React Native Elements — Cross-Platform UI Toolkit for React Native

Introduction

React Native Elements provides a set of ready-to-use, themeable UI components for React Native. It eliminates the need to build common UI patterns from scratch by offering buttons, cards, inputs, avatars, and dozens more. Each component works across iOS, Android, and Web with minimal configuration.

What React Native Elements Does

• Supplies 30+ pre-built components (Button, Card, ListItem, Overlay, etc.)
• Supports a global theme provider for consistent styling across the app
• Works on iOS, Android, and React Native Web
• Integrates with both Expo and bare React Native projects
• Provides TypeScript definitions for every component

Architecture Overview

The library is organized into two packages: @rneui/base for unstyled primitives and @rneui/themed for components wrapped in a ThemeProvider. The ThemeProvider uses React Context to inject a theme object into every component. Each component merges default styles with theme overrides and inline props, allowing granular customization without forking.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install base and themed packages via npm or yarn
• Wrap your app root with <ThemeProvider> for global theming
• Override individual component styles through the theme prop or createTheme()
• Use @rneui/themed for themed components or @rneui/base for unstyled variants
• Compatible with Expo SDK and bare React Native CLI projects

Key Features

• Consistent look and feel across platforms with one API
• Global theme system with light/dark mode support
• Fully typed with TypeScript generics
• Accessibility props forwarded to underlying native elements
• Smooth integration with React Navigation and other RN libraries

Comparison with Similar Tools

• NativeBase — more opinionated design system with utility-style props
• React Native Paper — Material Design focused, tighter Material spec adherence
• Tamagui — compiler-driven, targets both web and native with shared styles
• Gluestack UI — newer universal component library with headless primitives
• Shoutem UI — smaller community, less actively maintained

FAQ

Q: Does it work with Expo? A: Yes, all components work with Expo out of the box. No native linking required.

Q: How do I customize the default theme? A: Pass a custom theme object to <ThemeProvider theme={myTheme}> or use createTheme() to merge with defaults.

Q: Can I use individual components without the theme provider? A: Yes, import from @rneui/base to use components without theme context.

Q: Is React Native Web supported? A: Yes, most components render correctly on web through React Native Web.

Sources

• https://github.com/react-native-elements/react-native-elements
• https://reactnativeelements.com