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Electron vs NativeScript

How does Electron compare to NativeScript?
See the pros and cons of each framework, target platforms and more.

Electron

Electron

NativeScript

NativeScript

About

  • Maintainer

    OpenJS Foundation
  • Initial Release

    15 July 2013
  • Maintainer

    OpenJS Foundation
  • Initial Release

    April 29, 2015

Community

Languages

  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript

Target Platforms

  • Android
  • Android Auto
  • Android TV
  • iOS
  • Linux
  • macOS
  • tvOS
  • watchOS
  • Wear Os
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Android Auto
  • Android TV
  • iOS
  • Linux
  • macOS
  • tvOS
  • watchOS
  • Wear Os
  • Windows

Strengths

  • Cross-platform

    Electron allows developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms. This saves development time and effort.

  • Web Technologies

    Developers can use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build desktop apps with Electron, which they may already be familiar with. This can make development faster and more comfortable.

  • Native APIs

    Electron provides a bridge between the web technologies and the native APIs of the operating systems. This means that developers can access native functionality like the menu bar, tray and much more.

  • Large Community

    Electron has a large and active developer community, which means there is plenty of documentation, tutorials, and examples available to help developers build desktop apps.

  • Cross-platform

    NativeScript allows developers to build mobile apps for multiple platforms, including Android and iOS, using a single codebase.

  • Native APIs

    NativeScript provides a bridge to all native APIs via JavaScript, without having to write anything in Swift or Kotlin. This means that developers can access native functionality such as camera, contacts, and file storage.

🛑Weaknesses

  • Performance

    Apps built with Electron may not perform as well as those built natively due to the overhead introduced by the webview.

  • App Size

    Electron apps have Chromium and Node.js bundled with them which can make the resulting binary quite large.

  • Limited Platforms

    Electron can only target desktop environments like Windows, macOS and Linux.

  • Performance

    NativeScript's performance is not as good as that of native apps due to the overhead introduced by the bridge between JavaScript and native APIs.

  • Emerging Community

    Despite being around for a while, the NativeScript is not as popular as other frameworks, which means that there is not a lot of tutorials, and examples available to help developers apps.

Showcase