How to hire React Native developers who can handle the native side

Most React developers can build React Native screens. Fewer can fix a native build or carry an app through an upgrade. Here's how to find them.

React Native has an unusual hiring problem: almost every web developer who knows React can claim it. Many of them can build screens quickly. Far fewer can debug a native build failure, write a small Swift or Kotlin module, or carry an app through a major version upgrade without breaking it. When you hire React Native developers, that gap is what you are screening for.

This guide covers the skills that separate mobile engineers from React developers who have done a bit of mobile, the Expo and native questions to ask, a test task, typical rates and red flags. If you'd rather start with a vetted team, see how our React Native developers for hire work.

When a React Native hire makes sense

React Native is a strong fit when you want one TypeScript codebase for iOS and Android, your team already builds for the web in React, or you want to share logic and people between web and mobile. It is a weaker fit when the app is mostly heavy native features, such as complex camera processing, Bluetooth hardware or Apple Watch, where you would spend much of the project in native code anyway.

If you are still choosing a framework, read our React Native vs Flutter guide before you post a job. Hiring for the wrong stack is expensive to undo.

The skills that matter: three layers

Think of a React Native developer's skills in three layers. Most candidates are strong in the first. The second and third are where you find the people worth hiring.

The New Architecture and upgrade experience

The biggest recent change in React Native is the New Architecture. According to the React Native 0.82 release notes, 0.82 is the first version that runs entirely on the New Architecture, and turning it off is ignored. React Native 0.81 and Expo SDK 54 were the last versions that allowed the legacy architecture.

That has two consequences for hiring:

• If you have an older app, you need someone who has migrated one: checking each dependency for compatibility, replacing abandoned libraries and upgrading in steps rather than all at once.
• If you are starting fresh, you need someone comfortable with current native module patterns, such as Turbo Modules or the Expo Modules API, rather than tutorials written years ago.

Ask every candidate: "Tell me about the hardest React Native upgrade you did." Good answers include specific versions, the libraries that broke and how they tested the result on both platforms. Vague answers usually mean they have only worked on projects someone else kept up to date.

Expo or bare: what your developer should know

React Native's own team now recommends starting new apps with a framework. Its post on using a framework names Expo as the only recommended community framework, while noting that React Native without a framework remains supported. In practice, a strong candidate should be able to explain:

• How Expo's prebuild and config plugins let you add custom native code without giving up the Expo tooling.
• When an existing bare project is better left bare, and what migrating it would involve.
• How builds are produced: locally, in your CI or through Expo Application Services, which is an optional paid service.
• How over-the-air JavaScript updates work, what they can and can't change, and why store review rules still apply to what you ship that way.

You don't need a developer who insists on one approach. You need one who can tell you which fits your app and why. For what a full team should deliver around those choices, see our guide to choosing a React Native app development company.

Interview questions and a paid test task

Questions that expose real mobile experience:

1. "A list of 2,000 items is janky on a mid-range Android phone. What do you check first?"
2. "A library you depend on doesn't support the New Architecture. What are your options?"
3. "Walk me through how a push notification opens a specific screen when the app is closed."
4. "How do you keep secrets and environment config out of the JavaScript bundle?"
5. "What was your last App Store or Play Store rejection?"

Then a paid test of four to six hours. A brief that tests all three skill layers:

• A TypeScript app with a paginated list from a public API and a detail screen, using strict mode.
• Offline caching, with loading, empty and error states.
• A deep link that opens the detail screen directly.
• One small native touch: for example, reading the device's battery level or app version through a tiny native module or an Expo module they configure themselves.
• A few tests and a README explaining their choices.

Run it on a real Android phone and an iPhone. Then ask them to walk you through it and change one thing live. The native step and the live change are where copied or AI-generated submissions show.

React Native developer rates

Typical market ranges for experienced React Native developers. These are not quotes, and they vary with seniority, location and what's included.

Developers who can handle the native layer usually sit at the top of these ranges, and they are worth it. A cheaper developer who stalls for a week on every build error is not cheaper.

On the model: a freelancer fits when you already have a mobile lead; a dedicated developer through a vendor fits an ongoing roadmap you manage; an agency team fits when you need design, backend, QA and store submission handled too. Our global guide to hiring mobile app developers compares these models in detail.

Set up accounts before the first build

React Native apps touch more accounts than most, so settle ownership before work starts:

• Code in your company's Git organization, with developers added as members.
• Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts registered to your company, with developers given team roles.
• If you use Expo Application Services, an Expo organization owned by your company, not a personal account.
• Signing credentials, push notification keys and environment secrets stored where your company can reach them without the developer.
• A written contract that assigns intellectual property to your company. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.

Red flags when you hire a React Native developer

• Web-only portfolio. React websites are good experience, but ask for apps in the stores.
• Never touched native code. Sooner or later every React Native app needs it.
• Pinned to old versions with no plan to upgrade, or unaware of the New Architecture.
• Tests only in a simulator or only on iPhone.
• Wants to own the Expo, Apple or Google accounts. Those belong to your company, with the developer invited as a team member.
• Treats over-the-air updates as a way around review. That is a store compliance risk, not a feature.

Working with Appryze

Through our hire React Native developers service, you work with TypeScript and React Native engineers from our New Delhi team, with call times that overlap US business hours and weekly written updates. If you want the whole app delivered, our app development service gives you a fixed-price written quote within 24 hours, free store submission and one month of launch marketing. Your company owns the code, the store accounts and any build service accounts.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to hire a React Native developer?

Typical freelance rates run from about $15 to $40 an hour in India up to $60 to $150 in the US, with agency rates higher because they include QA, design and project management. These are typical ranges that vary with seniority. Developers who can handle native iOS and Android code usually charge at the top of the range.

What skills should a React Native developer have?

Strict TypeScript and modern React, mobile skills such as navigation, deep links, offline storage, push notifications and list performance, and the ability to work on the native side: reading Xcode and Gradle errors, writing small Swift or Kotlin modules, and handling signing and store submission. Upgrade experience matters too.

Should I use Expo or bare React Native?

React Native's team recommends starting new apps with a framework and names Expo as the recommended one, while still supporting React Native without a framework. With config plugins and prebuild, Expo apps can include custom native code. A good developer will explain which fits your app rather than insisting on one.

Can a React web developer build a React Native app?

A React web developer can learn React Native quickly and build screens well, but mobile apps also need native builds, store compliance, offline behavior and performance work on real phones. For a first mobile hire, look for someone who has shipped apps to both stores, or pair a web developer with an experienced mobile lead.

Is React Native still a good choice in 2026?

Yes, for many apps. It lets one TypeScript team ship iOS and Android, and version 0.82 completed the move to the New Architecture. It is a weaker fit for apps dominated by heavy native features. If you are deciding between frameworks, compare it with Flutter against your product and your team.

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