React Native core
We build on the New Architecture with Fabric and TurboModules, so the JavaScript and native layers talk directly instead of through the old bridge. That removes the jank that gave older React Native apps a bad name.
Cross-platform mobile apps
React Native Development Company, one codebase for both stores
One codebase, real iOS and Android apps, and code shared with your React web team.
React Native lets you ship to both app stores from a single TypeScript codebase, while keeping the parts that need to be native truly native. If your product or your team already runs React, you reuse the skills, the hiring pool and a large part of the code instead of building two separate apps. We are a mobile app development company that builds React Native end to end, with the scope agreed up front and the source code yours on full payment.
React Native development services, the short answer
React Native development builds iOS and Android apps from one React and TypeScript codebase. It fits best when your web product already runs React, because skills and code are shared. Timeline Digital builds React Native apps end to end, with custom native modules when needed, starting with a free pilot, with source code yours on full payment.
What every build includes
- One codebase shipping to both App Store and Play Store
- Custom native modules in Swift or Kotlin when needed
- TypeScript shared with your React web codebase
- Over-the-air updates and crash reporting from day one
- Free pilot, clear change approval, code yours on full payment
Why build with React Native instead of two native apps
Building separate Swift and Kotlin apps means two codebases, two teams and two sets of bugs to fix every time a feature changes. React Native collapses that into one codebase that renders genuine native UI on each platform. You are not shipping a website in a wrapper. The buttons, lists and navigation are real native components, while the logic that drives them is written once.
The bigger win is the React connection. If your web app runs React, your API client, validation rules, TypeScript types and a chunk of your business logic move straight into the mobile app, usually through a shared package in a monorepo. One developer who knows React can work across web and mobile, which shrinks both your hiring problem and your maintenance bill. The New Architecture, with Fabric and TurboModules, removed the old performance penalty, so a well-built React Native app now feels native on a mid-range phone, not just a flagship.
When to choose React Native, Flutter or native
There is no universal winner. The right call depends on your team and your app. We dig deeper in our Flutter vs React Native comparison. Still deciding between one codebase and two native apps? Start with cross-platform app development; prefer Flutter? See our Flutter app development company page.
| Approach | Pick it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| React Native | Your web product or team already runs React and you want to share code, types and hiring | Custom native UI takes more effort than in native Swift or Kotlin |
| Flutter | You want pixel-perfect custom UI identical across platforms and have no React investment | Dart is a separate language, with no code sharing with a React web app |
| Native Swift or Kotlin | The app is heavily graphics, AR or hardware driven, or needs the newest OS features first | Two codebases, two teams, more effort and slower changes |
Tell us your team, your existing stack and what the app must do, and we will give a straight recommendation, even if that is native.
How we build a React Native app
Custom software built around the way your business works. In Select Technology we confirm how much code you can share with a React web app and which parts need native modules; the pilot runs a few core flows on a physical iPhone and Android device; and Build & Scale sends an installable build to your phone after every sprint, through to store submission.
Step 1: Understand
We learn how your business works.
Your requirements, workflow, challenges and goals, understood before anything is recommended.
Step 2: Plan
We design the right solution around your workflow.
Modules, workflows, roles, approvals, reports and integrations, agreed before development.
Step 3: Select Technology
Choose the right technical foundation.
Technology options matched to your users, security, budget and growth, not one fixed stack.
- Free pilot
Step 4: Pilot
Test our work before full project development.
Free. You choose 2 to 3 key modules and we build them first, so you can judge our work.
The full project starts only after you approve the pilot.
- Full project
Step 5: Build & Scale
From approved pilot to complete digital system.
Full development, testing, deployment, training and support, built to grow with you.
The React Native stack we use and why
Expo or bare workflow
Expo for most apps, because over-the-air updates, the build service and the prebuilt modules cut weeks off delivery. We drop to the bare workflow only when an app needs a custom native dependency Expo does not support.
TypeScript everywhere
The whole app is typed, and the types are shared with your React web code where the two overlap. A shared validation schema or API client written once is used by both, instead of being rebuilt twice.
Native modules
When a feature needs platform code, Bluetooth, a payment SDK, a barcode scanner, background location, we write the native Swift or Kotlin module and expose it to JavaScript through TurboModules. You are never blocked by what an off-the-shelf package supports.
State and data
React Query for server state and caching, Zustand or Redux Toolkit for app state, and a local store for offline mode. The app stays usable when the network drops and syncs when it comes back.
Performance
FlatList virtualisation, Reanimated and Gesture Handler for animations that run on the UI thread, and Hermes as the JavaScript engine to cut startup time and memory. We profile on real low-end Android devices, not just flagship phones.
Backend and auth
A Node.js or ASP.NET Core API behind the app, with token auth, push notifications and a clean contract the app consumes. The same API can serve your web app, so you are not maintaining two.
CI/CD and updates
EAS Build or Fastlane for automated store builds, Sentry for crash reporting, and over-the-air updates so you can push a JavaScript fix without waiting for store review. Set up from the first sprint.
Key facts: React Native development at Timeline Digital
- Provider
- Timeline Digital, a custom software development company founded in 2013, headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan
- What we build
- React Native apps for iOS and Android from one TypeScript codebase, with custom native modules in Swift or Kotlin, the backend API and store launch
- Track record
- 1,500+ projects for 860+ clients; 1,200+ developers and 85+ management professionals, including group-company employees
- Markets and hours
- Pakistan, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United States, Germany, Canada, Australia; delivered remotely. Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5), overlapping UK and European mornings and the Gulf working day; US and Canada calls are booked at the start of their day.
- Schedule
- There is no fixed timeframe: the schedule is set from your requirements in the Plan step. The free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules is ready in about 2 days, and with 1,200+ developers we have the capacity to deliver a focused system in as little as 2 weeks.
- Pricing
- Timeline Digital does not publish prices for custom software, because every project is custom. The price is agreed after requirements analysis and the free pilot.
- Ownership
- Project source code, designs and documentation transfer to the client on full payment; the app is published from Apple and Google developer accounts in the client’s name.
- Support
- Long-term support under a service level agreement (SLA) after launch.
React Native development FAQs
What is React Native development?
React Native development is building iOS and Android apps from one JavaScript and TypeScript codebase using React. The app renders genuine native components, not a web page in a wrapper, so it feels native on each platform while sharing most logic. Timeline Digital builds React Native apps end to end, from the first build to store launch.
When should I choose React Native over Flutter or native?
Choose React Native when your team or web product already runs React, because you reuse skills and much of the code. Pick native Swift or Kotlin for heavily graphics or hardware-driven apps, and Flutter when pixel-identical custom UI matters more than sharing code with a web team. Our guide compares React Native and Flutter in detail.
Can React Native share code with our React web app?
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons to pick it. Business logic, the API client, validation rules and TypeScript types written for your React web app can be reused in the mobile app, often through a shared package in a monorepo. The UI components differ, but one change to a validation rule updates both.
Does React Native support native device features?
Yes. Camera, GPS, Bluetooth, biometrics, push notifications and background tasks are available, most through maintained packages and the rest through custom native modules we write in Swift or Kotlin. When a payment SDK, scanner or niche device API has no ready package, we build the native module ourselves, so your roadmap is not limited by third-party libraries.
How long does it take to build a React Native app?
There is no fixed timeframe: the schedule for your React Native app is set from your requirements in the Plan step. The free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules is ready in about 2 days, and with 1,200+ developers we have the capacity to deliver a focused system in as little as 2 weeks. Stores set review times.
How much does React Native app development cost?
Timeline Digital does not publish prices for custom software, because every project is custom. The price is agreed after requirements analysis and the free pilot. For a React Native app, cost is driven by the number of screens and user roles, custom native modules, offline sync and integrations. Sharing code with an existing React web app lowers the effort.
Can you take over or upgrade an existing React Native app?
Yes. We review the codebase, React Native and Expo versions, native dependencies, build pipeline and store accounts, then recommend in writing whether to upgrade in place, move to the New Architecture, or rebuild what cannot be maintained. Nothing changes until you approve the plan, and store access and signing keys stay in your accounts.
Can we hire dedicated React Native developers instead of a project team?
No. Timeline Digital does not supply developers to work inside your team. We deliver React Native apps as a managed project: the Plan step sets the schedule from your requirements, you test a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules and decide on the final agreement, then we build, release and support the app under an SLA.
Who owns the app, the code and the store accounts?
You do. Project source code, designs and documentation transfer to you on full payment, and the app is published from Apple and Google developer accounts in your organization’s name, with signing credentials and over-the-air update access in your custody. Open-source libraries stay under their own licences.
Do you work in our time zone?
Our working hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5). They overlap UK and European mornings and the Gulf working day, and US and Canada calls are booked at the start of their day. Delivery is remote from our Islamabad headquarters, with scheduled video meetings and an installable build after each sprint.
Ready to build your cross-platform app?
Bring us the app idea and tell us whether your team already runs React. We will map the architecture and agree 2 to 3 key modules with you for the free pilot, then put an installable build on your phone to test before you decide on the final agreement. The code is yours on full payment.
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About this page
Published by Timeline Digital, a custom software development company founded in Islamabad in 2013. The facts on this page (track record, schedule, pricing policy and ownership terms) come from the same company facts used across the site.
Author
Usama Asif
CEO and CTO, Timeline Digital. Founded the company in 2013 and has led its software engineering work since then.