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What is Expo for React Native?

Expo is an open source framework and toolset for building apps with React Native, letting one JavaScript and TypeScript codebase run on iPhone, Android and the web. It provides ready made modules for device features, file based routing with Expo Router, and cloud services such as EAS Build and EAS Submit for compiling and publishing apps to the stores.

React Native lets developers write native apps in JavaScript. Expo wraps it in tools that remove much of the setup, which is why it has become the default way to start a React Native app.

Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder

3 min read · Published 13 October 2026

React Native and Expo

React Native renders real native interface elements from JavaScript components, so an app looks and feels native on each platform. Expo adds a curated set of modules, such as camera, notifications and location, configuration through an app config file, and tooling that hides most of the Xcode and Android Studio setup.

Expo Router

Expo Router maps files in an app folder to screens, much like web frameworks map files to pages, with tabs and stacks for navigation. The same routes can export to the web, which is useful for previewing an app in a browser before building it for phones.

EAS services

Expo Application Services, EAS, build the app binaries in the cloud with EAS Build, send them to App Store Connect and Google Play with EAS Submit, and can push certain updates with EAS Update. They need an Expo account and, for the stores, your own Apple and Google developer accounts.

Common mistakes

Assuming an Expo app needs no store accounts, expecting every native library to work without a development build, and skipping testing on real devices. The web preview of an Expo app is a good check of layout and flow, but not of every device behaviour.

Where it shows up in OneCraft

In Code mode, the AI can write a native app for a site as an Expo project with React Native, Uniwind styling and React Native Reusables components, with tabs such as Home, Menu, Products, Orders, Bookings and Contact. The app builder previews a web export of it in a phone frame, and the phone panel lists the EAS commands you run to build and submit it.

Questions people ask

Is Expo free?

The Expo framework and Expo Router are open source and free. EAS services have a free tier with limits and paid plans for more builds and features. Publishing still needs your own Apple Developer Program membership and Google Play developer account, which have their own fees.

Is an Expo app a real native app?

Yes. Expo apps are React Native apps that render native interface elements and are compiled into standard iOS and Android binaries submitted through the normal store process. Users cannot tell an app was built with Expo from how it installs or runs.

Do I need a Mac to build an Expo app for iPhone?

Not necessarily. EAS Build compiles iOS apps in the cloud, so you can build from Windows or Linux, though you still need an Apple Developer account to sign and submit. Testing on a real iPhone is still wise before release.

Can an Expo app share code with my website?

Partly. The language, many libraries and design ideas carry over, and Expo Router can export routes to the web. A dedicated website framework usually serves search and web visitors better, so many teams keep a website and an Expo app that read the same data.

What is the difference between Expo Go and a development build?

Expo Go is a ready made app for trying projects quickly on a phone, limited to the modules it includes. A development build is your own app binary with exactly the native modules your project needs, used once a project goes beyond what Expo Go supports.

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Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked 13 October 2026.