React vs. React Native: The Differences at a Glance
React VS React Native
~8 Min. Lesezeit Zuletzt aktualisiert am August 8, 2026
React (for the web) and React Native share the same core – components, props, state, hooks – but differ fundamentally in WHAT ultimately gets rendered and HOW you style things. This overview summarizes the key differences compactly.
1. Description
React is a library for building user interfaces that uses the browser DOM as its RENDER TARGET. React Native uses the exact same React core concept, but renders to REAL native UI components (see the "Working of React Native" topic) instead of HTML.
Direct comparison
| React (Web) | React Native |
|---|---|
<div>, <p>, <img> | <View>, <Text>, <Image> |
CSS file or className | JavaScript object via StyleSheet.create() |
onClick | onPress (touch instead of mouse click) |
| Renders HTML in the browser DOM | Renders real native iOS/Android views |
npm create vite@latest or similar | npx create-expo-app |
| Runs anywhere a browser runs | Runs as an installed app on iOS/Android (web export also possible) |
| Flexbox is one of several layout systems | Flexbox is the ONLY layout system, default flexDirection is column |
What stays completely identical
- Components as functions that return JSX.
- Props for passing data between components.
- All hooks:
useState,useEffect,useRef,useContext, custom hooks. fetch()/async/awaitfor network requests.- Thinking in a "declarative" interface instead of manual DOM/view manipulation.
Tipp: Anyone who already knows web React has already done most of the learning work for React Native – what's left is mainly getting to know the new building blocks (View instead of div, StyleSheet instead of CSS), not the underlying programming model.