Expo — Universal Native Apps for iOS, Android & Web

What Expo Does

• Managed workflow — develop without touching native code
• Expo Go app — preview on device via QR code
• EAS Build — cloud-build iOS/Android binaries
• EAS Submit — submit to App Store/Play Store
• EAS Update — OTA JS updates (skip store review)
• Expo Router — file-based routing (like Next.js)
• 100+ modules — camera, notifications, location, sensors, biometrics
• Web support — same code runs in browser via react-native-web

Architecture

Expo sits on top of React Native. Managed workflow uses expo prebuild to generate native projects on demand. Bare workflow exposes full native access. Expo Router uses file-system routing with shared layouts.

Self-Hosting

CLI is free and open source. EAS (build/submit/update) is a paid SaaS with free tier. You can self-host EAS Update via expo-updates + your own CDN.

Key Features

• File-based routing (Expo Router)
• Hot reload on device
• OTA updates (EAS Update)
• Cloud builds (EAS Build)
• Web support (react-native-web)
• 100+ first-party modules
• TypeScript-first templates
• Dev Client for native testing

Comparison

FAQ

Q: Expo vs Bare React Native？ A: Expo is the default recommendation. Choose Bare only when you need deep native customization (custom ObjC/Swift/Java/Kotlin code).

Q: Does it support the Web? A: Yes. The same code runs in the browser via react-native-web. Great for admin backends + app isomorphism.

Q: Is EAS expensive? A: The free tier is enough for small teams (30 builds per month, unlimited updates). Commercial projects start at $19/month.

Sources & Credits

• Docs: https://docs.expo.dev
• GitHub: https://github.com/expo/expo
• License: MIT