I build a lot of React Native apps from scratch, for clients and personal projects. If you’re like me, you know those early stages can drag on-setting up boilerplate, copying over the same folders and config, wrestling with form layouts, and turning designs into real code. Every shortcut helps. That’s why I decided to see which code generation tools actually live up to the hype for React Native in 2025.
Disclaimer: Parts of this content were created using AI assistance and may include businesses I'm associated with.
Some promise to go from prompt to app. Others focus on design-to-code, auto-generating API clients, or making forms work without hand-wiring all the logic. I tried dozens of tools-some big names, some new AI solutions-and put them through the wringer on real, small projects and daily tasks.
Turns out, only a handful of them really made me work faster and write less code by hand. Here’s my personal shortlist, with real pros and cons after using them myself.
How I Chose These Tools
It’s easy to get lost in features and marketing claims, so I put each tool through practical tests:
- Ease of use: Did I get working code in minutes, not hours? Could I skip the docs?
- Reliability: Did things just work or did I hit weird errors?
- Output quality: Was the generated code clean and actually usable, or did it need huge cleanup?
- Workflow: Did the whole process feel snappy, not like jumping through hoops?
- Pricing: Am I actually getting value for the cost?
If a tool helped me move faster or avoid annoying setup, it made this list. Here’s what stood out for each use case.
AI-Powered Full App Scaffolding and UI Generation: RapidNative
RapidNative stood out right away for me as a go-to when I needed to turn ideas into React Native code without the usual grind. Instead of dragging things around or piecing together templates, I just described my UI or app in regular English, and RapidNative’s AI generated a whole TypeScript codebase for me. This isn’t gimmicky-it feels like having a co-pilot who gets “React Native style.” The code always came out clean, modular, and styled with NativeWind so things looked fresh out of the gate.
When I needed tweaks-like editing layouts, adding interactivity, or refining visual states-I could just chat with the AI and it updated the code instantly. RapidNative makes real, deployable projects. I was able to export straight to both Expo or React Native CLI, so it always fit into whatever stack I was using for that project.
It’s honestly the most fun and reliable way I found to scaffold apps, prototype fast, or quickly generate production UI that won’t turn into spaghetti later. Perfect for solo hackers, indie studios, or teams that need to move quickly.
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What I liked
- Code came out super clean and ready to use-no extra fluff or mess.
- Chat-based AI refinement made adjusting features crazy quick.
- Modern stack (Expo, TypeScript, NativeWind) for outputs, so I didn't have to backport or refactor things.
- Exports to Expo & plain React Native CLI easily-slides into real workflows.
- Good value for solo, team, or even enterprise use.
Where it fell short
- You only get a handful of free generations each day on the starter plan unless you upgrade.
- Some cool export options (and priority help) do sit behind paid tiers.
- Real-time support is locked to pro/enterprise plans.
Pricing
- Freemium: 5 credits/day (20/month), public-only, basic support.
- Starter: Unlocks downloads/private, 50 monthly generations.
- Pro: All features, priority support (great balance for freelancers and teams).
- Teams/Enterprise: Adds collaboration, SLAs, and more.
If you want an AI-first way to spin up real React Native code, RapidNative deserves a top spot on your radar. It genuinely slashes scaffolding time and I actually enjoyed the creative flow.
Try them out: https://rapidnative.com
Best for UI Component Code Generators: Draftbit
Draftbit was the first visual builder I tried when I wanted drag-and-drop UI for React Native that didn’t produce unfixable junk. I was able to piece together complex screens really fast with their visual editor. Every design tweak updated real-time, and exporting the code always gave me actual React Native components, not generic XML or markup to rewrite.
What impressed me is how Draftbit goes beyond static design-you can customize props, add logic, and even inject your own code if you need something custom. I could preview everything live on my phone, which made rapid prototyping super smooth. If you already have a design system or care about code quality, it’s much better than most drag-and-drop tools out there.
Draftbit’s free tier is good for getting the feel, but I quickly bumped against limits for full exports. Still, for building up reusable component libraries or getting pixel-perfect screens out fast, I reached for Draftbit whenever I wanted a polished UI without manually writing boilerplate every time.
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What I liked
- UI builder is stupidly easy to learn-made me productive in minutes.
- Exports real, readable React Native code (not black box stuff).
- I could layer in my own styles, custom code, and props.
- Live device previews helped me catch rough edges before shipping.
- Built-in responsiveness and theming meant fewer headaches.
What I didn’t love
- Anything outside their component/menu system (like tricky logic) sometimes needed code tweaks by hand after export.
- Not every pattern I wanted was in the visual tool yet.
- You need at least the Pro plan for full code/project export.
- Collaboration tools could feel lightweight compared to team-focused platforms.
Pricing
- Free (limited features)
- Pro: From $29/month (full export, more controls, better exports)
Draftbit nailed that sweet spot between fast visual design and real code you’d actually want to use. For quickly spinning out React Native UIs-especially when you care about handoff-Draftbit easily outpaced most visual builders I’ve tested.
Try them out at: https://draftbit.com
Winner for Full App Scaffold Generators: Expo
If you’ve written any React Native in the last few years, you’ve probably bumped into Expo. This is still my default for kicking off new mobile projects, especially when I want a reliable scaffold without fumbling with Xcode, Android Studio, or cryptic config files.
When I ran expo init, I had a working app up and running (on my device!) in under two minutes. The CLI wizards offer ready-made templates with navigation, state, and other best practices sorted out already. Their managed workflow let me forget about native build headaches until I actually needed custom modules-saves tons of early project time.
Expo is free to get started and covers most standard mobile features (file uploads, notifications, camera, etc) with built-in APIs. Where Expo shines is stability: I ran into almost zero errors on fresh projects, even as dependencies changed. For hackathons, MVPs, and anything not needing deep native code, there’s nothing faster.
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What I liked
- Could scaffold a real, working React Native app in literal minutes.
- Managed updates, over-the-air deploys, and common APIs made my life easier.
- Great documentation and tons of community solutions if I got stuck.
- Project setup was always clean-no weird configs hiding in corners.
What made me hesitate
- Advanced features (like deep native integration or custom modules) mean you’ll have to eventually "eject" from Expo, which can be a chore.
- The managed workflow can feel restrictive for outlier use cases.
- App bundles are a little heavier since you ship with all the built-in modules.
- Paid cloud builds and team services aren’t free.
Pricing
- Core platform: Free/open-source
- Cloud & build services: from $29/month (useful for CI, team workflow)
Expo is still my pick for getting reliable, production-ready scaffolds instantly. It takes the pain out of the first 80 percent of most mobile projects. If you value speed and support, there’s nothing better for full-app bootstrapping.
Try them out at: https://expo.dev
My Top API Integration Generator: Swagger Codegen
Whenever I had to pull in dozens of API endpoints and dreaded hand-writing client wrappers, Swagger Codegen came to the rescue. I loaded up an OpenAPI spec and in seconds it spat out TypeScript-fetch clients that fit nicely in my React Native projects. The code’s structure is predictable, type-safe, and aligns perfectly with whatever contract the backend team gave me.
What I loved most is that Swagger Codegen erased hours of repetitive mapping, serialization, and boilerplate request logic. Minor tweaks were sometimes needed, but for keeping frontends aligned with shifting backend APIs it was worth its weight in gold-especially for fast-moving projects.
The customization options are deep, so with a bit of tinkering I was able to adjust naming or shape the code to fit my conventions. It’s open source too, so I had no problem plugging it into my pipeline.
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What made life easier
- Turns OpenAPI docs straight into API clients-no more brittle, handwritten fetches.
- Type-safe code meant fewer mystery bugs or runtime surprises.
- Supported a ton of languages/frameworks besides just React Native.
- Free and open source-easy to script or run in CI.
What tripped me up
- Customizing output for my exact project style sometimes needed manual post-processing.
- Templates could lag behind if the ecosystem moved quickly.
- Initial setup and figuring out configs took a little getting used to.
- Big APIs meant a lot of generated boilerplate-I needed to keep things tidy.
Pricing
- Free & open source
Swagger Codegen is essential for any data-heavy app. It saves huge amounts of time and keeps your code aligned to what the backend is actually delivering. Fully recommend it for automating API layers in React Native.
Try them out at: https://swagger.io
My Favorite Design-to-Code Generator: Anima
Handing off Figma (or Sketch, or XD) designs to code is always messy. Anima honestly surprised me-by turning interactive prototypes right into React Native components with way less fuss than I expected. No need to decipher pixel specs or rebuild layouts by hand.
Once I connected a Figma prototype, I could export responsive React Native code that kept most layouts, navigation, and even basic animations. It wasn’t totally plug-and-play for every project (complex UIs sometimes needed tweaks after export), but for standard screens, it eliminated hours of menial translation. The “what you see is what you get” previews were super useful for spot-checking code as I iterated with designers.
Collaboration features meant I could invite designers and share real-code previews before going deep into dev work. For teams, this meant the design-to-handoff process just worked, and fewer bugs slipped through in the first rounds.
Screenshot:
What I found great
- Converts Figma/Sketch/XD straight into React Native components-pixel-perfect for basic layouts.
- Responsive layouts, even basic animations mostly preserved from designs.
- Live code previews for quick spot checks and feedback loops.
- Collaboration tools integrate nicely for smooth handoff.
What could be smoother
- For super custom UIs, exported code still needs a pass or two before launch.
- Not every Figma feature or interaction comes across perfectly.
- The free plan is limited-full power means a paid plan.
- Slight learning curve if you haven’t used design-to-code automation before.
Pricing
- Free (limited)
- Paid plans: From $31/month per editor (billed yearly), extra features cost more
If you want to erase handoff pain and let designers do more of the build-out, Anima is a game changer. I reached for it whenever I had full-blown designs that needed to become code, fast.
Try them out at: https://www.animaapp.com
Top Pick for Form and CRUD Code: Retool
Strictly speaking, Retool doesn’t export React Native code. But whenever I needed to whip up admin panels, internal tools, and CRUD forms without wrangling endless UI or input validation code, this is what I turned to. For data-driven web UIs, nothing is faster.
Retool’s drag-and-drop builder let me spin up full workflows for managing database records, authenticating users, or integrating APIs-in an hour, not a day. Default validation, built-in connectors, and logic scripting meant I could get non-dev teammates to help with tooling. If you manage business operations, support, or content-Retool will make you look like a productivity wizard.
I do wish I could export parts of my UI to a native project, but for anything internal-facing or built-for-the-web, Retool is the fastest way I’ve found to stitch together fully functioning apps.
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Why I keep coming back
- Sets up complex forms (CRUD, tables, input actions) in minutes, not hours.
- Built-in validation and database/API connectors are lifesavers.
- JavaScript-based scripting for edge cases or business logic.
- Centralized, consistent toolset-helps scale admin or support workflows.
The limits I hit
- Web-based only-not suited to shipping actual mobile code in a React Native app.
- Custom design tweaks are limited compared to hand-coding.
- Can’t export to use in external projects.
- Price climbs fast on big teams.
Pricing
- Free plan: For individuals with basic needs
- Teams: Starts at $12/user/month yearly
- Business: From $50/user/month (advanced features)
If internal tools, admin workflows, and CRUD interfaces are your focus, Retool is hands-down the quickest way there. It saves a ton of grind and keeps non-devs in the loop.
Try them out at: https://retool.com
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of noise out there in the React Native code gen space, but only a few tools consistently delivered on saving me time and making my workflow smoother. I’d say RapidNative is the closest thing to an AI-powered no-brainer-especially if you want both speed and clean code.
For visuals-first UI work, Draftbit and Anima each have a niche, while Expo remains unbeatable for new project scaffolding. If APIs are your pain point, Swagger Codegen automates the slog. And if building out internal tools is your mission, Retool will spoil you with how fast things get done.
Whichever workflow you need, don’t be afraid to try a few-ditch what doesn’t click and double down on what frees up your time. Shipping apps should always feel this fast.
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