Why and how to hire a React Native development company?

For several years, React Native (RN) has been ranked among the top 3 cross-platform tools for creating mobile applications. According to Statista, this framework is used by 38% of developers globally. Because of such popularity of this tool, more and more firms are thinking about hiring a React Native development company.

Here let's talk about why companies are interested in this particular tool, its differences from ReactJS, and possibilities for business growth. Besides helpful information, here is a step-by-step guide to help you find a React Native development company with the right qualities for success in the project.

Features and advantages of this technology

The undoubted advantage of this cross-platform tool is that it runs on one of the most stable and popular programming languages, like JavaScript. Thanks to the enormous popularity of JS, it is easier for programmers to implement the framework in their work. This mobile tool allows developers to build applications for Android, Windows Phone, and iOS. That's why it is often utilized to create projects in various categories.

Other advantages of this technology:

• a pretty fast development process;
• a large community of developers;
• flexible customization and easy scalability of applications;
• standard documentation that can be used;
• the possibility of hot reload;
• stable operation.

People with a non-technical specialization sometimes mix up ReactJS and RN. The main difference between these technologies is that the first tool is an open-source JavaScript library intended to develop web projects and apps.

What projects is RN suitable for?

The framework has absolutely no restrictions on its use. At the moment, its capabilities can easily be adapted to a wide variety of industries and types of users.

In what spheres the use of apps created with the RN is relevant:

• communication and social networking;
• food and grocery delivery;
• automotive industry;
• financial sector;
• tourism and travel;
• healthcare, etc.

For this reason, the React Native development company can take advantage of this instrument to create and modify products for almost all fields. Experienced programmers can effortlessly enhance or update the software functions and add or remove some options, considering the project's evolution.

What companies use React Native?

1. Microsoft for OneDrive
2. Instagram
3. Bloomberg
4. Walmart
5. Uber for UberEats
6. Shine
7. Salesforce

With this solution, firms can build multiple types of applications, considering their budget and the needs of their customers. It makes such a tool invaluable for today's businesses and allows them to meet their target audience's needs better.

Types of apps that can be created with the RN:

• Native: this is the most typical type of project, where the application is downloaded from the app store and stored directly in the smartphone's memory. To launch the software, the user only needs to click on the icon, and they will have access to the data saved in the app;

• Hybrid: this solution is a symbiosis of a mobile and native application. Users need to download the hybrid software to their smartphone, and the information is processed through the browser.

The RN framework is suitable for creating hybrid applications due to its flexible structure. After all, this solution has several excellent sets of external tools for this purpose. However, more often than not, a React Native development company will suggest you build a native version of the app. There will be fewer road stones in code building, and users will have a more satisfying experience.

On top of this, experts divide products by the number of pages, design complexity, feature set, and so on. Each of these factors directly affects product creation time and the cost of a React Native development company.

Is React Native developer in demand?

This technology is widely recognized as a relatively common tool among specialists. On GitHub, this tool has received almost 98,000 stars, which shows its popularity. Also, it has already been mentioned above that nearly 40% of programmers worldwide use this cross-platform framework.

Based on the data listed above, it can be concluded that a React Native development company and an RN programmer are in demand. Besides the numbers on the spread of the solution, other information helps estimate the need for this category of experts is the annual salary.

• In the U.S., a programmer who uses this technology to create mobile applications earns an average of $121,875. At the same time, the minimum salary starts around $102,500, and the maximum is $155,000.

Statista reports that by 2026, there will be 7.51 billion cell phone users worldwide and 6.37 billion smartphones in use right now. Such data will push applications to even higher levels and drive demand for a talented React Native development company.

• For comparison, a specialist with knowledge of ReactJS earns on average slightly less – $120,000 in 12 months. At the same time, the maximum is $151,125, and the minimum is $100,000. 

Programmers' previous work experience also has a significant impact on demand. Knowledge of the specific industry allows the React Native development company to quickly, accurately, and mistake-free projects. When working with niche-experienced devs, it is possible to grow your business tremendously, enhance the functionality of the application and broaden the capabilities of the project to meet the needs of the target audience

Responsibilities and qualifications of a React developer

Since the tool allows you to build mobile applications in JavaScript, the developer cannot do without this programming language. Of course, besides JS, a specialist also needs to know many other solutions and use plenty of other tools in their work.

What skills the RN programmer can't do without:

• a good understanding of the work of the framework and its main components;
• knowledge of ECMAScript (ideally, the expert should use the latest versions of ES) and the basics of JSX (JavaScript Syntax Extension);
• experience with application state management libraries;
• basic knowledge and experience with mobile interfaces;
• an ability to write solid and well-functioning source code;
• use of tools like Git and package manager management;
• be able to build a complete application life cycle or envision a future RN-based project development roadmap.

In some cases, a React Native development company may recruit developers who can also create web layouts. However, this is not a core competency but rather an additional one. This category of duties also includes knowledge of TypeScript, DevOps methodology, third-party native modules, and animation modules.

Important: The range of responsibilities of the programmer depends specifically on the stage at which your firm has started working with a third-party partner. During the creation of a project from scratch, coders at React Native development company do the preparation (they study the technical documentation and design), start working on the development, do the testing and get the project ready for production. For an existing product, the interaction process will be a bit different.

How to hire a React Native development company?

So that you have fewer questions when searching for the right partner, here is a brief step-by-step guide. Even if you have worked with a React Native development company before, recheck yourself. You might find something in the list below that you haven't done before or that you sometimes forget about. It will certainly make your search for the right firm easier and more satisfying.

1. Choose a collaboration model – this step is necessary to calculate the development cost and choose a third party that will be the most cost-effective for your product. You can pick a team that works in the same country/state/city as yours (onshore) or select experts for cooperation from abroad. Such an interaction model with React Native development company is called nearshore (the firm is located in a neighboring country or on the same continent). Besides the economical factor, you should also consider your countries' time zones, mentality, and cultural similarities. Then it will be easier to establish business cooperation and estimate common working time.

2. Decide on the type of payment – customers may choose to pay by the hour and fixed cost. In the first case, your firm can better manage the monthly budget, increasing or decreasing the working hours depending on the project's development. The second option also has some advantages. However, business owners should be aware that fixed cost is not always the final cost of the app. Additional money and time will always be required to refine the functionality, fix bugs, and optimize performance.

3. Discover the average cost of developing a project in your niche – you can google online how much a product with a minimum, medium, and maximum set of options will cost. It will allow you to know at least a rough budget that you will need to implement your idea. However, much more accurate prices can be obtained from other companies that have built the application or from a React Native development company.

4. Prepare the technical documentation – it's the next step, you can't do anything without it. Detailed documentation, a description of the design, ideas, and goals of the project can help you accurately calculate the possible costs of implementing the product and determine the approximate timeframe for completing the tasks.

5. Make a shortlist of third-party partners – for this point, you can also use Google. In addition to the search engine is also worth connecting LinkedIn, sites like Clutch, and other similar platforms. In the filter, set the necessary parameters based on points 1 and 2 of this brief guide.

6. Look at the portfolio – be sure to check the firm's official website for case studies, testimonials from other clients, and the products they've worked on. If, for some reason, there is no website, search for a third-party partner profile on other web resources like Clutch, etc. 

7. Request a product estimation by React Native development company – as a rule, this service is free. You only need to make a request through the official website of your partner or directly contact their representative. During business correspondence and/or a personal conversation, the specialists specify the necessary details, and after a while, they give their opinion.

8. Cut the list of firms down to 2-3 and do an interview – when you have looked at portfolios, reviews of other clients, and learned the approximate cost of services, you can move on to the next step. Try to select only a few that best meet your requirements and with whom you have established a connection from the list of companies. Ideally, you will have only one React Native development company. But there are situations where business owners have to choose between several partners. In that case, an in-depth interview is a solution. The interest of the React Native development company team specifically in your product. The more the programmers and other crew members show interest, give their views and suggest possible solutions, the better. A genuine interest shows in-depth knowledge of the topic and a focus on creating a better project.

9. Set goals and define periods to evaluate the work you've done – the last but not the least step will allow you to assess the pace of the team's work. If you do not have a precise time limit for when this or that step should be achieved, you will not be able to estimate the effectiveness of the development. Moreover, when you immediately specify with the programmers a specific date when they have to implement a particular solution, it will allow you to manage the project as a whole better.

AVA.codes has created several highly competitive applications using this tool. So far, we have developed a personal CRM for smart business relations, helped enhance programs for the automotive industry, IT sphere, and many others. If you need a solid React Native development company – feel free to mail us or book a call!