Updated April 17, 2023
Difference between PhoneGap vs React Native
PhoneGap is a software framework used to build mobile applications and develops applications for all famous mobile platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, BlackBerry, etc. It enables the user to build cross-platform mobile applications by neglecting the native development language of every mobile platform. Whereas React Native is a famous JavaScript-oriented framework for a mobile application that enables to development of a native-render mobile application for Android and iOS. This framework enables the user to create an application on different platforms with the same codebase. The differences and comparisons of PhoneGap and React Native are discussed below.
Key differences between PhoneGap vs React Native
The important differences like overview, properties, applications, merits, and demerits are discussed here.
Overview:
PhoneGap eases the life of mobile application development as it offers him to use any framework and JavaScript library in which he is skilled and comfortable. But the React Native assures the user to feel the native-based performance on the application to provide a perfect user experience.
PhoneGap leaves a little compromise as it involves all the hybrid mobile applications and fails to provide the original user experience. Whereas React Native is built with the rendering of native components
Technology used:
The PhoneGap uses CSS, JavaScript, or HTML with UI on browser-based which allows the developer to work with his desired web technologies. It exposes the APIs of native mobile devices by accessing the components of the phone via an API navigator. It is a sharing of Apache Cordova available with customized packages and little tweaks where he can entrench the website in mobile applications through WebView. PhoneGap enables the user to access the native features like calendar, contacts, camera by implying Apache Cordova.
React Native is UI software that is an open-source empowered application built-in JavaScript with real components. It works on the rules by meeting the values of the operating system like iOS, macOS, Android TV, Android, tvOS, UWP, Windows, and Web by allowing the developers to apply the React Framework with flavors of the native platform.
Merits:
PhoneGap provides the developers with a huge range of libraries or frameworks to choose to work on. So it will be a treat to web building developers as they can play with web tools, and enjoy developing user interfaces in CSS and HTML. It is developer-friendly and none can beat this service as it is not constrained to any frameworks. The apps based on PhoneGap execute within wrappers directed to every platform and use the bindings of API which meets all the provided standards for working on every mobile device data, sensors and network status. It depends on composing once, execute on every platform to gain the benefit of cross-platform development and doesn’t want the user to get tied to native development and he can have all apps with similar UI.
The benefit of React Native is its high-performance animations with a native look and feel. It uses real native tools instead of WebView and renders Native views as an expert with no challenges on browser compatibility. Its reliability is proven in Uber, Airbnb, and Instagram and it follows learn once, compose everywhere principle. Because if you learn the native once, you no need to research into Java or C often and can unleash your skills to apps functionality. Because of its wide community, the experts are reachable.
Limitations:
PhoneGap has a slothful performance which provides a poor experience to the user. It is designed for web pages and doesn’t work on animations loaded, or heavy complex applications. The user is prone to web issues as it is a hybrid application. Depending on the browser, the bugs are specific to some browser styles which works odd. The drawback of React Native is it is concerned with the native platform and it needs to be compiled every time if there is any bug or due to the platform-oriented components and should be strongly skilled in react to work in and out. The user should not use HTML here along with native components as he feels the juggles.
Comparison Table of PhoneGap vs React Native
| Features | PhoneGap | React Native |
| Definition | PhoneGap is used to build software applications in OS platforms by using a wide variety of web technologies. | React Native is used as a framework to build an application without affecting its native feel. |
| Performance | Have a minimum performance on weekend mobile phones due to WebView and works rapidly on high-end devices. | Works without disturbing its native flavor in all the devices. |
| User interface | Provides the native UI via WebView and it’s clear Cordova makes it as a website. | The user interface is built with 100% native components. |
| Device components | It is worked via Cordova plugins, where the code is compiled with Cordova APIs so, the interaction can be slower. | As it is built with native modules, the code is written on its own and so the interaction can be rapid. |
| Support | It is an active open source community and works stable | It has Facebook backing and has minimum maturity than PhoneGap |
| Code | The user can reuse the code for 100% and form a single web page application. | The UI-related code is used up to 90-95% and it can be shared to web applications with business logic. |
| UI building | The workflow is typical for web applications and easy to learn and UI is built with HTML, CSS, templates, Typescripts, and styling | It’s built with generic JSX codes rendered with naïve views and firebox styling |
| Logic implementation | It has a logic implementation and typescript support | It has no logic implementation and typescript support |
| Interpretation | JIT when it’s android and iOS in a webvView | JIT on android and interpreter on iOS |
| Debugging | It has chrome development tools, safari web inspector, Xcode for native iOS applications. | It has simpler debug with Safari web inspector tools and chrome or native development tools |
Conclusion
Here we have listed all the pros and cons of both PhoneGap and React Native and hence, it is the choice of the user to select PhoneGap or React Native.
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