Services

React Native Development

Cross-platform mobile apps, one codebase

We build cross-platform mobile apps in React Native, one codebase for iOS and Android, backed by robust cloud back ends and a clear view of when native is the better call.

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The short version

What React Native development with Talk Think Do means

React Native development is the building of mobile apps from a single codebase that runs natively on both iOS and Android. It is the right choice when you want to reach both platforms quickly and maintain one team, not two. This page is for product owners and technical buyers weighing up cross-platform mobile.

It is the framework we reach for most within our broader mobile app development service. We will always tell you when fully native is the better fit.

The challenge

The mobile problems we are brought in to solve

Cross-platform is a means, not an end. These are the problems that bring teams to React Native in the first place.

Two codebases, double the cost

Maintaining separate native iOS and Android builds doubles the effort, splits the team, and slows every release. Features land on one platform weeks before the other.

Cross-platform that feels cheap

Generic cross-platform apps ignore platform conventions, feel sluggish, and frustrate users. The saving is wiped out by poor reviews and low adoption.

A weak or missing back end

An app is only as good as the systems behind it. Flaky sync, slow APIs, and no offline support turn a promising app into one people stop opening.

Stuck in app-store release cycles

Every small fix waits on a full store review, so urgent changes take days. Without over-the-air updates and proper CI/CD, shipping is slow and painful.

What we build

React Native development capabilities

One codebase across iOS and Android, with native depth, a secure cloud back end, and a clean release pipeline.

One codebase, iOS and Android

A single React Native codebase that ships to both app stores, reducing the cost and effort of maintaining two separate native builds while keeping a native feel.

Native depth where it matters

We drop into native modules for camera, payments, biometrics, or hardware features when the platform demands it, so cross-platform never means compromised.

Robust cloud back ends

Secure, scalable Azure back ends behind the app, using the backend-for-frontend pattern so the mobile experience stays fast, resilient, and easy to evolve.

Offline-first and resilient

Local caching, background sync, and secure on-device storage so the app keeps working on a patchy connection and recovers cleanly when it returns.

App Store and enterprise delivery

Automated builds and submissions for the App Store and Google Play with Expo and EAS Build, plus managed-device (MDM) distribution for internal enterprise apps.

Migrations and rescues

Moving an ageing native or Xamarin app to React Native, or stabilising an existing React Native codebase that has become hard to change, onto a maintainable footing.

How we deliver it

AI-augmented React Native engineering

Every engineer uses AI-augmented development as part of our standard process. That makes delivery 40 to 50% faster than a traditional team, with 84% of our code now AI-authored and human-reviewed. The figures are measured on live projects and published openly.

Architecture, security, and the native-versus-cross-platform call stay with experienced engineers. Read how we measure delivery in our AI Velocity Report.

Comparison

When React Native is the right call

An honest comparison of cross-platform and native approaches, so the choice fits your app rather than our preference.

Dimension	React NativeMost apps	Fully native	.NET MAUI
Codebase	One shared (TypeScript)	Two (Swift and Kotlin)	One shared (C#)
Time to market	Fast	Slower	Fast
Native UI and hardware depth	High, via native modules	Maximum	High
Ecosystem and skills	Shared with React web	Platform SDKs	Microsoft and .NET
Best fit	Most apps across both platforms	Heavy platform-specific UI or hardware	.NET-centric teams and tooling

How it works

Our React Native delivery process

A structured process that designs the app and its back end to fit from day one.

Step One 1-2 weeks

Discovery and platform decision

We map the app's users, features, and distribution model, then give you an honest recommendation on React Native versus native, with the trade-offs made explicit and costed.

Step Two

Architecture and back end

We design the React Native app and the cloud back end together, including the API layer, authentication, and offline strategy, so the two are built to fit rather than bolted together later.

Step Three

Build in React Native

We build with React Native and Expo in agile sprints, using AI-augmented engineering and TypeScript, and drop into native modules where the platform requires it. You see working builds on real devices throughout.

Step Four

Test on real devices

We test across real iOS and Android devices for performance, accessibility, and security, and scan every build for open-source licence issues before release.

Step Five

Release and support

We automate App Store and Google Play submissions through mobile CI/CD, ship over-the-air updates, and provide ongoing support as the app evolves.

Proof

A React Native member app for a luxury gym chain

For Third Space, London's luxury health club collection, we built the member app in React Native as part of the Atlas platform: a complete rebuild of their digital ecosystem on cloud-native Azure. The platform runs at 99.99% uptime and serves more than 40,000 monthly active members.

iOS + Android

One codebase

99.99%

Platform uptime

40k+

Monthly active users

The member app sits alongside instructor tools and an operations portal on the same Azure platform. Read the Third Space case study.

"We've gone from hours of admin to instant updates. It's given us endless time back and a seamless experience for our instructors."

Amanda Chambers

Group Exercise Studio Operations Manager, Third Space

Why Talk Think Do

React Native specialists who own the back end too. We build the app and the secure Azure systems behind it, and give you an honest call on when native is the better fit, with full source code ownership.

About Talk Think Do

Talk Think Do is a UK-based software development company founded by Matt Hammond and headquartered in Bournemouth, Dorset. We are a Microsoft Solutions Partner with designations in Azure Infrastructure, Digital and App Innovation, and DevOps and GitHub.

We build cross-platform mobile apps in React Native and the secure Azure back ends behind them, so the app and its systems are designed together. We hold ISO 27001 certification, Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, and approved Crown Commercial Service supplier status on the G-Cloud and Digital Outcomes frameworks.

Our clients include:

Third Space
Avios
Department for Education
CalMac Ferries
Hachette Learning

AI-augmented development is central to how we work. Every engineer uses AI tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot daily, and we run a quarterly evaluation cycle to keep improving. The result is mobile software delivered faster, without compromising architecture, security, or code quality.

Seen enough? Let's talk through your requirements.

Book a free consultation

FAQ

React Native development: frequently asked questions

What is React Native development?

React Native development is the building of mobile apps with React Native, a framework that produces native iOS and Android apps from a single shared codebase. It suits apps that need to reach both platforms quickly without maintaining two separate native teams. It is the cross-platform framework we use most often within our mobile app development service.

React Native or fully native: which is right for us?

React Native suits most apps, especially when you want one codebase across iOS and Android and can share skills with a React web team. Fully native iOS and Android is the better call when the app is dominated by platform-specific UI or deep hardware integration. We give you a clear recommendation during discovery rather than defaulting to one answer.

Can React Native handle enterprise and internal apps?

Yes. We build consumer apps for the public app stores and internal staff apps distributed through mobile device management (MDM) such as Microsoft Intune. React Native supports offline-first behaviour, secure storage, and kiosk-style use where needed.

How does a React Native app connect to our systems?

Through a secure cloud back end. We typically use a backend-for-frontend (BFF) on Azure to shape data for the app, with REST or GraphQL APIs and OAuth 2.0 authentication. See our mobile app backends service for detail.

Do you handle App Store and Google Play submission?

Yes. We build with Expo and automate builds and submissions to both the App Store and Google Play using Expo Application Services (EAS) Build and CI/CD pipelines. We also manage over-the-air updates, so you can ship many fixes without a full store release each time.

Can you take over an existing React Native app?

Yes. We take on existing React Native codebases that have become hard to maintain or scale, assess the state of the code, and stabilise it onto a well-tested, maintainable footing. We can also migrate ageing native or Xamarin apps across to React Native.

How much does a React Native app cost?

A focused cross-platform app typically starts around £50,000, with cost depending on features, integrations, and back-end complexity. Sharing one codebase across iOS and Android usually costs less than two native builds. We provide a detailed estimate after a free discovery session.

Go deeper on mobile

Mobile API Best Practices

Designing mobile back ends that scale: protocol choice, auth, offline sync, and push.

Backend for Frontend (BFF) Pattern

Why a BFF is usually the right way to feed a mobile app, and how it compares to a single API.

Harness Engineering for Coding Agents

How we steer AI coding agents on React and TypeScript stacks for safe, fast delivery.

What is AI-Augmented Development?

The meaning, practice, and production evidence behind our delivery model.

REST vs GraphQL vs gRPC

Choosing the right API style for the data your mobile app consumes.

Third Space: Building Atlas

The full case study behind the digital ecosystem, including the member app, we built.

AI insights

See how AI is changing how we build software

Our quarterly AI Velocity Report tracks real delivery metrics from live projects: how much of our code is AI-authored, how delivery timelines compare to baseline, and which tools are making a measurable difference. No marketing spin, just honest data from a team that builds software every day.

Read the latest AI Velocity Report

Related services

Ready to build a cross-platform app?

Tell us about your app and who it is for. We will recommend React Native or native honestly, then give you a clear plan and a cost estimate, with no obligation.