Mobile CI/CD that's actually built for React Native
Codemagic gives you a visual editor and machines built first for Flutter, but Expo gives you fingerprint detection that skips full builds, M4 Pro hardware on every plan, and a pipeline defined in under 10 lines of YAML. Here's how they actually compare for React Native teams.
3M+ developers. 50K+ GitHub stars. Trusted in Production By:
81%
of React Native devs use Expo
50k+
Github Stars
99.9%
uptime SLA
6M+
Weekly npm downloads
Where Expo and Codemagic actually differ
Numbers pulled from EAS Build infrastructure and Codemagic's own docs and pricing page, not marketing claims.
Fingerprint and repack. Codemagic has neither.
Expo detects when only your JavaScript changed and skips the full native build with a 2 minute repack instead. Codemagic has no equivalent, so every push gets a full build no matter what changed.
M4 Pro hardware on every plan, not just the top tier
Codemagic offers M2 and M4 machines, but reserves M4 Pro and Max hardware for its higher plan tiers. Expo runs iOS builds on M4 Pro by default, including on the free plan.
Built for Flutter, React Native came second
Codemagic was built for Flutter first and expanded to React Native later, and its job types and docs still show it. Expo Workflows are built for React Native and Expo from the ground up.
What pay-as-you-go pricing hides
Codemagic bills pay-as-you-go, or a fixed plan starting around $3,990 a year once you outgrow it. Either way, your invoice depends on how much you build, and you often don't know the real number until it lands. Expo starts free, and the Starter plan is a flat $19 a month with $45 of build credits included.
Expo and GitHub Actions
Expo Workflows serve as a high-performance mobile extension for GitHub Actions. Keep GitHub Actions for linting and tests. Expo handles what Codemagic's visual editor and job library are stitched together to approximate: iOS and Android build environments, code signing, and store submission.
What a visual editor doesn't fix
Codemagic's visual editor and CLI tooling make CI approachable, but the underlying problems with mobile builds don't go away. These four break pipelines on any generalized mobile CI/CD service, Codemagic included.
Certificate expiration
Apple rotates distribution certificates annually. Every rotation means manual Keychain updates, re-export, and CI secret rotation, and it usually breaks production builds at the worst moment.
Xcode version drift
Codemagic updated the Xcode version on its macOS runner. Your Fastlane config didn't. Build fails. You spend hours updating derived data paths and xcodebuild flags instead of shipping.
"Works on my machine"
Builds pass locally but fail in CI because the runner has a different Node, Ruby, or CocoaPods version. Reproducing CI failures locally takes most of the day.
Environment sprawl
Dev, staging, and production builds need different bundle IDs, API endpoints, and signing identities. Managing separate CI configurations and environment variable groups per environment doesn't scale.
Battle tested CI/CD
From indie developers to enterprise, teams like HipCamp, PrizePicks, and InfiniteRed ship with Workflows.
“Expo Workflows replaced our sluggish and brittle build process with something quick and dependable. Expo allows our engineers to focus on building features and not debugging build logs.”
“Setting up React Native CI/CD used to be difficult until I started using workflows. Expo was already the best way to write React Native apps. Now it’s the best way to test and deploy them as well.”
“Workflows allowed us to replace large complex yaml files with pre-built jobs fully leveraging the power of EAS. It's made our pipelines feel effortless.”
The same pipeline at every scale
Start where you are. The free plan and the enterprise plan run the same builds, so there's nothing to migrate later.
Shipping a passion project
Start on the free plan, no credit card. Cloud iOS builds without owning a Mac, automatic code signing, and a TestFlight link on every push. Set up in under 30 minutes.
Growing a team
Keep GitHub Actions for lint and tests, add EAS Workflows for builds, submissions, and OTA updates. One pipeline the whole team can read, with nothing to wire together in a visual editor.
Running an app fleet
SOC 2 Type II, SSO, audit logs, and a 99.9% uptime SLA with dedicated support. M4 Pro hardware on every plan, not just the top one.
Rolling out mobile CI/CD across an organization?
Expo handles the pipeline that Codemagic's visual editor and CodePush integration are stitched together to approximate: builds, submissions, OTA updates, CI/CD, and observability, all in one platform built specifically for React Native.
Enterprise-ready out of the box
Security and compliance your procurement and legal teams can approve on day one.
SOC 2 Type II
Independently audited security controls. Full report available under NDA for enterprise customers.
GDPR & CCPA compliant
Data privacy frameworks already in place. Data processing agreement available for enterprise contracts.
SSO & role-based access
SAML-based SSO and granular permissions so the right engineers have exactly the right access.
Audit logs
Exportable logs for all admin actions and full chain of custody for every build and release.
99.9% uptime SLA
Enterprise SLA with dedicated support, because a failed pipeline the week of a release isn't acceptable.
Recommended by Meta
Expo is the React Native framework recommended by Meta and a React Foundation member.
Build like the best
See why teams leave Codemagic's pay-as-you-go billing and Flutter-first tooling behind for a pipeline built specifically for React Native. Set up automated iOS and Android builds in under 30 minutes. Free to start. No credit card required.