How Expo Speeds Up Development and When to Use It

Time, budget, and flexibility are the three things that matter most when building a mobile app. Expo helps us optimize all three.

It’s a framework we often use to speed up development, reduce complexity, and launch apps faster without sacrificing quality. If you’re wondering how we build mobile apps efficiently and keep things moving, this is part of the answer.

What Is Expo and Why Do We Use It?

Expo is an open-source framework built around React Native that helps us create mobile apps for both iOS and Android faster and with fewer setup requirements.

In simpler terms, Expo provides a ready-made development environment with a set of built-in features (like camera access, push notifications, location services, and more) that allow us to skip repetitive configuration steps and start building right away.

We use Expo because it helps us:

• Speed up development — no need to configure native environments manually.
• Launch faster — we can test apps on real devices instantly using a QR code.
• Reduce complexity — most features work out of the box without custom native code.
• Update efficiently — we can push certain updates without waiting for app store approval.

Expo is a great fit for many of our projects, especially when the goal is to validate an idea quickly, build a functional MVP, or create a high-quality mobile experience without overinvesting in infrastructure early on. By using Expo, we reduce development overhead and can deliver working mobile solutions in a shorter timeframe, which translates directly into cost savings and faster results for our clients. At the same time, Expo is also suitable for more complex and scalable products. We’ve used it in production-level platforms that continue to grow and evolve over time.

Key Benefits of Using Expo

Expo helps us work smarter and faster without compromising on quality. Here's how:

1. Faster Development

With Expo, we can skip the lengthy initial setup and get straight to building features. There's no need to configure Android or iOS environments separately. The tools are ready to use out of the box.

Why it matters: You don't pay for days of setup time. The project starts moving right away.

2. Easy Testing

Expo allows quick testing on real devices using the Expo Go mobile app. It makes it incredibly easy to preview the app on a real phone, even in the early development stages. We simply scan a QR code and see changes live, no need for complicated builds or uploads.

Why it matters: You get early access to your app, and we can test and fix bugs faster, especially those that only show up on real devices, not simulators.

3. Built-In Features for Common Needs

Expo comes with libraries for everyday mobile needs, such as camera, location, push notifications, authentication (including Face ID), local storage, and more. These tools are production-ready and can be added quickly.

Why it matters: You don't need to budget extra time or resources to build these features from scratch. Many essential tools are already available.

4. Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates

Expo allows us to push certain updates, like bug fixes or content changes, directly to the app without going through the App Store or Play Store approval process. These are called Over-the-Air Updates (OTA).

Why it matters: If a small fix is needed, we can deploy it immediately, and your users get it the next time they open the app. No delays.

5. Lower Maintenance Costs

Since Expo handles much of the app infrastructure, there are fewer things that can go wrong. Updates, library compatibility, and versioning are more stable, especially compared to projects with custom native code.

Why it matters: Less time spent fixing issues, smoother updates, and fewer surprises when new devices or OS versions come out.

6. Flexible for Scaling

While Expo is great for building fast, it also gives us the option to scale. If a project grows and requires advanced native features, we can "eject" from Expo and extend the app further, without needing to rewrite everything.

Real-Life Use Cases of Expo

Expo is part of our mobile development toolkit, not just because it’s efficient, but because it delivers results across different industries and use cases. Below are three real-world projects where Expo allowed us to move faster, test more effectively, and simplify the development process.

Flymingo

Flymingo is a booking platform that connects charter flight pilots with travelers to and within the Bahamas. The app streamlines flight discovery, booking, cost sharing, and operations management for both passengers and pilots.

Our team was responsible for building the mobile experience using Expo and React Native. Key features included:

• Identity-based onboarding and registration
• Smart check-in with luggage verification
• Interactive flight maps with route visualization
• Custom flight request flows with camera integration
• Split payments via Stripe with support for SMS invitations

Expo allowed us to manage these complex flows while avoiding the overhead of native configuration. The result was a fully functional, user-friendly app that helped Flymingo bring charter flights to a wider audience.

Myntkaup

We also relied on Expo in the development of Myntkaup, a cryptocurrency trading platform for the Icelandic market. The app allows users to trade crypto assets, track real-time profit and loss, and manage funds securely.

Core features include biometric login, PIN code access, multi-currency support, and interactive analytics built with React Native Skia. Given the regulatory and security standards required in the fintech space, Expo provided a stable foundation while still allowing us to maintain flexibility in design and performance. The app now serves over 20,000 users and holds the #1 ranking in the finance category of the Icelandic App Store. You can read the case study here.

Each of these projects had different needs — from behavior-based learning to flight logistics to finance. What they had in common was the need for speed, reliability, and flexibility. Expo helped us meet those needs while keeping development timelines lean and manageable.

Challenges and Limitations of Expo

While Expo offers clear advantages in speed and simplicity, it's important to understand where it has limitations, especially for projects with complex or highly specific technical requirements.

One limitation is that not all native modules are supported out of the box. Although Expo’s library covers most common features, there are cases where functionality needs to be built with native code. In those situations, the development team may need to “eject” from the managed Expo environment to gain full control. This adds complexity and removes some of the benefits of using Expo in the first place.

According to our experience, past limitations included integration with specific hardware sensors (such as advanced gyroscope or motion tracking), or modules that had been deprecated. However, in most cases, alternatives were available and solutions were found without needing to fully abandon Expo.

Another point to consider is performance differences between platforms. In our experience, Expo-based apps tend to perform slightly faster and smoother on iOS than on Android. This is particularly noticeable in apps with complex animations or real-time interactions. For high-performance apps with heavy logic or intensive device usage, a fully native approach may be more appropriate.

Overall, while Expo works well for the vast majority of features and use cases, there are edge cases where additional effort or native-level access is required.

When to Use Expo and When Not To

Expo works well for a wide range of mobile applications, especially when speed, flexibility, and simplicity are priorities. But like any tool, it’s most effective when used in the right context.

Use Expo when:

• You need to launch fast — for example, an MVP, pilot version, or time-sensitive release.
• Your app uses standard mobile features like authentication, camera, location, or notifications.
• You want a shared codebase for both iOS and Android without additional overhead.
• You plan to iterate often and benefit from quick testing, real-time previews, and fast updates.

Avoid Expo when:

• Your app depends on very specific native functionality that Expo doesn’t support or has limited support for.
• You require highly optimized performance, such as complex animations, heavy background processes, or advanced sensor use.
• You know from the start that you’ll need deep customization of native modules or platform behavior.

In our experience, Expo is a reliable solution for most mobile apps, especially in early-stage or mid-scale projects. If the app eventually needs more control or native-level access, migrating away from Expo is possible, but starting with it often saves time and simplifies the path to launch.

Conclusion

Expo has proven to be a practical and efficient solution for building mobile apps, especially when timelines are tight and clarity of process matters. It helps reduce setup time, simplifies development across platforms, and allows teams to focus on delivering real value to users.

If you're looking for a mobile development approach that balances speed, flexibility, and long-term scalability, Expo is one of the strongest tools available, and one we trust in our own work.