NativeBase
1 known investors
NativeBase is an open-source, utility-first React Native component library that lets developers build accessible, themeable UI consistently across Android, iOS, and web from one codebase. Created by GeekyAnts, it offers around 40 components, dark mode, design kits, and starter templates, and has since evolved into gluestack.
Also known as GeekyAnts NativeBase Β· native-base Β· NativeBase
Founders & leadership
Investors Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026NativeBase is an open-source, mobile-first UI component library for React and React Native that lets developers build a single design system rendering consistently on Android, iOS and the web (via React Native for Web). The version 3 library ships nearly 40 components spanning layout (Box, Center, Flex, Stack, ZStack), forms (Button, Input, Checkbox, Radio, Select, Slider, Switch), data display, feedback (Alert, Progress, Skeleton, Spinner, Toast), typography, overlays (Modal, Popover, Tooltip, AlertDialog, Menu), disclosure (ActionSheet), media and icons, and transitions, together with a set of hooks such as useDisclose, useColorMode, useBreakpointValue, useTheme and useAccessibleColors.
Core design goals stated in the documentation are multiplatform support with platform-specific props, an attractive default theme, out-of-the-box accessibility (focus management, keyboard navigation, screen reader support, contrast handling), and deep customizability through an extendable theme and per-component overrides. Styling uses constraint-based utility props inspired by Styled System that map to theme design tokens, with responsive styles expressed as arrays or objects rather than manual breakpoint handling. Accessibility is implemented via React ARIA and React Native ARIA hooks.
Around the library, the project publishes supporting assets: the KitchenSink demo app, a Figma design kit ('NativeBase for Designers'), a starter kit template, premium screen packs, a VS Code extension, and documentation covering migration from v1/v2 components and from NativeBase to gluestack-ui. Documentation now directs new projects to gluestack-ui and states the NativeBase docs are no longer maintained.
Founding story
NativeBase was created by Sanket Sahu, co-founder of GeekyAnts, and shaped by more than 300 contributors. The stated motivation was that building React Native apps from scratch required tedious work across styling, interactions, state management, responsiveness and accessibility; the team wanted to ship accessible, high-quality apps quickly. Cited design inspirations include Material UI, Chakra UI, Ant Design, Braid Design System, Bootstrap, TailwindCSS and Flutter.
Business model
NativeBase is an MIT-licensed open-source project built and maintained by GeekyAnts, a product development studio. The library itself is free; commercial elements referenced on the site and docs include premium screen packs (100+ responsive screens sold as a paid offering), a Figma design kit, a 'Hire us' / 'Hire React Native Experts' services funnel into GeekyAnts' consulting business, and an enterprise support plan for NativeBase described as 'coming soon' for priority support. The project also accepts financial contributions from individual and organizational sponsors, with a sponsor list published on the homepage.
No revenue figures are disclosed in the sources. Monetizable elements referenced are paid premium screen packs, design kits, a planned enterprise/priority support plan, sponsorship/financial contributions, and GeekyAnts' paid React Native consulting and enterprise support services (custom component development, performance optimization).
Traction
Reported community metrics: 20,391-20.4k GitHub stars, 2.4k forks, 6,329 commits, 303 contributors, 33K+ downloads and 50K+ dependents. The project is recommended on the Awesome React Native list, has an active Discord/GitHub/Stack Overflow presence, published developer testimonials, and a roster of individual sponsors. GeekyAnts reports building React Native apps for almost 200+ clients.
Latest developments
NativeBase has entered maintenance mode and is being superseded by gluestack-ui, described as the next-generation library that was originally planned as NativeBase v4. gluestack-ui addresses NativeBase v3's performance and maintainability issues by splitting the library into three parts and providing universal, headless, independent components (compared to radix-ui) styled with the dank.style styling library optimized by a babel plugin, with compatibility across React and React Native environments including Next.js and Expo, and long-term support backed by GeekyAnts. The GitHub repository is marked deprecated, the installation docs redirect readers to gluestack-ui, and a migration guide and @gluestack-ui/themed package are offered; NativeBase remains available and stable for existing projects, and an enterprise support plan for NativeBase is advertised as coming soon. The site also promotes adjacent GeekyAnts projects including RapidNative, React Native Aria, AppLighter, AppLaunchKit, SyncState, Formst, React Pluggable, GeekLego and Flutter Starter, plus a prompt-to-React-Native-UI feature.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
A widely adopted open-source component library in the React Native ecosystem, with 20.4k GitHub stars, 2.4k forks, 303 contributors and 50K+ dependent projects reported. It is listed in the Awesome React Native frameworks list. Its position is now transitional: new projects are directed to gluestack-ui while NativeBase remains available for existing codebases.
Positioned on its own site as the first React Native component library (published April 2016) and as a universal, write-once solution covering iOS, Android and web from a single codebase. Distinguishing technical features cited include constraint-based utility props tied to theme tokens (compared by users to a Chakra UI-style developer experience on React Native), out-of-the-box accessibility via React ARIA and React Native ARIA, built-in dark mode with useColorMode, array/object responsive style values, and a deeply extensible theme. Its accumulated community footprint (20.4k GitHub stars, 303 contributors, 50K+ dependents) is also presented as a differentiator.
Technology
Built with JavaScript/TypeScript on React Native, with web rendering through react-native-web; supported in Expo and React Native CLI apps. Styling follows a Styled System-inspired utility-prop model over design tokens, with an extendable theme, breakpoints, pseudo props, a NativeBase Factory for wrapping components, strict mode, and TypeScript typings. Accessibility is provided by React ARIA and React Native ARIA hooks covering keyboard interaction, screen readers and contrast ratios. Documented compatibility tables map NativeBase releases to React Native versions from v0.22 through v0.63 and above for the 3.x line. Successor gluestack-ui uses headless components plus the dank.style styling library with a babel plugin.
Go-to-market
Developer-led, open-source distribution: the library is published on npm/GitHub under an MIT license and promoted through documentation, a playground on Expo Snack and CodeSandbox, a KitchenSink demo, starter templates, a VS Code extension, and community channels (Discord, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blog). The team also runs developer marketing activities such as conference talks ('invite a NativeBase creator to speak') and the 2022 HackWithNativeBase hackathon co-organized with iNeuron.ai. Monetization channels are paid design/screen assets and GeekyAnts consulting engagements, surfaced through 'Hire us' calls to action in the docs and site.
React and React Native developers and product teams building cross-platform mobile and web applications, including designers using the Figma kit, and enterprises seeking priority support or GeekyAnts' custom component development and performance optimization services.
Geography
Maintained by GeekyAnts, which the sources associate with Bangalore, India (the 2022 HackWithNativeBase hackathon was held at iNeuron.ai, Brigade Signature Towers, Bangalore, with prizes denominated in Indian rupees). GeekyAnts states it has designed and built React Native apps for almost 200+ clients across the globe, and the library's user community spans web, iOS and Android developers internationally.
History
NativeBase was first published in April 2016 and is described on its own site as the first React Native component library. Version 1 provided basic native building blocks such as UITabBar on iOS and Drawer on Android. Version 2 added new components, preset themes and unified icons with a focus on easy theming, and from v2.4.1 added web support; v2-era documentation also describes support for Vue Native. Version 3 rebuilt the library around ARIA-based accessibility, Styled System-inspired utility props, dark mode, responsive array/object style values and roughly 40 components consistent across Android, iOS and web; the current documented release line is 3.4.x. The project subsequently transitioned to gluestack-ui: what had been planned as NativeBase v4 shipped instead as gluestack-ui, and the GitHub repository is now labelled deprecated with NativeBase in maintenance mode while remaining available and stable for existing projects.
Risks & controversies
The GitHub repository is explicitly labelled deprecated and the project is in maintenance mode, with documentation stating the NativeBase docs are no longer maintained and recommending gluestack-ui for new projects. The stated rationale for the successor library is that NativeBase v3 had performance and maintainability issues. The enterprise support plan is described only as 'coming soon.' Existing users face a migration path to @gluestack-ui/themed.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 5
launches, deals, and filingsNativeBase entered maintenance mode and evolved into gluestack-ui; what was planned as NativeBase v4 was released instead as gluestack-ui, a headless, independent component set with the dank.style styling library. NativeBase documentation is no longer maintained and the GitHub repository is marked deprecated.
Two-day React Native hackathon held 2-3 July 2022 at iNeuron.ai, Brigade Signature Towers, Bangalore, with more than Rs 4,50,000 in total prizes and teams of 2-4; up to 50 individuals could win interviews with the GeekyAnts team.
Version 3.0 shipped with ARIA integration, utility props powered by Styled System, dark mode, responsive style values and nearly 40 components consistent across Android, iOS and web.
NativeBase was first published in April 2016 as an open-source React Native framework; v1 included UITabBar on iOS and Drawer on Android.
Version 2 added new components, preset themes and unified icons, with a focus on easy theming; web support was added from v2.4.1 onward.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- NativeBasenativebase.io Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does NativeBase do?
- Open-source React Native component library by GeekyAnts for universal iOS/Android/web UI, now in maintenance mode as it evolves into gluestack-ui.
- Who founded NativeBase?
- NativeBase was founded by Sanket Sahu.
- Who are NativeBase's investors?
- NativeBase's investors include Felicis Ventures.