This decision gets made too early and too casually on a lot of mobile projects — usually based on which approach a particular developer happens to know, rather than what the app actually needs to do.
What cross-platform (React Native, Flutter) is genuinely good for
A single codebase across iOS and Android, faster initial development, and a smaller team needed to maintain two platforms. It’s a strong fit for apps that are primarily forms, lists, and standard UI patterns — most business and consumer apps fall into this category.
When native is worth the extra cost
Apps that lean heavily on platform-specific features — ARKit, HealthKit, complex animations, background processing, or deep OS integration — tend to fight cross-platform frameworks rather than benefit from them. Performance-critical apps (games, camera-heavy apps, anything with real-time processing) also tend to need native’s direct access to the platform.
A middle path worth considering
It’s also reasonable to build cross-platform first to validate the product, then rebuild specific native modules later if a particular feature genuinely needs it — rather than committing to full native development before you know the app will find its users. The expensive mistake isn’t picking the “wrong” approach; it’s picking an approach you can’t adjust once you learn more.