Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Deco IDE VS Expo

Compare Deco IDE VS Expo and see what are their differences

Deco IDE logo Deco IDE

Best IDE for building React Native apps

Expo logo Expo

The fastest way to build an iOS and Android app 📱
  • Deco IDE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-02-18
  • Expo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

Deco IDE features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    Deco IDE supports multiple operating systems, including macOS and Windows, providing flexibility for developers working in diverse environments.
  • React Native Focus
    Specifically designed for React Native development, offering specialized tools and features that streamline the React Native application development process.
  • Real-Time Feedback
    Includes live preview and real-time feedback features that allow developers to see changes immediately, significantly enhancing the development workflow and debugging process.
  • Component Browsing
    Provides an intuitive component browsing functionality to easily search for and manage components, boosting productivity and efficiency.
  • Prepackaged Setup
    Offers a pre-configured environment that reduces the initial setup time for developers, enabling them to start coding without extensive configuration.

Possible disadvantages of Deco IDE

  • Limited to React Native
    Being focused solely on React Native, it lacks support for other technologies or frameworks, which might not be suitable for developers working on diverse projects.
  • Resource Intensity
    Can be resource-intensive, consuming significant memory and CPU, which may affect the performance of the development machine, especially on lower-spec hardware.
  • Price
    Deco IDE is not free, which might be a consideration for individual developers or small teams with limited budgets.
  • Limited Community Support
    Has a smaller user community compared to other popular IDEs, which can result in fewer tutorials, plugins, and community-contributed solutions.
  • Update Frequency
    May not receive updates and new feature releases as frequently as more established IDEs, potentially missing out on the latest development trends and tools.

Expo features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Expo simplifies the development process by providing a managed workflow that handles configuration and builds, allowing developers to focus on coding.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Expo enables developers to write code once and deploy it on both iOS and Android platforms, ensuring a consistent user experience across devices.
  • Pre-Built Components
    Expo offers a library of pre-built components and APIs that streamline the development process and reduce the time needed to implement common functionalities.
  • Over-the-Air Updates
    Developers can push updates to users in real-time without needing to go through the app store review process, facilitating quick bug fixes and feature releases.
  • Strong Community Support
    Expo has a vibrant and active developer community, offering a wealth of resources, tutorials, and third-party packages to assist developers.
  • Integrated Development Environment
    Expo provides tools like Expo CLI and Expo Go that make it easier to build, test, and debug applications, particularly for newcomers to mobile app development.

Possible disadvantages of Expo

  • Custom Native Code Limitations
    Expo's managed workflow restricts the use of custom native code, limiting developers when they need to integrate with third-party native libraries not supported by Expo.
  • Larger App Size
    Expo includes additional libraries and dependencies by default, which can result in a larger application size compared to custom builds.
  • Performance Overhead
    The abstraction added by Expo can introduce performance overhead, making it less suitable for highly performance-sensitive applications.
  • Dependency on Expo's Updates
    Developers are dependent on Expo's update cycle for bug fixes and new features, which may not always align with their project timelines.
  • Limited Configuration Options
    Expo's managed workflow abstracts many configurations for build processes, which can be a hindrance for developers needing granular control over app settings.
  • Ejection Complexity
    Ejecting from the managed workflow to a bare workflow for more customization can be complex and time-consuming, potentially negating some benefits of using Expo.

Deco IDE videos

Deco IDE - React Native Review

More videos:

Expo videos

Scenes from the 2019 National FFA Convention & Expo | Review Video

More videos:

  • Review - Auto Expo 2020 Film | Real-life review
  • Review - Expo Dry Erase Set Unboxing & Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Deco IDE and Expo)
Developer Tools
52 52%
48% 48
Development Tools
43 43%
57% 57
JavaScript Framework
100 100%
0% 0
Application Builder
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Expo seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 35 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Deco IDE mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Deco IDE yet. Tracking of Deco IDE recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Expo mentions (35)

  • Video player with React Native. Part 1: Expo
    We are going to review it in a series of two articles. This is the first one, where we will touch on Expo. Expo is quite popular and is even recommended in Getting Started guide for React Native. But it differs a lot. Here we will go through the process of building an app with Expo and then make technology comparison based on the results. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • State Management Nx React Native/Expo Apps with TanStack Query and Redux
    This workspace is created using @nx/expo (Nx and Expo). - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • New OAuth Vulnerability (CVE-2023-28131) impacts hundreds of websites and Apps
    Just be clear this isn't an OAuth vulnerability. It's an vulnerability in expo.io. It doesn't even really have anything to do with OAuth. They've just terrible return url handling so it probably impacts a lot more than just stealing OAuth tokens. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Convert Reactjs + Firebase Project to a Mobile apk app. Please help
    I haven't messed with React Native in a hot minute, but it should be rather easy to port your React app to React Native. I recall using expo.io in uni for react native development. Hope that helps. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Form Validation in React (Native) using Formik
    Expo: Expo is a free and open source toolchain built around React Native to help you build native iOS and Android projects using JavaScript and React. Expo is a great way to get started with React Native. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Deco IDE and Expo, you can also consider the following products

React Native Desktop - Build OS X desktop apps using React Native

Thunkable - Powerful but easy to use, drag-and-drop mobile app builder.

CodeOnline - A remote and secure workspace powered by VSCode

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Arbiter IDE - The offline-friendly, in-browser IDE for pure JS prototypes

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA