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Mobile Development · head to head

React Native vs Soketi

React Native logo

React Native

Mobile Development

Build native mobile apps with React and JavaScript

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Soketi logo

Soketi

Developer Tools

Self-hosted, Pusher-compatible WebSockets server with a stalled maintenance record

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Soketi maintenance has effectively stalled: the maintainer has said time is severely limited, releases are infrequent, and the community has been discussing whether the project is abandoned, which means security fixes may not arrive.
  • They diverge on capability: React Native covers Renders to native components, Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where React Native and Soketi differ
AttributeReact NativeSoketi
PlatformsiOS, Android, Windows, macOS, WebLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryMobile DevelopmentDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 React Native

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

Only in Soketi

  • Pusher protocol compatibility
  • Presence and private channels
  • Horizontal scaling
  • App management backends
  • Webhooks
  • Prometheus metrics

What people use each for

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

React Native

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

Soketi

  • A Laravel application that already uses Echo and wants to stop paying a hosted realtime providernot React Native
  • Realtime notifications or presence indicators where data must not leave your own infrastructure for compliance reasonsnot React Native
  • A local or CI environment that needs a Pusher-compatible server without hitting a paid accountnot React Native
  • A high-connection-count application where hosted per-connection pricing has become the largest line in the infrastructure billnot React Native

Where each one falls short

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

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

Soketi

  • Maintenance has effectively stalled: the maintainer has said time is severely limited, releases are infrequent, and the community has been discussing whether the project is abandoned, which means security fixes may not arrive.
  • Dependency drift on Node and uWebSockets.js will eventually force you to fork or migrate, and that cost is unbudgeted at the point you adopt it.
  • There is no commercial support to buy, so a production incident at three in the morning is entirely your problem with no escalation path.
  • Scaling beyond a single node needs Redis and careful configuration, and getting presence channels correct across nodes is a genuine source of subtle bugs.
  • It implements the Pusher protocol rather than tracking it, so any protocol feature Pusher adds later will not appear, and the compatibility guarantee slowly decays.

Pricing, plan by plan

React Native

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

Soketi

Free
  • SoketiFree
    • MIT licensed
    • Unlimited connections subject to your own hardware
    • No vendor billing

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Soketi if

  • You need pusher protocol compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want presence and private channels.
Soketi review

Questions people ask

Is React Native or Soketi better?
Neither clearly leads. React Native starts at Free and Soketi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, React Native or Soketi?
React Native starts at Free and Soketi at Free.
Does React Native or Soketi run on more platforms?
React Native runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web. Soketi runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use React Native for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is React Native best used for?
React Native is most often used for teams with react experience on the web extending into mobile, apps that should feel like the platform rather than look identical across both, adding a mobile client to a product whose engineers already write javascript, reusing business logic between web and mobile codebases. Of those, teams with react experience on the web extending into mobile and apps that should feel like the platform rather than look identical across both are not what Soketi is typically brought in for.
What can React Native do that Soketi cannot?
React Native covers Renders to native components, React programming model, Native modules, Fast Refresh. Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility, Presence and private channels, Horizontal scaling, App management backends.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Soketi: Is Soketi still maintained?

Barely. The maintainer has stated that available time is very limited and releases have been sparse; treat it as community-maintained.

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.

Soketi: Do I need to change my client code?

No. Pusher client SDKs and Laravel Echo work by changing the host, port and credentials.

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.

Soketi: What does it cost?

Nothing in licence fees. It is MIT licensed; you pay for the server it runs on.

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.

Soketi: What are people moving to?

Laravel Reverb for Laravel applications, and Sockudo, a Rust reimplementation, for others.

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