React is designed primarily for web applications, whereas React Native was conceived for the intended purpose of cross-platform mobile development. React Native was explicitly designed for building responsive mobile UI. React has no dependency on a particular platform, meaning it can be executed across all kinds of platforms.
Here are a few items which make React and React Native different:
| React | React Native |
| React is the base abstraction of React DOM for the web platform | React is the base abstraction so the syntax and workflow remain similar, but the components are different. |
| A JavaScript library you use for constructing a high performing UI layer. | An entire platform allowing you to build native, cross-platform mobile apps. |
| Browser code in React is rendered through Virtual DOM | Native APIs to render components on mobile. |
| HTML for UI. | JSX components for UI. |
| CSS for Styling. | The stylesheet for Styling. |
| Can do animation with the CSS like normal web development. | Have to use the animated API which comes with React Native to animate different components of your application |
| Ideal for building dynamic, high performing, responsive UI for your web interfaces | It is meant to give your mobile apps a truly native feel |