Which is better, Ionic or React Native?
Ionic is a Web-based framework that exposes the no-UI Native APIs (e.g., location service) to Javascript. React Native is a native based framework that provides binding of Javascript and native code (including UI).
The main difference between Ionic and RN is the how UI is rendered. In Ionic, it is by a WebView like a common web page, while in RN, it is drawn with native frames. Thus, RN based Apps are more responsive as they are faster.
In a project manager’s view, RN is more flexible as self-defined module and UI components are easier to create, but it requires more native knowledge from developers. Ionic is faster as existing web UI components can be largely reused. So Ionic is a less expensive option compared to React Native, but it is more limited in both performance and flexibility.