# Kivy vs React Native

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** React Native

| Attribute | Kivy | React Native |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 46 (68% (medium)) | 78.2 (71% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 24 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 709 | 111,015 |
| adoption.github_stars | 19,026 | 126,686 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 14,689,002 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Open-source framework for creating user interfaces with Python, deployable to mobile devices, desktop operating systems, and embedded platforms from a single codebase. It is indexed under Mobile App Frameworks.","source":"https://kivy.org","question":"What is Kivy?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Kivy is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://kivy.org","question":"Is Kivy free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Kivy supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://kivy.org","question":"What platforms does Kivy support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Kivy can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://kivy.org","question":"Can Kivy be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Kivy is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy","question":"Is Kivy open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"React Native enables developers to write native applications for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and web using JavaScript and the React programming model. Applications use native platform UI components and APIs, delivering native performance without requiring separate codebases per platform. It is indexed under Mobile App Frameworks.","source":"https://reactnative.dev","question":"What is React Native?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"React Native is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://reactnative.dev","question":"Is React Native free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"React Native supports the web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://reactnative.dev","question":"What platforms does React Native support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. React Native is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react-native","question":"Is React Native open source?","confidence":0.99}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | - |
| description.long | Open-source framework for creating user interfaces with Python, deployable to mobile devices, desktop operating systems, and embedded platforms from a single codebase. | React Native enables developers to write native iOS and Android apps using JavaScript and React, with UI rendering directly to native platform components. It provides a declarative API compiled to native code, supporting hot reloading during development and direct platform API access. |
| features.capabilities | `{"targets":"Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, embedded platforms","approach":"multiplatform","language":"Python","web_target":false,"desktop_support":true,"official_ui_kit":true,"single_codebase":true,"typescript_first":false,"native_api_access":"plugin_bridged","mobile_target_support":true}` | `{"targets":"iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web","approach":"native_render","language":"JavaScript","hot_reload":true,"web_target":true,"native_widgets":true,"desktop_support":true,"official_ui_kit":true,"single_codebase":true,"typescript_first":false,"native_api_access":"full"}` |
| language.primary | Python | C++ |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"ios":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Completely free and open source. Community supported through optional donations.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://kivy.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-16T21:32:29.621Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://reactnative.dev","retrievedAt":"2026-10-15T20:24:58.210Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 342 | 7 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.3.1","date":"2024-12-26T18:37:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.3.0","date":"2024-01-05T13:53:17Z","type":"stable","version":"2.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.2.1","date":"2023-06-17T17:37:56Z","type":"stable","version":"2.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.2.0","date":"2023-05-20T14:20:47Z","type":"stable","version":"2.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.1.0","date":"2022-03-06T10:55:38Z","type":"stable","version":"2.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.0.0","date":"2020-12-10T00:57:59Z","type":"stable","version":"2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.11.1","date":"2020-07-19T19:42:19Z","type":"stable","version":"1.11.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.11.0","date":"2019-06-01T23:46:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.10.1","date":"2018-07-09T00:33:57Z","type":"stable","version":"1.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.10.0","date":"2017-05-07T22:44:16Z","type":"stable","version":"1.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.9.1","date":"2016-01-01T01:01:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.9.0","date":"2015-04-02T11:30:06Z","type":"stable","version":"1.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.8.0","date":"2014-10-20T21:37:38Z","type":"stable","version":"1.8.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.88.0-rc.5","date":"2026-10-12T23:40:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.88.0-rc.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.88.0-rc.4","date":"2026-10-07T08:09:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.88.0-rc.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.88.0-rc.3","date":"2026-09-28T13:34:05Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.88.0-rc.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.88.0-rc.2","date":"2026-09-22T08:52:19Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.88.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.88.0-rc.1","date":"2026-09-16T09:35:40Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.88.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.88.0-rc.0","date":"2026-09-08T17:26:59Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.88.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.1","date":"2026-08-26T16:37:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.87.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.86.3","date":"2026-08-24T17:12:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.86.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.0","date":"2026-08-11T17:11:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.87.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.0-rc.4","date":"2026-08-05T13:24:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.87.0-rc.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.0-rc.3","date":"2026-07-27T18:47:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.87.0-rc.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.86.2","date":"2026-07-27T17:34:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.86.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.0-rc.2","date":"2026-07-21T18:13:16Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.87.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.0-rc.1","date":"2026-07-21T18:13:05Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.87.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.87.0-rc.0","date":"2026-07-08T14:21:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.87.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.83.10","date":"2026-06-26T14:42:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.83.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.86.0","date":"2026-06-11T15:27:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.86.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.86.0-rc.3","date":"2026-06-03T07:47:03Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.86.0-rc.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.86.0-rc.2","date":"2026-05-25T14:42:44Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.86.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react-native/releases/tag/v0.86.0-rc.1","date":"2026-05-18T18:52:30Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.86.0-rc.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=kivy&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40react-native-community%2Feslint-config&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Mobile App Frameworks)

| Capability | Kivy | React Native |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Target platforms | Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, embedded platforms | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web |
| Approach | Multiplatform shared logic | Cross-platform native render |
| Primary language | Python | JavaScript |
| **Rendering** |  |  |
| Renders true native UI | - | ✓ |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Hot reload | - | ✓ |
| TypeScript-first | ✗ | ✗ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Over-the-air code push | - | - |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Single codebase, multiple platforms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desktop support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Builds for web | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Capability** |  |  |
| Native API access | Plugin / bridged | Full native |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Bundled UI component library | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T17:47:18.037Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*