wix
- Shopify
- Words with Friends
- Vogue
- NerdWallet
- Tesla
- Coinbase
- Microsoft Office
- Call of Duty Companion App
- Chime
- Robinhood
In this piece, you’ll learn more about the companies using React Native and why they felt it was the best fit for their brand and business. Keep reading to see if React Native might be right for your business.
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What Is React Native?
React Native is an open-source framework for cross-platform mobile application development. Created by Facebook in March of 2015, it’s used to develop applications for iOS, Android, and Microsoft UWP.
Many businesses struggle to decide whether they should build native apps or cross-platform apps.
The advantage of native apps is that they typically offer better user interfaces (UIs) and user experiences (UXs). Native apps are developed to work only on the platforms they are built for.
Naturally, this is a disadvantage for most businesses who want their apps on every app store possible, and don’t look forward to taking the time to release an app on one store just to build a new one for the next.
Developing an app for iOS, Android, and possibly Windows is time-consuming and strenuous work. You need Java developers to develop for Android and Swift or Objective-C developers for iOS, and so on. At the same time, businesses don’t want to sacrifice performance or functionality, which can be the cost of non-native apps.
Facebook, committed to delivering a better mobile experience, endeavored to create a solution to the issue. React Native, the proposed solution, allows developers to build native mobile apps but relies solely on one language – JavaScript.
A 2024 Stack Overflow survey found that React Native was the sixth most popular framework amongst developers. And as it turns out, many well-known companies use React Native for their mobile apps.
15 Global Companies That Use React Native
Now, it’s time for the React Native showcase. You’ve read about what React Native can do, but if you want a more up-close example, you might want to look into some of these companies that use React Native and have been all the more successful for it.
Below are some React Native app examples. Take notes, and maybe you’ll find out if React Native is worth all the hoopla.
1. Bloomberg
Bloomberg is a financial company that provides tools for equity trading and analytics, among other enterprise applications. It’s also the name of their adjacent website, which delivers news to inform the public on market and business trends.
The Bloomberg app has the same objective and uses React Native to complete the task. Through React Native, Bloomberg was able to implement automated code refreshes, meaning users will always get the latest updates once the app is opened.
This is incredibly important for a tool where users rely on real-time information.
2. Facebook (Meta)
Meta developed React Native and has built its app using it. Honestly, it would be concerning if they didn’t use the framework for their own applications.
Facebook Ads Manager, a convenient space for individuals and businesses alike to manage advertisements for their products, is built entirely on React Native.
It’s cross-platform, yet it handles UI differences flawlessly when it comes to ad and date formats. UI’s animations and transitions meet the same standard.
Facebook Ads Manager isn’t the only place that Meta uses React Native, though. Facebook Marketplace also takes advantage of React Native’s real-time abilities to allow users to buy and sell products. At the same time, the Facebook Messenger Desktop apps (Windows and macOS) benefit from the cross-platform coding abilities.
3. Uber Eats
What started as a means for willing customers to get from point A to point B without paying the often unfriendly prices of a yellow cab soon graduated into a unique way of getting food from point A to point B.
In other words, Uber Eats is a delivery service, similar to Seamless or DoorDash. A significant part of the Uber Eats app, specifically, their Restaurant Dashboard, owes its existence to React Native.
React Native provided Uber Eats with the development tools needed to build an elegant UI complemented by a smooth UX. Sound and push notifications are also important additions to the app’s dashboard.
4. Discord
Discord is a cherished use case of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) at work. VoIP is just digital communication through the internet. In Discord, friends and more frequently whole communities can use voice, text, or video to communicate over the internet.
It’s entirely free and used mostly by gamers. Because of React Native, the iOS and Android Discord app share 98% of code.
5. Instagram
Instagram is another social networking site, ironically owned by Facebook as of 2012. Unlike Facebook, Instagram’s primary mode of operation is digital photography, and some short videos every now and then.
In 2016, Instagram started seriously thinking about switching to React Native. Integrating React Native with existing technology was a challenge, but now they’re able to push features faster and maintain both IOS and Android app versions with ease.
6. Skype
Skype is a VoIP software, and video chat is the principal communication style. However, you can also send and receive voice calls and instant messages through Skype. It is the product of Microsoft.
Microsoft recently opted to use Electron after using React Native for a number of years for the Skype mobile app, but not due to a lack of performance. While React Native is practical for mobile apps, Microsoft wanted the Skype app to be what you’d get on a desktop.
A lot of people are actually disappointed by the change as it took away plenty of useful features like responding to messages from the notification bar and syncing with Outlook.
When Microsoft initially used React Native in 2017, users noticed several favorable upgrades from the icons to a complete redesign of the layout. The consistency between the Android and iOS apps was also noted.
7. Pinterest
Pinterest is somewhat of a social network, but it’s not particularly used for communication. Instead, people post and pin ideas related to a variety of topics, with interior design and recipes being the most popular subject interests.
Like many companies that use React Native, their choice was dependent on the framework’s capacity to share code from one platform to another. This way, Pinterest could invest in developer productivity in a constructive manner.
8. Salesforce
Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform geared towards sales teams. Businesses use Salesforce for marketing, sales, e-commerce, and service.
The company provides a Mobile SDK that supports React Native, allowing you to build apps that integrate easily with other Salesforce products and services.
9. Baidu
Baidu is a Chinese multinational technology company. Their consumers look to them for internet searches and marketing solutions.
Baidu Mobile, its search engine, is used by over 600 million people in China. And it’s powered by React Native.
This has also allowed Baidu to develop several React Native wrappers for their mobile analytics SDK.
10. Walmart
Walmart is categorically a superstore. You can find one in almost every state, save Hawaii, and find everything from home goods to clothes to grocery items, depending on the location.
According to Walmart, they were able to share 95% of their codebase between Android and iOS thanks to React Native.
They appreciate that they only need one team of JavaScript developers to complete the job. Everyone is on the same page.
11. Wix
Wix is a cloud platform for developing websites. The platform makes website building easy for novices with no coding background whatsoever.
They chose to start their mobile journey with React Native back in 2015. The goal at that time, and now, was scalability.
Originally having worked with React, Wix felt that using React front-end developers to work on the Wix mobile app in React Native was a natural shift. Although the shift came with some challenges, Wix developers feel they have grown from overcoming them.
12. Shopify
Shopify is a Canadian multinational e-commerce company. However, you may be more familiar with it as the digital platform that works with various retailers to complete your transactions.
From electronic payments to shipping information, Shopify delivers, particularly for online retailers who enjoy the convenience of the platform.
Luckily, Shopify was already familiar with the React framework from their web platform, so using React Native on their mobile apps wasn’t a huge transition.
In addition, Shopify was able to share 80% of their code between their iOS and Android, meaning there is even less time spent on development.
13. Words with Friends
Words with Friends is essentially Scramble, but an exclusively mobile version that makes it easy to play with friends.
Before Words with Friends adopted React Native, it was a predominantly native app that relied on Objective-C and Java.
However, it’s been almost a decade since its initial design, and the major performance differences that traditional nativity would provide are more or less negligible today.
Dealing with both the iOS and Android app meant two largely different codebases with equally complex bugs to handle and resolve.
Thus, Words with Friends chose React Native to improve code reusability in their now cross-platform approach to app development.
14. Vogue
You probably know Vogue as the trendy magazine that routinely features top models in high-fashion outfits. Or if you’re old enough, you may even remember the voguing scene.
Well, in this case, the relevant reference is to the former version of Vogue, the magazine. Except it’s an app form.
That’s right! You can get daily content and photos you’d otherwise get from Vogue magazine right from your smartphone. Videos too.
Rated as one of the top 10 apps in the Apple App Store in 2017, and managing to maintain that position in the Apple Store even now, the Vogue app is built with React Native.
15. NerdWallet
NerdWallet is a nifty place to find all the intel you need on any finance-related endeavor. It’s both an app and a website.
Though NerdWallet first proposed having a single iOS app with a chat feature for financial consultations, it just wasn’t the right fit. They figured it was either going big or going home and decided to scale with React Native.
Obviously, the most significant benefit is the shared codebase, reducing their time-to-market. However, NerdWallet engineers also cited the reduction of communication and coordination overhead as a big plus.
16. Tesla
Tesla’s app is built on React Native and layered with native Swift and Kotlin for iOS and Android apps.
By making use of React Native, they are able to maintain a consistent appearance across ecosystems and minimize the amount of total native code needed for each app, allowing them to focus on native code where it truly matters, like their animations.
17. Coinbase
Coinbase transitioned from purely native apps to cross-platform development using React Native in 2021. This has allowed their developers to collaborate on a single codebase.
The migration took some time, but they were able to utilize a phased approach without much issue. The result has been significant performance improvements with each rollout, and minimal errors.
Like many others in the fintech industry, Coinbase needs to prioritize security and regulatory compliance above all. With over 100 million users, it is clear that React Native has allowed the company to maintain its standards.
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18. Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office probably needs no introduction. Even young children have likely had experience with their Office suite, but did you know that a lot of these apps have been built, at least in part, using React Native?
The consistent user experience of Windows, macOS, and even mobile versions of Word, Excel, and Outlook relies heavily on the cross-platform abilities of React Native.
Not only is your experience as a user cohesive, but it’s far easier for developers to create new features, even in these enterprise-level applications.
19. Call of Duty Companion App
Activision Blizzard has used React Native, JavaScript, Redux, and React Navigation to build their Call of Duty Companion App.
The result has been something incredibly user-friendly, with simple navigation and the ability to track things like in-game stats, achievements, and more, regardless of which device you are using.
The incredible performance has also improved engagement across devices and allowed for a professional-looking, functional addition to the Call of Duty ecosystem.
20. Chime
Chime is another fintech platform that has decided that React Native is capable of providing everything they need. It powers their iOS and Android banking apps.
The result has been faster development time, consistent performance, and reduced bugs.
The company has also been able to introduce advanced testing strategies, which have helped them improve the reliability of their apps and have made it easier to promote compliance.
21. Robinhood
Last, but definitely not least, is Robinhood. A lot of beginner investors use Robinhood because the easy-to-use user interface, combined with educational content and a gamification aspect, makes investing less daunting.
The app uses React Native for that critical user interface, including the trading and financial management portions.
It is critical for a fintech application such as Robinhood to prioritize professionalism and user trust. Their successful use of React Native further cements the incredible reliability and performance that can be achieved using this framework.
Why Big Companies Are Using React Native in 2022
You can bet that the popularity of React Native is backed up by some very real benefits to help your business out. Here are some reasons why so many major companies are using React Native.
Fast
It takes far less time to write the majority of the code for one app on React Native than to develop separate, stand-alone apps using Java, Swift, or some other native-supported language.
In React Native, when developing apps for multiple platforms, much of the code is reusable from platform to platform. This saves time during app development and allows your business to release the app to the market sooner rather than later.
The slogan, “write once, use everywhere,” accurately conveys one of React Native’s primary advantages and why many big companies that use React Native made the switch in the first place.
Performant
The apps you build with React Native won’t just be web applications but native apps, just like the apps built with native code in Java or Swift. This means developers’ number one fear – sacrificing performance – can be curtailed.
Native
Developers have the option to use platform-specific languages if they want to. This can be helpful if you want to add a third-party service, like mobile payment. In programming, this technique is called bridging.
Friendly
React Native is community-driven. Like many open-source frameworks that have gained popularity, React Native has many developers flocking to forum boards to seek knowledge when necessary or offer advice when needed. There are also plenty of React Native newsletters to subscribe to.
The Github React Native Community is one source to go to for some solid discussion about the framework. There is also Reactiflux, a large chat server where developers can get solutions to their problems and answers to their questions.
Robust
Some features of React Native make it well worth the investment. First and foremost, installing React Native is simple. You only need the Node Package Manager (NPM) and a single line of code.
Once you start developing, your developers will probably like the idea of having Live Reload handy. This is a feature that lets developers modify the code from one screen and see live updates on another. It’s a great way to make sure your code runs as desired.
Another tool worth mentioning is Expo. Expo allows developers to send their apps from their computers to their own mobile devices for testing and share the app with others via a private link.
Reliable
You can go ahead and mark React Native down as a tried and trusted framework. Not only does Facebook itself use the framework, but Instagram, Airbnb, and Uber Eats do as well.
There are many other React Native examples, too, and you’ll learn more about the companies using React Native in a moment.
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Conclusion
These days, mobile app development is a given for nearly any business hoping for long-term growth. However, the age-old question is whether to make a native app or a cross-platform app.
React Native gives businesses the opportunity to create mobile apps differently than what was deemed possible even a decade ago. You can build native apps, but stick to just one programming language: JavaScript.
Other companies have used this distinction to their benefit, and in return, rather than sacrificing performance and functionality, they’ve made grand improvements on both ends. However, this kind of improvement cannot be made without the help of qualified developers.
Trio can be a reliable resource for getting the developers you need. Learn more about the process of hiring React Native developers for your upcoming project here, or schedule a free consultation to get started!
