Updated October 2026Best React Native UI libraries for Expo in 2026

1. ExpoKit

Best for animated, ready-made components, full screens and charts that run in Expo Go, copied into your app with no Tailwind setup. Animated, shadcn-style UI kit for Expo and React Native.

• Install: CLI copies the source into your app (npx @expokit/cli add button); you own the code
• Styling: React Native StyleSheet with a theme from KitProvider / useKit(); no Tailwind setup
• Animation: React Native's own Animated API — Reanimated isn't required
• Size: 70 components, 12 screens, 44 charts, 4 app templates
• License: Free items MIT; Pro items under the Pro license (see Terms)

Install ExpoKit · Browse components

2. React Native Reusables

Best for shadcn/ui's exact API on React Native, styled with Tailwind (Nativewind / Uniwind). shadcn/ui ported to React Native (“Bringing shadcn/ui to React Native”).

• Install: CLI copies the source into your app (init, then add button)
• Styling: Nativewind or Uniwind (Tailwind classes)
• Animation: react-native-reanimated
• Size: About 30 components
• License: MIT

Pick React Native Reusables when:

• Your app already uses Nativewind or Uniwind and you want every component styled with Tailwind classes.
• You want shadcn/ui's exact API — compound parts like Trigger / Content and the same component names.
• You want an all-MIT library with no paid tier at all.

ExpoKit vs React Native Reusables · React Native Reusables docs

3. gluestack-ui

Best for sharing Tailwind-styled components between a React web app and a React Native app. Copy-paste components and patterns for React Native, Expo and React.

• Install: CLI copies the source in (npx gluestack-ui init, then add button); core also on npm
• Styling: NativeWind v5 (Tailwind v4), or Uniwind on Expo
• Animation: Not stated
• Size: About 47 components (v5)
• License: MIT (npm)

Pick gluestack-ui when:

• You share components between a Next.js / React web app and a React Native app.
• Your team standardises on Tailwind classes across web and mobile.
• You want a larger set of basic form and layout primitives.

ExpoKit vs gluestack-ui · gluestack-ui docs

4. Tamagui

Best for one design system for web and native, with a styling compiler for performance. Universal style system and UI kit for React Native and web, with an optimizing compiler.

• Install: npm packages (tamagui, @tamagui/*) or npm create tamagui
• Styling: Its own style props and styled(); optional Tailwind
• Animation: Pluggable drivers: CSS, React Native Animated, Reanimated or Motion
• Size: About 42 components
• License: MIT

Pick Tamagui when:

• You're building one design system for web and native and want a compiler that flattens styles for performance.
• You want themes, tokens and media queries as a full styling language.
• You're starting from their free Takeout starter.

ExpoKit vs Tamagui · Tamagui docs

5. React Native Paper

Best for apps that follow Material Design 3 closely, from a mature npm package. Material Design 3 component library from Callstack.

• Install: npm package (react-native-paper)
• Styling: Theme object + StyleSheet
• Animation: React Native Animated
• Size: About 33 components
• License: MIT

Pick React Native Paper when:

• Your app should follow Material Design (Material You) closely, especially on Android.
• You want a mature, widely used npm dependency with years of releases.
• You'd rather update components with npm than own their source.

ExpoKit vs React Native Paper · React Native Paper docs

6. HeroUI Native

Best for teams already on HeroUI for the web who want the same look on mobile. React Native library from HeroUI (formerly NextUI).

• Install: npm package (heroui-native), or npx create-heroui-native-app
• Styling: Uniwind with Tailwind v4
• Animation: Reanimated 4 and Worklets (required)
• Size: About 39 components
• License: Apache-2.0

Pick HeroUI Native when:

• You already use HeroUI on the web and want the same design language on mobile.
• You're on Uniwind / Tailwind v4 and Reanimated 4 already.

ExpoKit vs HeroUI Native · HeroUI Native docs

7. NativeWind UI

Best for NativeWind apps that want native-looking components and paid templates from the NativeWind team. Native-feeling iOS and Android components and templates, from the makers of NativeWind.

• Install: Copied into your project (not distributed via npm)
• Styling: NativeWind (Tailwind)
• Animation: Not stated
• Size: About 29 components and 9 templates
• License: Free components MIT; paid components and templates under a proprietary license

Pick NativeWind UI when:

• You're on NativeWind and want components from the team that makes it.
• You want their specific templates and native-platform look.

ExpoKit vs NativeWind UI · NativeWind UI docs

8. Expo UI

Best for real SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose system controls, maintained by Expo. Expo's official SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose components, plus a universal layer.

• Install: npm package (npx expo install @expo/ui); in the default create-expo-app template
• Styling: The platform's own (SwiftUI / Compose)
• Animation: The platform's own
• Size: SwiftUI, Compose and universal component sets
• License: MIT

Pick Expo UI when:

• You want the real system controls — SwiftUI and Compose — rendered by the platform itself.
• You want Expo's officially maintained package with no third-party code.

ExpoKit vs Expo UI · Expo UI docs