The Best Expo Alternatives in 2026, Sorted by Job

Best Expo Alternatives: The Short Answer

Superapp (our product) is the Expo alternative for people who want a native Swift iPhone app built, previewed and published to the App Store without writing code or owning a Mac. For developers who want to keep React Native, the best Expo alternative depends on which part of Expo you want to replace: Codemagic, Bitrise, fastlane or GitHub Actions for EAS Build and Submit, Hot Updater, xprem or Bitrise CodePush for EAS Update, and a development build for Expo Go. If you want to leave React Native completely, the real choices are native Swift, Flutter or Kotlin Multiplatform.

Quick answer: What is the best alternative to Expo? Superapp is the pick if you want to drop React Native and get a native Swift iPhone app from a description, with no Mac and no code (it does not build Android). If you are a React Native developer, you usually do not need to replace all of Expo, because the framework is free and open source and its cloud services (EAS) are optional. Replace the service that is costing you: Codemagic gives 500 free build minutes a month and charges $0.095 a minute on a Mac mini M2, fastlane is free and MIT licensed, and Bitrise CodePush is free up to 100,000 monthly active users. Microsoft's App Center CodePush was retired on March 31, 2025, so do not plan around it.

What does Expo actually do for you?

Expo is not one product, it is a framework plus a set of paid cloud services, and each piece has a different alternative. The Expo FAQ says "The Expo platform is free and open source," and describes Expo Application Services (EAS) as "an optional suite of cloud services for React Native apps." So when someone says they want to leave Expo, the first question is which part.

The EAS overview lists the services: EAS Build compiles and signs Android and iOS apps in the cloud, EAS Submit uploads them to the stores, EAS Update pushes JavaScript fixes to users, EAS Workflows runs CI/CD jobs, EAS Observe adds monitoring and crash reporting, and EAS Metadata (beta), EAS Hosting and EAS Insights (preview) cover store listings, web hosting and analytics. Expo Go is the free app you scan a QR code with during development.

The current stable release is Expo SDK 57, released June 30, 2026, which moves to React Native 0.86 and keeps React 19.2. The Expo changelog shows the SDK 58 beta opened on September 15, 2026.

Should you replace Expo or just one EAS service?

Most React Native teams should replace one service, not Expo itself. The React Native team's own setup guide says "if you're building a new app with React Native, we recommend using a Framework," and names Expo as the example. Dropping the framework means, in the same guide's words, you will "write your own solutions to implement core features" or "piece together a collection of pre-existing libraries."

The services are where the bills and the lock-in sit, and Expo makes them easy to swap. EAS Submit "accepts any valid .aab (Android App Bundle) or .ipa (iOS App Archive) file," so you can build somewhere else and still submit with Expo. Local builds with eas build --platform ios --local run "the same build process that is typically run on the EAS Build servers directly on your machine," on macOS or Linux, though without caching and one platform at a time.

Expo's native folders are also optional. Continuous Native Generation creates the ios and android directories with npx expo prebuild, and the docs say the system is "fully optional, and you can stop using it at any time." Any CI that can build an Xcode project or a Gradle project can build a prebuilt Expo app.

What are the best EAS Build and Submit alternatives?

The best EAS Build alternatives are Codemagic for pay-per-minute macOS builds, Bitrise for a full mobile CI/CD platform, GitHub Actions if your code is already on GitHub, and Xcode Cloud for iOS only teams. fastlane is the standard free replacement for EAS Submit and works inside all of them.

Codemagic

Codemagic is the closest like-for-like replacement for EAS Build. Its pricing page gives individuals "500 free build minutes refilled every month," then charges $0.095 a minute on a Mac mini M2, $0.114 on an M4 and $0.045 on Linux or Windows. Teams can pay a fixed price from $3,990 a year for three concurrent builds with unlimited minutes and users. The React Native quick start supports Expo projects and can run npx expo prebuild on the build server each time, then publish to TestFlight and App Store Connect.

Pitfall: you need the ios and android folders at build time, so either commit them or add a prebuild step, and the guide recommends uploading the very first App Store version manually. Codemagic also sells its own over the air product, Codemagic Patch, which is free for the first 100K monthly active users and then $99 a month per additional 100K.

Who it is not for: teams that want builds, updates and submissions behind a single eas command with no YAML to maintain.

Bitrise

Bitrise is a mobile CI/CD platform that can either call EAS or replace it. Its Expo guide says "Bitrise supports Expo Application Services (EAS) for Expo projects," with a default workflow that triggers an EAS build. Pricing starts with a free Hobby plan (300 credits a month, one private app), then Starter at $89 a month billed annually or $99 monthly, and Pro at $200 a month billed annually.

Bitrise also runs Bitrise CodePush, "a hosted over-the-air (OTA) update service for React Native and Expo apps" that "Works with bare React Native and Expo, including the New Architecture." The Basic tier is free up to 100,000 monthly active users.

Pitfall: the default Expo workflow still triggers a build on EAS, so you keep an Expo bill unless you change the workflow to build natively on Bitrise machines.

Who it is not for: a solo developer who only needs a few builds a month, where Codemagic's free minutes or EAS's free plan cost less.

fastlane

fastlane replaces EAS Submit and much of EAS Metadata, for free. The fastlane docs call it "the easiest way to automate beta deployments and releases for your iOS and Android apps," and it is "100% open source under the MIT license." It handles screenshots, TestFlight uploads, App Store releases and code signing.

Pitfall: fastlane is automation, not infrastructure. It needs a machine to run on, and for iOS that means a Mac, either yours or a CI runner.

Who it is not for: anyone who wants a hosted dashboard. fastlane lives in a Fastfile in your repo and runs from the command line.

GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is the cheapest option if you already host code on GitHub. Runner pricing is $0.062 a minute for a standard macOS runner and $0.006 a minute for Linux, and GitHub's billing docs include 2,000 minutes a month on the Free plan, with standard runners free in public repositories.

Pitfall: you write and maintain the whole pipeline yourself, usually with fastlane for signing and uploads, and private repositories pay per macOS minute.

Who it is not for: teams that are not on GitHub, or that want mobile specific features like device testing and release dashboards without building them.

Xcode Cloud

Xcode Cloud is Apple's own CI for iOS builds. Apple says "Apple Developer Program membership includes 25 compute hours per month," with paid tiers from $49.99 a month for 100 hours. Apple describes it as "designed expressly for Apple developers" and does not mention React Native, so test it on a prebuilt project before relying on it.

Pitfall: it only builds for Apple platforms, so you still need a second service for Android, and workflows are configured in Xcode on a Mac.

Who it is not for: cross-platform teams that want one CI for both stores.

What replaced CodePush, and what are the EAS Update alternatives?

Microsoft's CodePush is gone as a hosted service. The App Center retirement notice says App Center retired on March 31, 2025 (only Analytics and Diagnostics were extended, to March 2027), and Microsoft published a standalone CodePush server instead. That code-push-server repository was archived on May 20, 2025 and is provided "as is," and the react-native-code-push client was archived the same day with the warning "React Native CodePush won't support new Architecture."

The live alternatives to EAS Update split into hosted and self-hosted. First, know the limit every option shares: EAS Update only changes "non-native pieces (such as JS, styling, and images)," and native code, new permissions or an SDK upgrade still need a new store build.

Hot Updater

Hot Updater describes itself as "A self-hostable OTA update solution for React Native (Alternative to CodePush)." The README lists storage on AWS S3, Supabase Storage or Cloudflare R2, databases on Supabase, PostgreSQL or Cloudflare D1, an Expo build plugin, and support for the New Architecture.

Pitfall: you run the storage, database and edge functions, so outages and security are yours.

Who it is not for: small teams without someone who wants to own update infrastructure. Bitrise CodePush or EAS Update are less work.

xprem (formerly Expo Open OTA)

xprem is "an open-source alternative to EAS Update, on your own servers." Its README says it "speaks the official Expo Updates protocol," so apps already using expo-updates can point at it, and "The core is MIT and will stay MIT." Expo publishes the Expo Updates protocol with "organizations that wish to manage their own update server" as an intended audience.

Pitfall: enterprise features sit in a separate commercially licensed directory, so check which parts of the repository you are using.

Who it is not for: apps that do not use expo-updates, such as bare React Native apps on the old CodePush client.

What is the best Expo Go alternative?

The best Expo Go alternative is a development build. The Expo FAQ is blunt that "Expo Go cannot use third-party libraries that require custom native code," and Expo's development build docs describe a development build as "your own version of Expo Go where you are free to use any native libraries and change any native configuration."

Development build (expo-dev-client)

A development build adds the expo-dev-client library to your own app, includes a launcher for switching between development servers, and is what Expo recommends "when you want to create your own app and release to app stores." You can create one with EAS Build, a local build, or any CI above.

Pitfall: every time you add or upgrade a native library you need a new development build, which is slower than reloading Expo Go.

Who it is not for: someone running a quick tutorial or prototype with only Expo's bundled libraries, where Expo Go is still faster.

Can you use React Native without Expo?

Yes. React Native runs without a framework, but you take on the work Expo was doing. The no-framework guide starts a project with npx @react-native-community/cli@latest init AwesomeProject.

React Native Community CLI

The Community CLI is the right choice when your app has, in the React Native docs' words, "unusual constraints that are not served well by a Framework," or your team already maintains native code. You manage the ios and android folders, native dependency upgrades and build tooling yourself, and iOS builds need Xcode on a Mac. The React Native docs are now on version 0.87.

Pitfall: React Native upgrades become your job. Every new version can touch Xcode project settings, Gradle files and native dependencies that Expo's prebuild used to regenerate for you.

Who it is not for: small teams without native iOS and Android experience.

What if you want to leave React Native entirely?

If the problem is React Native itself, not Expo's services, you are choosing a new stack: native Swift for Apple platforms, Flutter or Kotlin Multiplatform for cross-platform, or an AI builder that outputs native code. For a deep Swift versus React Native comparison with performance detail, see our native Swift vs React Native and Expo guide. For every framework option side by side, see the best React Native alternatives.

Superapp

As a disclosure, Superapp is our product, so weigh this accordingly. Superapp is an AI app builder that "generates production-ready native Swift code from your descriptions," per superapp.dev, for iPhone, iPad, Watch and Mac, plus a website for the app. The features page says "You build and publish native iOS apps from any browser, with no Mac and no local Xcode," and the preview "runs in the iOS Simulator and behaves like a real iPhone." It is the only tool on this list that builds, previews and submits a native Swift iPhone app from a description without a Mac. The honest limit is just as plain: "It does not build Android apps." If you need Android, stay with React Native or pick Flutter or Kotlin Multiplatform. Pricing starts with free credits in most countries, then Pro at $25 a month for 50 credits, Business at $50 for 110 and Max at $100 for 230. We are also testing AI agents that automate Apple Ads, App Store optimization and UGC creator videos, currently in closed beta, which makes Superapp the only mobile app builder we know of that also helps you get users.

Pitfall: it is a different stack, so an existing React Native codebase does not carry over. You describe the app again and get a new Swift project.

Who it is not for: anyone who needs an Android app from the same project.

Native Swift with Xcode

Writing Swift yourself in Xcode is the default for developers who want full control on Apple platforms. Xcode 27 "supports interacting with code using the model of your choice, including the frontier coding models and agents from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI." It needs a Mac and only targets Apple platforms.

Pitfall: you rewrite the app in a new language, and Android needs a separate codebase.

Who it is not for: teams whose main reason for React Native was sharing code with Android.

Flutter

Flutter is Google's "open-source framework for building beautiful, natively compiled, multi-platform applications," written in Dart. It is the main cross-platform alternative to React Native. Releasing to iOS still needs a Mac: the Flutter iOS guide says "Xcode is required to build and release your app." For code push, Shorebird offers a free tier of 5,000 monthly patch installs and Pro at $20 a month for 50,000.

Pitfall: Dart replaces JavaScript and TypeScript, so web React skills and npm packages do not carry over.

Who it is not for: teams that chose React Native to share code and developers with a React web app.

Kotlin Multiplatform

Kotlin Multiplatform is "an open-source technology from JetBrains that enables sharing code across Android, iOS, desktop, web, and server." You can keep SwiftUI on iOS or share UI with Compose Multiplatform, and JetBrains lists both iOS targets as Stable.

Pitfall: iOS builds still go through Xcode on a Mac, and a JavaScript team has to learn Kotlin.

Who it is not for: web first teams with no Kotlin or Android background.

What if an AI builder picked Expo for you?

Many AI app builders generate Expo projects, so some people searching for Expo alternatives never chose Expo at all. Replit's Expo guide answers "Do I need a Mac or Xcode?" with "No. Replit and Expo manage the build process for you in the cloud," and Replit Core costs $20 a month or $18 billed annually. Bolt's Expo guide has you install the EAS CLI and run eas build --platform ios --auto-submit for TestFlight, and the public App Store release is a manual step in App Store Connect. Bolt Pro is $25 a month for 10M tokens.

That is fine if you want Android too. If you only want an iPhone app and the Expo layer is getting in the way, a builder that outputs native Swift removes it. Our Replit mobile app review and AI builder output comparison go deeper.

Which Expo alternative fits who you are?

The right pick follows from who is doing the work and what is breaking. Use this as a lookup, then read the matching section above.

Which Expo alternative fits your platform?

Platform is the fastest filter, because half of these tools are Apple only.

Pick it or skip it

One reason to choose each option and one reason to avoid it.

How much does it cost to stay on Expo versus switch?

For a small app, switching build providers usually saves little, and the bigger cost is engineering time. The example below assumes 20 iOS builds a month at 15 minutes each and 5,000 monthly users receiving updates. The build length is an assumption for illustration; the prices are from each vendor's pricing page.

Everyone shipping to the App Store also pays Apple's developer fee, which Apple lists as 99 USD a year.

Why do people leave Expo?

People rarely leave Expo because the framework is bad. They leave because one piece stopped fitting.

What does Expo still do well?

Expo is still the default React Native setup for good reasons, and it is fair to say so. The React Native team recommends a framework for new apps and points to Expo. The framework is free and open source. EAS Build lets a developer on Windows or Linux build and sign iOS apps in the cloud, EAS Submit uploads from any OS, and EAS Update ships JavaScript fixes without a store build. The free plan covers up to 15 iOS and 15 Android builds, which is enough for many side projects. Expo also ships on a steady cadence: SDK 56 in May 2026, SDK 57 in June, and the SDK 58 beta in September. If Expo is working and the bill is small, the cheapest alternative is staying.

Decide in five questions

1. Do you want to write code at all? If not, and you only need iPhone, use Superapp. If you need Android too, an Expo based builder like Replit is the honest choice.
2. Do you need Android? If not and you can code, consider native Swift with Xcode. If yes, stay on React Native or choose Flutter or Kotlin Multiplatform.
3. Is your problem the build bill? Move builds to Codemagic, Bitrise, GitHub Actions or Xcode Cloud and keep the rest of Expo.
4. Is your problem over the air updates? Use Bitrise CodePush for hosted, or Hot Updater or xprem to self-host. Do not start on Microsoft CodePush.
5. Is your problem Expo Go? Switch to a development build. You do not need to leave Expo for that.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to Expo?
Superapp is the best alternative if you want a native Swift iPhone app without code or a Mac, but it does not build Android. For React Native developers, replace the specific Expo service you want to drop: Codemagic or Bitrise for builds, fastlane for submissions, Hot Updater, xprem or Bitrise CodePush for over the air updates, and a development build instead of Expo Go.

Is Expo free?
Yes. Expo's FAQ says the Expo platform is free and open source. The paid part is EAS, its cloud services. The EAS free plan includes up to 15 Android and 15 iOS builds and 1,000 update MAUs, and Starter costs $19 a month plus usage.

Can I use React Native without Expo?
Yes. Create a project with npx @react-native-community/cli@latest init and manage the native folders yourself. The React Native team still recommends a framework like Expo for new apps.

What replaced Microsoft CodePush?
App Center, including CodePush, retired on March 31, 2025. Current options include Bitrise CodePush (hosted, free up to 100,000 MAU), Codemagic Patch, EAS Update, and self-hosted Hot Updater or xprem. Microsoft's standalone code-push-server and the react-native-code-push client were both archived on May 20, 2025.

What is the best Expo Go alternative?
A development build. It is your own version of Expo Go that can include any native library, which Expo Go cannot.

Can I build an iOS app without a Mac?
Yes. EAS Build, Codemagic and Bitrise build iOS apps on their Macs in the cloud, and EAS Submit works from Windows and Linux. Superapp builds and publishes native Swift iPhone apps from a browser with no Mac.

How much does Expo EAS cost?
EAS has a free plan with up to 15 Android and 15 iOS builds and 1,000 update MAUs. Starter is $19 a month plus usage with $45 of build credit and 3,000 MAUs, Production is $199 a month with $225 of credit and 50,000 MAUs, and Enterprise starts at $1,000. Expo's example usage prices are $2 for a medium iOS build and $4 for a large one.

Is EAS Build worth paying for?
For many small teams, yes, because it removes the need for a Mac and the Starter plan is $19 a month. It stops being worth it when build volume grows, when you need more macOS concurrency, or when you already pay for CI that can build iOS.

What is the difference between Expo and the React Native CLI?
Expo is a framework with tooling, config plugins and optional cloud services on top of React Native. The React Native Community CLI creates a plain React Native project where you manage the native ios and android folders yourself.

Can I use EAS Submit without EAS Build?
Yes. Expo's docs say EAS Submit accepts any valid .aab or .ipa file, works from any OS including Windows and Linux for iOS, and can run from CI. You can build on Codemagic, Bitrise or a Mac and still submit with EAS.

Can I run EAS builds on my own machine?
Yes. eas build with the local flag runs the EAS build process on your own macOS or Linux machine. You install the tools yourself, caching is not supported, and you build one platform at a time.

Does Codemagic work with Expo?
Yes. Codemagic's React Native guide covers Expo projects and can run npx expo prebuild on the build server before building, then publish to TestFlight and App Store Connect.

Is fastlane free?
Yes. fastlane is 100% open source under the MIT license. You pay only for the machine it runs on.

Do over the air updates skip App Store review?
Only for JavaScript, styling and images. Expo's docs say native code, native dependencies, permissions and SDK upgrades need a new build, and updates must follow App Store and Play Store rules.

Is Flutter a good alternative to Expo?
It is a good alternative to React Native, not to Expo's services. You rewrite in Dart, you get one codebase for iOS, Android, web and desktop, and you still need a Mac with Xcode to release on iOS. Shorebird provides code push for Flutter.

Is Kotlin Multiplatform stable on iOS?
Yes. JetBrains lists both core Kotlin Multiplatform and Compose Multiplatform as Stable on iOS.

Does Superapp build Android apps?
No. Superapp builds native Swift apps for Apple platforms only. If you need Android, use React Native, Flutter or Kotlin Multiplatform.

Which AI app builders use Expo?
Replit and Bolt both build mobile apps with Expo, according to their own docs. Replit handles builds in the cloud without a Mac, and Bolt has you use the EAS CLI to submit to TestFlight.

Do I need an Apple Developer account with any of these tools?
Yes, to publish on the App Store. Apple lists the Apple Developer Program fee as 99 USD a year.

References

• Expo FAQ
• Expo SDK 57 changelog
• Expo changelog
• Expo pricing
• Expo usage-based pricing
• EAS overview
• EAS Update introduction
• EAS Submit introduction
• EAS local builds
• Expo development builds
• Expo Continuous Native Generation
• Expo Updates protocol
• React Native environment setup
• React Native without a framework
• Codemagic pricing
• Codemagic React Native quick start
• Bitrise pricing
• Bitrise Expo guide
• Bitrise CodePush
• fastlane docs
• GitHub Actions runner pricing
• GitHub Actions billing
• Xcode Cloud
• App Center retirement
• microsoft/code-push-server
• microsoft/react-native-code-push
• Hot Updater
• xprem (formerly Expo Open OTA)
• Flutter
• Flutter iOS deployment
• Kotlin Multiplatform overview
• Kotlin Multiplatform supported platforms
• Xcode
• Replit Expo guide
• Bolt Expo guide
• Superapp
• Superapp features
• Superapp pricing
• Native Swift vs React Native and Expo
• Expo vs Swift
• Best React Native alternatives