10 Essential React Native UI Libraries for Stunning Apps

In this tutorial, we will explore 10 essential React Native UI libraries that can be used to create stunning and highly functional user interfaces for your React Native applications. We will provide an overview of each library, highlighting their key features and demonstrating how to use them with code examples.

Introduction

What is React Native?

React Native is a framework that allows developers to build mobile applications using JavaScript and React. It is based on the popular React library, and it enables the development of cross-platform apps that can run on both iOS and Android devices. React Native allows developers to write code once and deploy it on multiple platforms, saving time and effort in the development process.

Why use React Native for UI development?

React Native offers several benefits for UI development, including:

• Code reusability: With React Native, developers can reuse code across different platforms, reducing development time and effort.
• Native performance: React Native apps are compiled into native code, resulting in better performance and user experience compared to hybrid frameworks.
• Hot reloading: React Native allows developers to see the changes they make in real-time, making the development process faster and more efficient.
• Large community support: React Native has a large and active community of developers, which means there are plenty of resources and libraries available to help you build your app.

Now let's dive into the essential React Native UI libraries that can enhance the look and feel of your apps.

1. React Native Elements

Overview

React Native Elements is a cross-platform UI toolkit that provides a set of customizable and ready-to-use UI components for React Native applications. It includes a wide range of components such as buttons, input fields, sliders, and more, that can be easily integrated into your app.

Key Features

• Rich set of UI components: React Native Elements provides a comprehensive collection of UI components that can be customized to match your app's design requirements.
• Easy integration: The components provided by React Native Elements are easy to integrate into your app, allowing you to quickly build a polished user interface.
• Highly customizable: Each component comes with a set of customizable properties, allowing you to tweak its appearance and behavior to suit your needs.

How to Use

To use React Native Elements in your application, you need to install it as a dependency using npm or yarn. Open your terminal and run the following command:

npm install react-native-elements

Once the installation is complete, you can import the desired component from the library and use it in your code. For example, to use the Button component:

import { Button } from 'react-native-elements';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <Button
      title="Click me"
      onPress={() => {
        // Handle button press
      }}
    />
  );
};

In the above code, we import the Button component from react-native-elements and use it in the App component. We pass the title prop to set the button's text and the onPress prop to define the action to be performed when the button is pressed.

2. NativeBase

Overview

NativeBase is a UI framework for React Native that provides a set of reusable and customizable components. It aims to simplify the UI development process by offering a consistent set of UI primitives that can be styled to match your app's design.

Key Features

• Unified styling system: NativeBase uses a unified styling system, allowing you to apply consistent styles across different components.
• Extensive component library: NativeBase offers a comprehensive library of UI components, including buttons, cards, forms, and more, that can be easily integrated into your app.
• Responsive design: NativeBase components are designed to be responsive, ensuring a consistent look and feel across different devices and screen sizes.

How to Use

To use NativeBase in your application, you need to install it as a dependency using npm or yarn. Open your terminal and run the following command:

npm install native-base

Once the installation is complete, you can import the desired component from the library and use it in your code. For example, to use the Button component:

import { Button } from 'native-base';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <Button onPress={() => {
      // Handle button press
    }}>
      Click me
    </Button>
  );
};

In the above code, we import the Button component from native-base and use it in the App component. We wrap the button text with the Button component and use the onPress prop to define the action to be performed when the button is pressed.

3. Shoutem UI

Overview

Shoutem UI is a set of UI components for React Native that provides a consistent and visually appealing design for your mobile applications. It offers a wide range of components, including buttons, lists, navigation bars, and more, that can be easily customized to match your app's design.

Key Features

• Beautiful design: Shoutem UI provides a visually appealing design for your app, allowing you to create stunning user interfaces.
• Customizable components: Each component in Shoutem UI comes with a set of customizable properties, allowing you to tweak its appearance and behavior.
• Responsive layout: Shoutem UI components are designed to be responsive, ensuring a consistent and visually pleasing layout across different devices and screen sizes.

How to Use

To use Shoutem UI in your application, you need to install it as a dependency using npm or yarn. Open your terminal and run the following command:

npm install @shoutem/ui

Once the installation is complete, you can import the desired component from the library and use it in your code. For example, to use the Button component:

import { Button } from '@shoutem/ui';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <Button onPress={() => {
      // Handle button press
    }}>
      Click me
    </Button>
  );
};

In the above code, we import the Button component from @shoutem/ui and use it in the App component. We wrap the button text with the Button component and use the onPress prop to define the action to be performed when the button is pressed.

4. React Native Paper

Overview

React Native Paper is a material design library for React Native that provides a set of UI components with a modern and sleek look. It follows the material design guidelines and offers components such as buttons, cards, dialogs, and more, that can be easily integrated into your app.

Key Features

• Material design: React Native Paper follows the material design guidelines, providing a modern and visually appealing design for your app.
• Themable components: React Native Paper components are highly customizable and can be easily themed to match your app's design.
• Accessibility support: React Native Paper includes built-in accessibility support, ensuring that your app is usable by a wide range of users, including those with disabilities.

How to Use

To use React Native Paper in your application, you need to install it as a dependency using npm or yarn. Open your terminal and run the following command:

npm install react-native-paper

Once the installation is complete, you can import the desired component from the library and use it in your code. For example, to use the Button component:

import { Button } from 'react-native-paper';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <Button onPress={() => {
      // Handle button press
    }}>
      Click me
    </Button>
  );
};

In the above code, we import the Button component from react-native-paper and use it in the App component. We wrap the button text with the Button component and use the onPress prop to define the action to be performed when the button is pressed.

5. React Native Material UI

Overview

React Native Material UI is a UI library for React Native that implements the material design guidelines. It provides a collection of customizable components, including buttons, cards, lists, and more, that can be used to create visually appealing apps.

Key Features

• Material design implementation: React Native Material UI implements the material design guidelines, ensuring a modern and visually pleasing design for your app.
• Highly customizable components: Each component in React Native Material UI comes with a set of customizable properties, allowing you to tailor its appearance and behavior to your needs.
• Easy integration: React Native Material UI components can be easily integrated into your app, enabling you to quickly build a polished user interface.

How to Use

To use React Native Material UI in your application, you need to install it as a dependency using npm or yarn. Open your terminal and run the following command:

npm install react-native-material-ui

Once the installation is complete, you can import the desired component from the library and use it in your code. For example, to use the RaisedButton component:

import { RaisedButton } from 'react-native-material-ui';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <RaisedButton
      onPress={() => {
        // Handle button press
      }}
      text="Click me"
    />
  );
};

In the above code, we import the RaisedButton component from react-native-material-ui and use it in the App component. We pass the onPress prop to define the action to be performed when the button is pressed, and the text prop to set the button's text.

6. React Native UI Kitten

Overview

React Native UI Kitten is a mobile framework for React Native that provides a set of customizable and visually appealing UI components. It offers a wide range of components such as buttons, input fields, navigation bars, and more, that can be easily integrated into your app.

Key Features

• Stylish design: React Native UI Kitten provides a stylish and visually appealing design for your app, allowing you to create modern and engaging user interfaces.
• Customizable components: Each component in React Native UI Kitten comes with a set of customizable properties, allowing you to tweak its appearance and behavior.
• Built-in theming: React Native UI Kitten includes a theming system that allows you to easily customize the look and feel of your app.

How to Use

To use React Native UI Kitten in your application, you need to install it as a dependency using npm or yarn. Open your terminal and run the following command:

npm install @ui-kitten/components @eva-design/eva react-native-svg

Once the installation is complete, you need to set up the theming for React Native UI Kitten. Create a file named eva.js in your project's root directory and add the following code:

import { mapping, light as lightTheme } from '@eva-design/eva';

export const evaTheme = {
  ...lightTheme,
  // Add your custom theme configurations here
};

export const evaMapping = mapping;

Next, import the ApplicationProvider component from @ui-kitten/components and wrap your app with it. Pass the evaTheme and evaMapping as props to the ApplicationProvider component. Here's an example:

import React from 'react';
import { ApplicationProvider } from '@ui-kitten/components';
import { evaTheme, evaMapping } from './eva';

const App = () => {
  return (
    <ApplicationProvider
      mapping={evaMapping}
      theme={evaTheme}
    >
      {/* Your app code here */}
    </ApplicationProvider>
  );
};

In the above code, we import the ApplicationProvider component from @ui-kitten/components and wrap the App component with it. We pass the evaMapping and evaTheme as props to configure the theming of React Native UI Kitten.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have explored 10 essential React Native UI libraries that can be used to create stunning and highly functional user interfaces for your React Native applications. We have provided an overview of each library, highlighting their key features and demonstrating how to use them with code examples. By leveraging these libraries, you can enhance the look and feel of your apps and deliver a great user experience to your users.