Creating a seamless, visually appealing, and responsive user interface in React Native can be challenging — especially when building cross-platform apps for iOS and Android. While React Native offers the building blocks, it’s the right UI libraries that help speed up development, maintain consistency, and provide beautiful, production-ready components.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through the 7 best UI libraries every React Native developer should know. Whether you’re working on your first app or optimizing an enterprise project, these libraries will boost your workflow and UI design.
1. React Native Paper
Website: https://callstack.github.io/react-native-paper
Why it’s awesome:
React Native Paper is a material design–based UI library built by Callstack. It provides beautiful and consistent components that follow Google’s Material Design guidelines.
Key Features:
- Fully themable components
- Built-in support for dark/light mode
- Rich accessibility and interaction handling
- Works seamlessly with Expo
Best for: Developers building apps with a material design aesthetic who want cross-platform consistency out of the box.
2. React Native Elements
Website: https://reactnativeelements.com
Why it’s awesome:
React Native Elements is a community-driven library offering a huge set of UI components that are highly customizable and easy to integrate.
Key Features:
- Unified styling across platforms
- Easy to theme using a theme provider
- Active community with strong documentation
- Integrates well with other libraries
Best for: Developers who want to build polished UIs quickly and with flexibility.
3. NativeBase
Website: https://nativebase.io
Why it’s awesome:
NativeBase provides a suite of UI components inspired by both Material Design and iOS. It supports custom themes and recently adopted a utility-first approach using Tailwind CSS principles.
Key Features:
- Ready-to-use components with TypeScript support
- Cross-platform UI consistency
- Tailwind-style styling
- Works with Expo and bare React Native apps
Best for: Teams that want to scale fast with design consistency and strong community support.
4. React Native UI Kitten
Website: https://akveo.github.io/react-native-ui-kitten
Why it’s awesome:
UI Kitten brings a modular design system powered by Eva Design System. It focuses on maintainability, theme management, and clean code architecture.
Key Features:
- Dark/light themes out of the box
- Component-based architecture
- Support for custom themes
- Easy to extend or override
Best for: Developers building themed enterprise apps with long-term maintenance in mind.
5. Lottie for React Native
Website: https://airbnb.io/lottie
Why it’s awesome:
Not a traditional UI component library — but a game-changer for animations. Lottie allows you to render Adobe After Effects animations in real-time on mobile.
Key Features:
- Smooth and scalable animations
- Lightweight JSON-based assets
- Cross-platform consistency
- Great for onboarding screens, loaders, transitions
Best for: Developers who want to level up their UI/UX with high-quality animations.
6. React Native Gesture Handler + Reanimated
Website:
- Gesture Handler: https://docs.swmansion.com/react-native-gesture-handler
- Reanimated: https://docs.swmansion.com/react-native-reanimated
Why they’re awesome:
Together, these libraries power smooth gestures and animations, unlocking rich UI interactions like swipeable lists, modals, and custom transitions.
Key Features:
- Native performance
- Declarative animation API
- Works with Expo and bare workflow
- Enables drag-and-drop, swipes, taps, and more
Best for: Developers building interactive interfaces and custom UX flows.
7. ShadCN/UI (for React Native Web or Expo Router)
Why it’s awesome:
ShadCN has gained popularity in the React ecosystem. While it’s tailored for web, its utility-first UI architecture is increasingly being adapted in Expo Router + NativeWind setups for hybrid apps.
Key Features:
- Headless components styled with Tailwind
- Easily composable and accessible
- Inspired by Radix UI for solid structure
- Great when building cross-platform (web + native) apps
Best for: Developers using Expo Router or building React Native apps that scale across web and mobile.
Final Thoughts
UI libraries in React Native don’t just help you build faster — they ensure design consistency, improve user experience, and reduce code repetition. Whether you’re focusing on enterprise-level apps or rapid MVP development, having the right UI toolkit can make all the difference.
Quick Summary Table
| Library | Best For | Supports Expo |
|---|---|---|
| React Native Paper | Material Design UI | YES |
| React Native Elements | Versatile UIs with theming | YES |
| NativeBase | Scalable apps with Tailwind vibes | YES |
| UI Kitten | Themed enterprise-grade apps | YES |
| Lottie | Stunning animations | YES |
| Gesture + Reanimated | Interactive transitions & gestures | YES |
| ShadCN/UI (via Web) | Utility-first, hybrid UI design | (Web only) |
Build Faster with Confidence
If you’re building a mobile app with React Native and need expert help in UI, UX, or performance optimization — reach out to our team at Khamlou.com. We specialize in crafting modern digital experiences across mobile and web.
