Top 10 React Native Component Library for UI Development

Ever thought of how React Native, a cross-platform mobile app development framework, attained its popularity among mobile app developers? It is because of its core philosophy, i.e., the use of reusable and modular components. Just as React equips you with native HTML elements, React Native offers a spectrum of mobile GUI components. But what if they does not fit well with your project requirements? Worry not. There’s always a solution. And it is a wide choice of React Native component library.

Yes. However, to make the right library choice, you need to be familiar with its capabilities and the fundamentals of its architecture. Here, this article guides your way.

Why Do You Need React Native Component Library?

It is indeed true that the React Native UI library speeds up UI development. But there are other advantages that you should consider. Let’s brief it.

• Boost the User experience of the build.
• Supports Cross-platform development.
• Ensures a consistent feel and look.
• Facilitate smooth transitions between mobile and desktop and mobile interfaces.

To use these UI component libraries in your React Native project, you need to install the library using yarn or npm. Let’s take the example of Galio.

Run the command: npm install galio-framework into your project terminal. After you have installed the library, you can use available components of the libraries using the ‘import’ statement.

For example, to use the ‘Button’ component of Galio, add the line

import { Button } from 'galio-framework'; in your component’s code.

Assuming you are familiar with these technicalities, let’s discuss the popular React Native library list in the following section.

10 Best React Component Libraries

Want to learn about the best React Component libraries and how they can improve the game of mobile app UI development? Then, follow along.

React Native Paper

It is a library offering a set of production-ready and customizable components.

Key Differentiator

Material Design, developed by Google, has become one of the most widely adopted design systems. Its guidelines cover everything from interaction and motion to depth, color, and spacing. React Native Paper strictly adheres to these standards, ensuring that the app built with it aligns with the principles of Material Design.

Also, it has a Right-To-Left (RTL) option. Thus, this React native UI library ensures the build is usable in languages that need RTL support, such as Hebrew or Arabic. Hence, with React Native Paper, you can expand the app's usability.

Case Illustration

Want a high-quality user interface? Consider React Native Paper. Let's take an instance of a design system app. Do you know what is the main challenge while crafting a design system? It is to ensure consistency. Considering React Native Paper is a way to deal with it. The custom theme is uniformly applied, ensuring that cards, inputs, and buttons reflect a consistent design principle. Also, with the Material design standard, this design system app can display interactive instances of added components. Hence, you can experiment with the UI components before actually using them.

Galio

One of the smartest UI component libraries of React Native, recognized under MIT.

Key Differentiator

Galio has an adaptive base theme. Hence, it gracefully integrates with the aesthetics of every project. You don't have to consider a stringent design language every time you build a UI. Moreover, Galio's architecture and design make it highly compatible with other libraries. This interoperability allows developers to harness the best of various libraries without concerns about compatibility.

Case Illustration

Let's consider you are in the initial stage of building an eCommerce app and want to make it functional and dynamic. Utilize the customizable color option of Galio to match the app's look with your brand. Also, you can easily sort products into specific categories. Integrate user feedback or start ratings with minimum effort.

With Galio, you can improve the cart experience. It allows you to add smooth transitions and animations. This way, you can make way for a fluid shopping experience for your audience.

Need help with how to start with Galio? Get professional assistance from a top-rated React Native app development company.

Ant Design Mobile RN

A mobile UI design-based library that is easy to configure.

Key Differentiator

Most react native component library offers components, but the Ant Design library differentiates itself on the ground of adhering to well-thought-out design standards. It follows the Ant Design Mobile UI standard. Hence, it ensures consistency and excellent configurability.

This specification-centric approach, combined with more than 40 basic components, Ant Design is favorable for diverse project scenarios. Undoubtedly, it accelerates development, giving a solid foundation for mobile app UI development.

Case Illustration

Let's say you want to build an MVP for your mobile app. You need essential UI components to ensure the functionality of the build. But you don't have time to start it from scratch. So, how can you deal with such a scenario? Here, you must consider Ant Design Mobile RN to import pre-designed components like cards, avatars, text inputs, and buttons. This way, not only can you build a user-friendly UI/UX, but you can also market the MVP in the shortest possible time.

Also, the TypeScript support of Ant Design ensures type safety, improving code maintainability and reducing runtime errors.

Shoutem

A React Native component library that offers easy-to-navigate user interfaces and customizable templates.

Key Differentiator

During mobile app development, the main effort is maintaining and setting up the backend support. However, with this react native UI library, Shoutem, you don't have to put in extra effort. Shoutem UI simplifies the setup process by providing a backend solution. The backend support features include data storage, user authentication, and others.

Further, the core @shoutem/ui provides a collection of UI components. You can also access libraries like @shoutem/animation and @shoutem/theme for a polished app interface. Whether you want to work on the app's theming or transitions, Shoutem UI can support you.

Case Illustration

Shoutem UI library is a perfect choice for loyalty apps, restaurant apps, or news apps. You can also use it in other types of apps.

For example, you can use Shoutem to employ a gamified approach in a loyalty app. You can animate awards and badge options. They can earn such rewards on reaching a specific milestone, incorporating an engaging element.

React Native Gifted Chat

A comprehensive React Native UI toolkit suitable for curating chat interfaces.

Key Differentiator

Its perfect sync with different chat SDKs, such as ChatKitty and PubNub, makes it a favorable choice for developers. With such compatibility, you can seamlessly integrate this React native UI library with backend services.

With a higher score on LibHunt and more recent commits and releases on GitHub, React Native Gifted Chat demonstrates that it is actively maintained. Thus, you don't have to doubt its performance and reliability.

Case Illustration

Provided its customizability and rich UI, React Native gifted chat is perfect for crafting an app's UI that needs chat functionality.

The core functionality of most social networking apps is one-on-one or group chats. Use this react native UI library to build smooth chat interfaces and add elements like typing indicators, multimedia sharing, and read receipts. You can also customize chat bubbles to cater to the broader needs of public channels.

Want to increase the social interaction factor of your app? Don't forget the utility of React native gifted chat. For example, you can easily add an option for users to react to messages.

Lottie Wrapper

A collection of libraries that interpret animations from Adobe After Effects.

Key Differentiator

Before Lottie, developers often used rasterized assets such as PNG sequences for complex animations. This increased app size and was not as scalable as vector animations. Being a vector-based react native component library, animations of the Lottie wrapper are more lightweight than their rasterized counterparts.

The customizability of this library is worth considering. Beyond just adding animation, you can regulate the playback speed and loop animations. This would not be easy if you consider traditional animation methods.

Case Illustration

Though functional, traditional loading indicators, like spinning circles or bars, have become outdated. Let's say you have created a fitness app. Will adding the conventional spinning circles engage your users while your app loads? No, it won't. Instead, add some tiny runner animation with a lotty wrapper library. Also, use this library to animate engaging illustrations for pages with no search results.

Vector Icons

A React Native UI library that is easy to style, integrate, and extend to varied UI-based projects.

Key Differentiator

Its extensive collection of more than 3,000 icon sets is one of the factors that set Vector Icons apart from the popular React Native component library. Thus, you can find icons specific to your project theme or context. Moreover, since they are free, it adds an economic advantage for developers, especially those working on a tight budget or in start-ups.

Case Illustration

You cannot design a mobile app without icons. Can You? If you answer no, you probably do not want to bother about the user experience. However, if you like to experiment with icons, the Vector Icon library is the most appropriate choice.

With a React native UI library like vector icons, implementing and tying icons to actions or navigation becomes more streamlined. For example, you want to build a music player app and need icons for play, pause, next, and previous actions on your app interface. Using vector icons, you can do this effortlessly.

Tamagui

A UI library offering universal styles for web and React Native. It is a UI kit developed using @tamagui/core.

Key Differentiator

In another well-known React Native component library, you may not find the unique static flattening method that Tamagui offers. This React Native UI library optimizes the component tree. It allows for quicker rendering using minimal ES6 or JSX. Fewer components in the tree reduce potential failure points. Hence, you can easily enhance the app's stability and maintainability.

Case Illustration

Let's say you want to launch your social media platform and want it to be engaging and dynamic. In this context, Tamagui can be your react native component library preference.

You can use in-built tokens and themes for a consistent look. Further, the theme-switching option, quick animations, and shorthands in Tamagui reduce your development time.

While building such a platform for web and mobile users, Tamagui speeds up the design process and improves the final output. This way, you can make a premium and user-centric app.

React Native Ignite

A React Native component library, also referred to as a boilerplate. It is compatible with bare RN and Expo projects.

Key Differentiator

If you are acquainted with app or software development, you may know that this development cycle involves repetitive tasks. You need to set up different screens, add new components, and others. The built-in CLI commands of react native ignite help you to automate such tasks. Another differentiating factor of this react native component library is that it offers a starter kit added with best practices. New developers of a top-rated React native app development company rely on this kit to ensure they don't get stuck in conflicting advice.

Case Illustration

Let's consider building an e-commerce app for mobile devices. List down all sections your app may need. The possible options are a product page, user profile, settings, home screen, and a shopping cart.

React Native Ignite library integrates with React Navigation, allowing you to manage the build's navigational stack. Also, it has options to build drawers, tab navigators, and stacks. You can also leverage its CLI generator to add a rating element to your eCommerce app. Don't waste time building such components from scratch. Use a simple command and create a component template in the specified directory.

NativeWind

One of the best React Native component libraries based on Tailwind CSS. Its key features include fast runtime, pseudo-classes, parent state styles, and others.

Key Differentiator

What differentiates NativeWind from the react native library list is its capability to address challenges commonly experienced in cross-platform mobile app development. NativeWind moves the computational cost from runtime to build time. It is accessible through string conversion into React Native objects. Thus, the parsing mechanisms of NativeWind ensure faster and smoother launches.

Case Illustration

For example, you want to iterate your app's UI/UX based on the client's feedback. So, you may need to change the app's layout, design elements, or color schemes.

In such a scenario, considering NativeWind can simplify the process. Its utility-first design standard allows you to make changes without digging into the custom CSS elements.

Moreover, you can create a low-level API complying with the design philosophies or styles.

Another case illustration of NativeWind includes its usability in creating a gamut of reusable UI components. Thus, when you work on different React Native projects with overlapping UI requirements, NativeWind can save much time.

Final Thoughts

The landscape of mobile app development has indeed seen a major transformation. And it is because of the wide acceptance of React Native and its UI library list. Whether it is the React Native Paper, Vector Icons, or React Native Gifted Chat, there's something unique that you can get from each library.

However, to make the right move, always prioritize your project's needs and the end user's experience. Consider quality over quantity. Remember that "less is more". Let's hope this article guides you to make the correct choice.