About Expo
Expo is a platform for building, testing and shipping apps for iOS, Android and the web from one codebase. It is built on React Native and adds tools for building, updating and monitoring apps.
What it does
Expo provides an SDK, a command line tool and Expo Go, an app for trying projects on a real phone. Its cloud services handle app store builds and submissions, over-the-air updates after release, and hosting. Crash and performance data can be reviewed once an app is live.
Key features
- Test on a phone with Expo Go
- Build and submit apps to the app stores
- Send over-the-air updates after release
- View crash and performance data with Observe
- Cloud simulators for testing without a Mac
Who it's for
Mobile teams and solo developers who already use React Native or JavaScript. It helps teams that want to spend less time on native setup, store releases and post-launch fixes.
Pricing and good to know
The Expo SDK is open source under the MIT licence. Some cloud services have their own pricing, which is listed on the Expo website. Cloud simulators do not need a Mac, but building for the App Store and testing on local simulators may have different requirements.
Highlights
- Test on a phone with Expo Go
- Build and submit apps to the app stores
- Send over-the-air updates after release
- View crash and performance data with Observe
