App Store app or web app: build both with React Native

If people will use your app on their phones, build it as an iPhone and Android app in React Native. The same code also runs in the browser, so the web app comes almost for free. A web app on its own only makes sense when nobody needs it on a phone.

One codebase, phone apps and web app

I build apps in React Native with Expo. The same code becomes an iPhone app, an Android app and a web app in the browser, on one backend. Building the phone apps gives you the web app with them, for little extra work.

What the phone apps give you

• Notifications on the phone. In an app for staff, they can replace some paid text messages.
• An icon on the home screen, one tap away.
• Use without a connection, for the parts of the app that need it.
• A listing on the App Store and Google Play, where people look for apps.

For example, staff who work on their feet get a notification about a new job or a changed shift as it happens, while the office uses the same app in a browser.

What the web app gives you

• Nothing to install: people open a link.
• It works on any computer, as well as on phones.
• People who won’t install an app can still use it.

When a web app on its own is enough

When nobody needs the app on a phone: a tool used only at a desk, such as an admin or reporting screen. Then a web app is all it needs.

What the phone apps add to the work

• An Apple developer account and a Google Play developer account.
• Store listings: screenshots, a description and a privacy policy.
• Each store’s review, for the first release and for later ones.

FAQ

Do I need both iPhone and Android? Usually, because your users will have one or the other. With React Native, both come from the same codebase.

Can I start with just a web app and add phone apps later? You can, but if it will be used on phones, build it in React Native from the start. The web app comes with it, and nothing is built twice.

Is a React Native app a real app? Yes. React Native apps are real iPhone and Android apps, installed from the App Store and Google Play.

I have a Lovable, Replit or Bolt prototype. Can it become a phone app? Yes. See turning your Lovable, Replit or Bolt app into an iPhone and Android app.