Expo makes cross-platform mobile development fast. EAS makes it production-ready.
Expo SDK provides the device APIs, EAS Build provides the cloud build infrastructure, and EAS Update provides over-the-air JavaScript updates. Together they're the fastest path to a production React Native app on both stores. The developer who has shipped multiple Expo applications knows where the managed workflow ends and the bare workflow begins. Fixed scope, fixed price.
You want to build with Expo and need a developer who has shipped production Expo applications — not one who knows the SDK from tutorials but hasn't navigated EAS Build, code signing, and App Store review.
Expo's managed workflow accelerates mobile development by abstracting away Xcode and Android Studio configuration. For developers building their first production app, this abstraction is enormously helpful. It's also where inexperienced Expo developers encounter hard limits they weren't expecting: when a native module that the app requires isn't supported by Expo's managed workflow, the options are to use Expo's config plugin system (if a config plugin exists for the module), to write a custom config plugin, or to eject to the bare workflow. Each of these paths has significant complexity that isn't apparent until the limitation is hit.
The EAS Build learning curve is real: configuring build profiles for development, preview, and production requires understanding the Expo build credential system (Expo's Keychain for Android signing, Apple's certificate and provisioning profile system for iOS). The first production iOS build for a developer who hasn't navigated Apple's certificate management will take 4–8 hours of debugging just the credential configuration.
The EAS Update model (over-the-air JavaScript bundle updates) is one of Expo's most valuable features and also one of the most misunderstood: EAS Update publishes the JavaScript bundle, not native code changes. Native code changes (Expo SDK version upgrades, new native module additions) require a full app store build and submission. The architecture decision of what goes in the JavaScript bundle vs what requires a native rebuild needs to be made deliberately.
A production Expo application live on both the App Store and Google Play — built with the Expo SDK for device APIs, EAS Build for production builds, and EAS Update for post-launch JavaScript deployments.
Expo SDK integration
Camera (expo-camera), push notifications (expo-notifications), biometric auth (expo-local-authentication), secure storage (expo-secure-store), location (expo-location), file system (expo-file-system), and the rest of the Expo SDK surface for the device APIs the app requires.
EAS Build configuration
Development build profile (development client for fast iteration with Expo Go replacement). Preview build profile (testable on device, shareable with stakeholders via QR code or TestFlight). Production build profile (App Store and Google Play distributions). Apple code signing managed via EAS credentials (automatic certificate management via Apple Developer API). Android keystore stored in EAS credentials storage.
EAS Update for OTA deployments
EAS Update configured for the production channel. The JavaScript bundle update flow for post-launch fixes and feature additions that don't require native changes. Update rollout configuration (gradual rollout to a percentage of users before full release).
expo-router for navigation
File-based routing via expo-router for applications that benefit from URL-addressable screens and deep linking. React Navigation for applications with complex nested navigation requirements that file-based routing doesn't accommodate cleanly.
Config plugins for native customisation
Custom config plugins for native module configuration that isn't provided by an existing Expo config plugin. The app.json/app.config.js configuration that drives the Expo build system.
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
A production Expo application live on both the App Store and Google Play — built with the Expo SDK for device APIs, EAS Build for production builds, and EAS Update for post-launch JavaScript deployments.
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
An Expo application delivery has a defined endpoint: both stores live. Fixed scope, fixed price.
Related engagements.
Questions, answered.
Managed workflow for the vast majority of production apps — Expo's SDK covers most device API requirements, and the managed workflow's build infrastructure (EAS Build) handles code signing without requiring Xcode or Android Studio. Bare workflow when: a native module that requires custom native code modifications is required; a third-party SDK requires modifications to the native project files that config plugins can't handle; or the app's native project configuration is complex enough that the abstraction layer creates more friction than it saves.
Expo releases major SDK versions roughly annually. Each SDK version corresponds to specific React Native and React versions, and Expo packages within a project should target the same SDK version. SDK upgrades are a planned project activity (not an emergency) — they're scheduled during low-traffic periods, tested on device before deployment, and rolled out via EAS Update for JavaScript-only changes or via a new App Store build for native changes.
Expo Go is Expo's app that runs any Expo project in a sandboxed environment — useful for quick prototyping but limited to modules included in Expo Go's binary. A development build (EAS Build dev profile) is a custom app binary that includes all the project's native dependencies — it behaves exactly like the production app except with development tooling enabled. Production apps that use native modules not in Expo Go require a development build for accurate local testing.
A production Expo app with native auth, push notifications, core features, and both store submissions typically runs $45k–$80k. The scope determines the price. Fixed-price.
12 to 16 weeks from specification to both stores live.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.