Mastering React Native Paper: A Practical Guide

Profile Picture of Farhan Babar
Farhan Babar
Senior React Native Developer

Getting into React Native app development? Then buckle up, because crafting a slick, consistent UI can feel like a wild ride!  One minute, you are tweaking styles, and the next, you’re drowning in component props. But hey, don’t panic.

The React Native ecosystem has your back with libraries like React Native Paper, which packs a full set of Material Design awesomeness to keep your user interface game strong. It’s smooth and flexible and can craft an awesome app with a polished, modern, and professional look.

Whether you’re just starting with React Native or an experienced developer seeking to optimize your workflow, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to implement React Native Paper effectively.

Table Of Contents

We’ll break down the ins and outs of React Native Paper, including its best features like typography, elevation, dark mode support, and easy-to-use components like buttons, dialogs, and text inputs. We’ll also compare it with another popular UI library (React Native Elements) to help you figure out when Paper is the right tool for the job (and when it isn’t). So, let’s dive in!

Why Choose React Native Paper

Pre-built, Customizable Components

Now, let’s talk about React Native Paper — easily one of the best UI kits for React Native apps.

Imagine building a beautiful app without designing every button, card, or dialog from scratch. That’s exactly what Paper does. It gives you ready-to-use components like Buttons, Cards, Text Inputs, Chips, Dialogs, and Snackbars — all built-in.

The best part? Everything follows Material Design, Google’s design system for clean, modern, and easy-to-use interfaces. Material Design means simple icons, smooth animations, and the same polished look on both iOS and Android. So, with Paper, you’re not just getting components, you’re getting a pro-level design system, right out of the box.

Originally published on Mar 13, 2025Last updated on Mar 13, 2025

Key Takeaways

What is React Native Paper?

React Native Paper is a UI library that provides pre-built, customizable components following Google’s Material Design. It ensures a clean, modern look with smooth animations and consistent styling across iOS and Android. Designed for quick and professional UI development, it simplifies theming and integration into React Native projects.

What are some commonly used components in React Native Paper?

Popular components in React Native Paper include Button for interactions, Card for structured content, TextInput for forms, Dialog for alerts, Snackbar for messages, Appbar for navigation, List for displaying items, Chips for filtering, FAB for floating actions, and Checkbox for selections. These components offer built-in Material Design styling and smooth performance.

Difference between React Native Paper and React Native Elements

React Native Paper follows Material Design principles, offering a cohesive, ready-to-use UI system, while React Native Elements provides greater design flexibility with a broader range of styles. Paper is ideal for developers who want a polished, Material Design-compliant app with minimal setup, whereas Elements is better suited for those needing highly customized components without a predefined design framework.

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