Top 5 React Native UI Components in 2023

React Native is a popular framework for cross-platform mobile app development. It is based on the principle of ‘reactive components’. Hence, the quality of implementation for the components is often the central problem in react native component design and development.

One approach trying to resolving the complexity is following standardized modes of building components, usually in the form of plug-ins and libraries. 

Because React works on TypeScript + JSX and is inherently declarative and modular in structure, utilizing these top React Native UI component libraries becomes much more straightforward when you understand the basic architecture and their capabilities.

Why use React Native UI Components?

These components provide various functionalities, including buttons, text inputs, images, and more, to help developers easily create visually appealing and interactive apps. 

Whether a beginner or an experienced developer, React Native UI Components offer a fast and easy way to bring your app ideas to life.

Developers use React Native UI Components for several reasons:

• Cross-platform Compatibility: React Native UI Components are compatible with Android and iOS platforms, making it easier for developers to create apps that can run on multiple platforms without having to write separate code for each.
• Reusability: The pre-built components can be easily reused in other projects, saving developers time and effort.
• Customization: The components are highly customizable, allowing developers to change their appearance and behavior to meet the specific needs of their projects.
• Improved UX: The components provide a consistent look and feel across different platforms, making the apps more user-friendly and visually appealing.
• Improved Coding Experience: Using community-developed UI components helps you onboard experienced contributions from a wide sphere into your react native app project.

Here is how any react project can be extended to include UI component libraries:

Installation: To include a React Native UI component library in a project, you first need to install it using npm or yarn. For example, to install React Native Elements, you can run the following command in your terminal:

npm install @rneui/themed @rneui/base

Importing Components: Once the library is installed, you can import the components you need into your project. For example, to import the Button component from React Native Elements, you can add the following line of code to your component file:

import { Button } from '@rneui/base';

Using Components: After importing the component, you can use it in your component’s render method by including it in your JSX code. For example, you can create a button with a title:

const App = () => <Button title="Hello World!" />;

By following these steps, you can easily extend your React Native project to include top UI component libraries, allowing you to focus on creating amazing apps with ease.

Top 5 React Native UI Components in 2023

1. React Native Elements

This project has 23.3K stars and 4.5K forks on Github,  You can find the full walk-through here. They also provide a VS code extension. Overall it is a vibrant open community to which anyone can contribute.

• A standout feature of React Native Elements is its range of components. 
• From the standard UI elements like buttons and inputs to more specialized components like badges and avatars, React Native Elements has it all. 
• The library also includes various components for navigation, such as headers and tabs, and features for handling user interactions, like checkboxes and switches. 
• In addition to its comprehensive component library, React Native Elements also provides a powerful tool for creating dialogs and bottom sheets. 
• The Dialog component can create custom dialog boxes, while the BottomSheet component provides an intuitive way to display additional content without taking up too much screen space.

2. React Native Paper

This project has 10.3K stars and 1.9K forks on Github, and is another popular UI component library for React Native app dets for developers to use in their apps.

React Native Paper Demo

• One of the key differentiators of React Native Paper is its focus on providing a consistent look and feel across all components. 
• The library uses Material Design styles and themes, ensuring that apps developed using React Native Paper have a cohesive and professional appearance.
• In addition to its focus on consistency, React Native Paper also provides several powerful components for user interactions and navigation. 
• The library includes components for buttons, inputs, and tabs, as well as features for handling user interactions with multimedia.
• Another standout feature of React Native Paper is its customizable appearance. Developers can easily adjust the styles of components to match the specific needs of their app, while still maintaining a consistent look and feel. 
• This customization also extends to themes, which can be adjusted to change the overall look and feel of the app.

3. Native Base

This project has 19k stars and 2.3k forks on Github. It is an accessible, utility-first component library that helps build consistent UI across android, iOS and web.

• One of the standout features of Native Base is its extensive collection of pre-built components, including buttons, inputs, headers, cards, and more. 
• This library covers most of the common UI elements developers need in their apps, making it a one-stop shop for many developers.
• Another important feature of Native Base is its utility-first approach. 
• The library provides several useful tools and functionalities that developers can use to make their app development process more efficient and streamlined. For example, the library includes tools for handling platform-specific styling and component behavior, making it easier for developers to create cross-platform apps.
• It is highly customizable, with developers able to easily change the styles and appearance of components to suit the specific needs of their app. This customization is achieved through themes, which can be adjusted to change the overall look and feel of the app.

4. Shoutem UI

With 4.8k stars and 500+ forks on Github, these components are built to be both composable and customizable. Each component has a predefined style compatible with the rest of the Shoutem UI, making it possible to build complex components.

• The library provides a powerful theme engine, allowing developers to change their app’s look and feel easy. This customization can be done globally, or on a per-component basis.
• Shoutem UI also provides a comprehensive set of UI components for navigation, user interactions, and data display. 
• This includes components for buttons, inputs, cards, and more. The library also includes components for handling user interactions, such as checkboxes, switches, and sliders.
• Another unique aspect of Shoutem UI is its support for extensions. Developers can build their own custom components or add third-party components to the library, making it easy to extend and customize the library to meet the specific needs of their app.

5. React Native Material UI

Is another set of modular and customizable Material Design UI components for React Native with 150+ stars on Github. It provides a comprehensive set of UI components, from basic elements like buttons and inputs to more complex components like progress bars and cards.

• One of the key features of React Native Material UI is its modular design, which allows developers to easily pick and choose which components they need for their specific project. 
• This results in a faster development process, as developers can easily add or remove components as needed.
• In addition to its modular design, React Native Material UI offers customization options for its components in addition to its modular design. This means developers can easily adjust the look and feel of components to match their specific needs while still maintaining a consistent overall appearance.
• Another standout feature of React Native Material UI is its focus on accessibility. The library includes accessibility features like keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility, making it easier for developers to create accessible, user-friendly apps.

Comparison: React Native UI Components 

How to choose the Right React Native UI Component?

When building a React Native app, choosing the right UI component library can make a big difference in terms of functionality, ease of use, and overall development time. Things to keep in mind when choosing a UI component library for your React Native project are: 

• Consideration of Project Requirements

The first consideration to remember when choosing a UI component library is the requirements of your project.  Do you need a comprehensive set of UI components for both Android and iOS? Do you need a library that provides components for navigation, user interactions, and more? 

Answering these questions will help you narrow your options and choose a library that meets your project needs.

Also Read: How to Test React Native Apps on iOS and Android Devices

• Balancing Functionality and Ease of Use

When choosing a UI component library, balancing functionality with ease of use is important. On the one hand, you want a library that provides your app’s comprehensive set of components. 

On the other hand, you don’t want a library that is so complex that it becomes difficult to use. Be sure to read reviews and check out demos of the libraries you are considering to understand how easy they are to use and implement.

• Importance of Community Support

A library with a strong and active community will have more resources, such as tutorials, support forums, and third-party contributions. This can be especially beneficial for developers new to React Native, as it provides a wealth of resources to help them get started.

Talk to an Expert

Testing React Native UI Components

To improve the testing process further, Instead of using simulators/emulators to run end-to-end tests, you can use BrowserStack to remove any uncertainties from this part of the process. You can use:

App Live : For manual validations on 3000+ device browser combinations, accessible on the cloud for your team.After selecting the device session will start, you can also install app from the Play store inside the device.Use the various features of the dashboard to test, take screenshots and log defects.Use UI Debugger to inspect UI components.

App Automate : Use Appium and other automation frameworks to write test scripts and run them on our cloud. Use the App automate dashboard to analyse tests and log defects.App Percy : With App Percy, you can simultaneously run visual and functional testing for your native applications on real mobile devices hosted on BrowserStack Cloud. 

Percy Visual Engine powers App Percy, the core algorithm that uses computer vision for image comparisons to help you ship faster and with confidence. 

Closing Notes,

• In conclusion, React Native framework UI Components offer a fast and easy solution for building visually appealing and interactive mobile apps. 
• The components are compatible with Android and iOS platforms and highly reusable, and customizable, and improve the overall user experience.
• By using React Native UI Components, developers can focus on creating amazing apps and easily bring their ideas to life. 
• BrowserStack enables feature-rich manual and automated testing of react native apps and ensures a smooth and collaborative delivery process. 

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