Bare React Native or Expo? How to Choose in 2026 (SDK 56)
React Native still ships apps two ways in 2026: the bare React Native Community CLI, where you own the native projects and the whole pipeline, and Expo, the framework Meta now recommends for new apps. This video walks through both paths, what is actually new in Expo SDK 56, and a simple rule for choosing between them.
On the bare side we look at the Community CLI workflow and everything you wire up yourself: CI and code signing, native upgrades by hand, and your own over-the-air update setup. On the Expo side: file-based routing with Expo Router, EAS Build, Submit and Update, Dev Clients, and writing custom native code with Expo Modules.
SDK 56 brings React Native 0.85, React 19.2, Hermes v1 as the default engine, faster precompiled iOS builds, smaller over-the-air update diffs, and stable Expo UI for SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose.
For context: Discord, Coinbase and Shopify run bare React Native, while Bluesky is built with Expo and is fully open source.
Chapters
0:00 The state of React Native in 2026
1:06 Part 1 - React Native Community CLI
2:17 Part 2 - Expo SDK 56
2:59 EAS: Build, Submit, Update
3:42 Custom native code with Expo Modules
4:21 What's new in SDK 56
5:20 Part 3 - When to pick which
6:01 Recap and takeaway
References
React Native docs: reactnative.dev
Expo SDK 56 changelog: expo.dev/changelog/sdk-56