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Mobile Development · head to head

AppsFlyer vs React Native

AppsFlyer logo

AppsFlyer

Mobile Development

Mobile attribution and marketing analytics measuring which campaigns produced which installs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
React Native logo

React Native

Mobile Development

Build native mobile apps with React and JavaScript

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only React Native has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AppsFlyer pricing is per attributed conversion on an annual commitment, so a successful quarter raises the measurement bill in step with media spend and overage rates above the commitment are usually punitive.; React Native the JavaScript bridge has historically been a bottleneck for animation-heavy and list-heavy screens, though the New Architecture addresses much of it
  • They diverge on capability: AppsFlyer covers Multi touch install attribution, React Native covers Renders to native components.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AppsFlyer and React Native actually diverge.

Attributes where AppsFlyer and React Native differ
AttributeAppsFlyerReact Native
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer attributed conversionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebiOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Mobile Development).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AppsFlyer

  • Multi touch install attribution
  • SKAdNetwork and iOS aggregation
  • Deep linking
  • Fraud protection
  • Raw data export
  • Incrementality testing

Only in React Native

  • Renders to native components
  • React programming model
  • Native modules
  • Fast Refresh
  • Wide platform reach
  • Large package ecosystem

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AppsFlyer

  • An app spending meaningfully on paid acquisition across several networks that need reconciling against one source of truthnot React Native
  • Publishers who suspect they are paying for fraudulent installs and want them rejected before billingnot React Native
  • Teams that must move event level marketing data into a warehouse for their own modellingnot React Native
  • Apps running deferred deep links from web, email and social into specific in app contentnot React Native

React Native

  • Teams with React experience on the web extending into mobilenot AppsFlyer
  • Apps that should feel like the platform rather than look identical across bothnot AppsFlyer
  • Adding a mobile client to a product whose engineers already write JavaScriptnot AppsFlyer
  • Reusing business logic between web and mobile codebasesnot AppsFlyer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AppsFlyer

  • Pricing is per attributed conversion on an annual commitment, so a successful quarter raises the measurement bill in step with media spend and overage rates above the commitment are usually punitive.
  • iOS attribution lost genuine capability when App Tracking Transparency arrived, and a good deal of what the interface now shows is modelled rather than observed, which the reports do not always make obvious.
  • The headline price covers attribution only; deep linking, fraud protection, audiences and raw data export are separate modules, so the quoted figure and the invoice differ substantially.
  • Self attributing networks such as Meta and Google report their own numbers, and reconciling those against AppsFlyer is ongoing work that no vendor eliminates.
  • Historic attribution data does not transfer between measurement partners, so switching vendors resets year on year comparisons and effectively locks in the incumbent after a couple of years.

React Native

  • The JavaScript bridge has historically been a bottleneck for animation-heavy and list-heavy screens, though the New Architecture addresses much of it
  • Upgrading between versions has a reputation for being painful, particularly with many native dependencies
  • Anything the framework does not wrap requires native code in Swift or Kotlin, so a purely JavaScript team can still get stuck
  • Because it renders to real platform components, small behavioural differences between iOS and Android surface in your code rather than being hidden

Pricing, plan by plan

AppsFlyer

On request
  • AppsFlyer$undefined/year
    • Annual commitment purchasing a volume of attributed conversions, with overage charged above it
    • Deep linking, fraud protection, audiences and raw data export are priced as separate modules

React Native

Free
  • React NativeFree
    • Full framework
    • iOS and Android targets
    • Native module system

Which should you pick?

Choose AppsFlyer if

  • You need multi touch install attribution.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want skadnetwork and ios aggregation.
AppsFlyer review

Choose React Native if

  • You need renders to native components.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
  • You also want react programming model.
React Native review

Questions people ask

Is AppsFlyer or React Native better?
Neither clearly leads. AppsFlyer starts at On request and React Native at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AppsFlyer or React Native?
React Native has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for AppsFlyer and Free for React Native.
Does AppsFlyer or React Native run on more platforms?
AppsFlyer runs on iOS, Android, Web. React Native runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
Can I use React Native for free?
Yes. React Native has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. AppsFlyer starts at On request.
What is AppsFlyer best used for?
AppsFlyer is most often used for an app spending meaningfully on paid acquisition across several networks that need reconciling against one source of truth, publishers who suspect they are paying for fraudulent installs and want them rejected before billing, teams that must move event level marketing data into a warehouse for their own modelling, apps running deferred deep links from web, email and social into specific in app content. Of those, an app spending meaningfully on paid acquisition across several networks that need reconciling against one source of truth and publishers who suspect they are paying for fraudulent installs and want them rejected before billing are not what React Native is typically brought in for.
What can AppsFlyer do that React Native cannot?
AppsFlyer covers Multi touch install attribution, SKAdNetwork and iOS aggregation, Deep linking, Fraud protection. React Native covers Renders to native components, React programming model, Native modules, Fast Refresh.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AppsFlyer: How is it priced?

Per attributed conversion against an annual commitment, plus separate fees for the additional modules. Negotiate the commitment carefully.

React Native: Is React Native free?

Yes. React Native is open source from Meta with no licence fee, and it is free for commercial use.

AppsFlyer: Did App Tracking Transparency break attribution?

It removed deterministic device level attribution for users who decline tracking. What remains on iOS is aggregated and delayed, and vendors fill the gap with modelling.

React Native: Does React Native produce a real native app?

Yes. JavaScript primitives render to the platform’s own UI components using the same native APIs a Swift or Kotlin app would call, rather than to a web view.

AppsFlyer: Can we take our data if we leave?

You can export raw data while under contract. Attribution history itself does not migrate to another vendor.

React Native: Which well-known apps use React Native?

Meta cites Facebook, Microsoft Office, Teams and Outlook, Amazon Shopping, Discord, Coinbase and Tesla among thousands of apps built with it.

React Native: Should I use Expo or plain React Native?

Expo handles builds, updates and native configuration for you and is the recommended starting point. Plain React Native gives full control of the native projects, which matters when you need native code the managed workflow does not cover.

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