Expo

The best way to build and ship mobile apps.

5.0•117 reviews•

1.8K followers

The best way to build and ship mobile apps.

5.0•117 reviews•

1.8K followers

•

•

Build one JavaScript/TypeScript project that runs natively on all your users' devices including Android, iOS, and web.

The Best Expo Alternatives

The best Expo alternatives are React Native, Ionic Framework, Next.js, CatDoes, and BNA Code.

React Native

5.0 ·

Choose React Native if...

✓you want full control of native projects
✓you need the broadest React Native ecosystem
✓you prioritize native feel with fast iteration

See details ↓

Ionic Framework

5.0 ·

Choose Ionic Framework if...

✓you're a web developer shipping iOS and Android fast
✓you want to wrap an existing web app
✓you prefer plugins over native code work

See details ↓

Next.js

5.0 ·

Choose Next.js if...

✓you want a PWA instead of native apps
✓SEO and fast first load matter most
✓you want an all in one web stack

See details ↓

CatDoes

4.3 ·

Choose CatDoes if...

✓you're non technical and want an app fast
✓you want AI generated UI with strong taste
✓you want an agent to build end to end

See details ↓

BNA Code

Choose BNA Code if...

✓you want terminal first AI app scaffolding
✓you want full code ownership from day one
✓you want a full stack starter in minutes

See details ↓

What to Consider

Expo is a go-to choice for building React Native apps quickly, especially when you want a streamlined workflow and managed tooling for shipping iOS and Android from one codebase. But the alternatives span very different bets: React Native appeals when you want more direct native-project control and the breadth of the core ecosystem; Ionic Framework prioritizes a web-first path with Capacitor for teams repackaging existing web apps; Next.js is often the “alternative” when a great mobile experience can be delivered as a fast, SEO-friendly web app or PWA; and newer AI/automation options like CatDoes and BNA Code aim to compress the path from idea (or prompt) to a working app and backend.

In evaluating Expo alternatives, we weighed how much native control you get versus setup overhead, iteration speed and developer experience, plugin/ecosystem maturity, performance and “native feel,” deployment and hosting ergonomics, integration breadth (device features, backend services), and practical considerations like pricing predictability, maintainability, and code ownership/vendor lock-in.

React Native

Build native mobile experiences with Javascript

5.0 · 10 reviews

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React Native is the “bare metal” option when Expo feels too managed and you want direct control over the native iOS and Android projects. It’s a strong alternative for teams that need to customize native build settings, add any native module, or tune platform-specific behavior without working around a managed abstraction.

The biggest advantage is the combination of truly native compilation with a massive, mature ecosystem. You still get the productivity of a shared JavaScript/TypeScript codebase, while retaining the flexibility to go as deep as needed into Swift/Objective-C or Kotlin/Java for custom features.

React Native also fits teams that care about a polished, native-feeling UI and want to iterate quickly without taking a big performance hit. If the roadmap includes starting on one platform and expanding to the other, the cross-platform model reduces re-architecture while keeping platform conventions within reach.

Best for

Best for React-fluent teams that want maximum native control while still shipping cross-platform.

Standout features

✓Native iOS and Android apps from one codebase
✓Full control over native projects and builds
✓Huge ecosystem of libraries and tooling
✓Fast iteration with native-feeling performance

Ionic Framework

Cross-platform mobile app development

5.0 · 4 reviews

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Ionic Framework takes a web-first approach to mobile, making it a compelling alternative to Expo when the team’s strengths are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Instead of building with native UI primitives, Ionic packages a web app into a mobile shell, which can be a faster path for web teams than learning React Native conventions.

Its standout advantage is how easily it can extend or wrap an existing web app into iOS and Android builds. With Capacitor, teams can add pragmatic native integrations—like secure storage and device APIs—without rewriting the whole product in Swift or Kotlin.

Ionic is also attractive for small teams and solo developers who want to ship quickly with a plugin-driven model. When the goal is broad reach, maintainability, and speed using familiar web tooling, Ionic can be the more efficient choice than a native-first stack.

Best for

Ideal for web developers and small teams who want to ship mobile apps using web tech.

Standout features

✓Web-first UI components for mobile apps
✓Capacitor bridge for native device APIs
✓Plugin ecosystem for common integrations
✓iOS and Android packaging from a web codebase

Next.js

Create web applications with the power of React components

5.0 · 501 reviews

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Next.js becomes the better “Expo alternative” when the best mobile experience is a fast web app or PWA instead of native binaries. It’s built for production web delivery, which means SEO, shareable URLs, and instant access via the browser can be first-class requirements rather than compromises.

The framework stands out with hybrid rendering options like SSR, SSG, and ISR, letting teams balance performance, freshness, and cost. Routing, API routes, and performance optimizations come integrated, reducing the number of separate tools needed to build and ship a complete product.

Next.js also pairs naturally with streamlined deployment workflows, especially for teams that want simple CI/CD and global delivery. If native app store distribution isn’t essential—or a web-first strategy is the priority—Next.js can outpace mobile frameworks on reach, iteration speed, and discoverability.

Best for

Best for teams building SEO-sensitive products or PWAs where web reach matters most.

Standout features

✓SSR, SSG, and ISR rendering modes
✓Built-in routing and API routes
✓Strong performance tooling and optimizations
✓Smooth deployment workflows and hosting options

CatDoes

An AI agent with its own computer builds your apps

4.3 · 10 reviews

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CatDoes flips the model from “tooling for developers” to “an agent that builds the app,” which makes it a very different alternative to Expo. It’s designed to compress the journey from idea to a working app by handling concept, design, and implementation in a more autonomous workflow.

One of its biggest differentiators is the emphasis on UI quality and design taste, aiming for screens that feel product-ready rather than obviously generated. The multi-agent approach helps separate thinking, design, and coding tasks, which can speed up iteration when the goal is a tangible prototype fast.

CatDoes is especially useful when time-to-first-version matters more than owning every engineering decision up front. For non-technical founders or teams validating a concept, it can produce a functional starting point quickly, with backend and deployment support as part of the experience.

Best for

Best for non-technical founders who want a fast path to an app prototype.

Standout features

✓Agentic concept-to-app workflow
✓AI-generated UI with strong visual polish
✓Background execution while you’re away
✓Backend and deployment-oriented experience

BNA Code

CLI agent that builds full-stack mobile apps from terminal

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BNA Code is geared toward developers who want to stay in their terminal and generate a working app foundation fast, rather than adopting a more opinionated managed workflow in Expo. Instead of replacing the mobile stack, it accelerates getting to a real codebase by scaffolding key pieces from a single prompt.

The value is in skipping repetitive setup: authentication, database wiring, APIs, and the initial project structure can be created in minutes. It also emphasizes building with real device capabilities in mind, avoiding the constraints that come with browser-only builders.

BNA Code stands out for teams that care about code ownership and want to keep development local and conventional. If the priority is speed without giving up control of the repository and stack choices, it’s a practical alternative to starting from a blank template.