Buyer's guide

The best React Native starter kit for Expo, compared

Not every React Native boilerplate is a starter kit. Here's what separates a kit you can ship on from a template you'll fight, and how CodeBaseHub measures up.

The best React Native starter kit for a paid app is one that already wires authentication, in-app payments, and push notifications on the Expo managed workflow, keeps its stack to widely-used services you can hire for, ships store-build configuration, and stays updated with each Expo SDK. Generic boilerplates usually stop at navigation and theming; building from scratch costs one to two weeks before your first feature.

What actually matters

Payments are wired, not promised

A paywall and RevenueCat (or equivalent) configured for both stores is the piece that takes longest to get right. Many boilerplates skip it.

Built for the Expo managed workflow

Expo Router, EAS Build, and OTA updates mean one-command builds and no native toolchain babysitting.

A hireable stack

Firebase, RevenueCat, OneSignal — services with documentation, community, and developers you can actually hire.

Kept current

React Native and Expo move fast. A kit that isn't updated every SDK cycle becomes a liability within months.

AI-editor ready

AGENTS.md and equivalent context files so Claude Code and Cursor are productive in the codebase on day one.

CodeBaseHub vs the alternatives

What you needCodeBaseHubBuild from scratchGeneric boilerplate
Auth (email, Google, Apple) Yes No Sometimes
Payments + paywall wired Yes No No
Push notifications Yes No Sometimes
Expo managed + EAS Build Yes No Sometimes
AI editor rules included Yes No No
Updated each Expo SDK Yes No Sometimes
Time to first featureSame day1–2 weeks2–4 days

Start from the kit that's ready

Auth, payments, and push already wired on Expo. Ship this week.

Get the Starter Kit