The React Native ecosystem has improved significantly over the years, and Expo has evolved from a beginner friendly wrapper into a robust mobile framework. Native developers face an important decision when starting a project: should you build your React Native app with Expo, or go the bare React Native route? Let's explore the advantages and concerns to help you make an informed choice.

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Expo has evolved into a robust mobile framework for React Native development, offering rapid iteration through Expo Go, comprehensive cloud services via EAS, and a rich SDK with native modules. While it excels at accelerating development and providing cross-platform consistency, developers should consider cost implications, potential native module limitations, and ecosystem dependency. The framework works best for standard apps prioritizing development speed, while bare React Native suits projects with sophisticated native requirements. Custom development builds offer a hybrid approach, combining Expo's tooling benefits with native code flexibility.

Expo for React Native in 2025: A Perspective

The Middle Ground: Custom Development Builds

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