AppX vs Rork (2026): Expo Code or Native Swift?
AppX builds one Expo + React Native project from $5/mo. Rork now builds native Swift and Kotlin apps from $20/mo. A fair, sourced comparison.
Ilyos Olimov ·
Disclosure: we make AppX. Everything said about Rork below comes from Rork's own documentation, read on 3 October 2026 and linked at the end.
Short answer. AppX and Rork both turn a plain-text description into a mobile app, but they now produce different things. AppX writes one standard Expo SDK 54 + React Native project that runs on iPhone and Android and downloads as a ZIP on every plan, from $5 a month. Rork's docs say it no longer creates Expo projects: new apps are native Swift for iPhone and native Kotlin for Android, from $20 a month, with store submission built in.
The difference that decides it: one codebase or two
For a long time the two tools looked alike. They don't anymore.
Rork's documentation has a page called "What happened to Expo?". It says: "You can no longer create Expo (React Native) projects in Rork." New iPhone apps are Swift, new Android apps are Kotlin, new web apps are React. Existing Expo projects keep working. The same page explains the trade-off openly: an iPhone app and an Android app are now two separate codebases inside one project, and the agent is how you keep them in sync.
Rork's marketing FAQ (rork.com/faq) still described Rork Pro as React Native + Expo, with paid plans from $25, on the day we checked. Its docs and plans page say otherwise; we followed the docs.
AppX goes the other way. Every app is one Expo SDK 54 + React Native project. The same code runs on iPhone and Android, and you open it on your own phone with Expo Go.
Neither choice is wrong. Native Swift can do things AppX apps don't do today. One shared codebase is simpler to own, hand to a developer, and keep consistent across platforms.
Side by side
| AppX | Rork | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | One Expo SDK 54 + React Native project | SwiftUI for iPhone, Kotlin + Compose for Android, Vite + React for web |
| iPhone and Android | Same code | Two separate native codebases in one project |
| Cheapest plan that builds a working app | Basic, $5/mo, 100 credits | Rork Pro, $20/mo, 100 credits |
| Free plan | None | Design mode only; a working app needs a paid plan |
| Code export | Full project ZIP, every plan | GitHub integration with two-way sync, paid plans |
| Preview on your phone | Expo Go, plus a web preview | Simulator in the browser; install on your iPhone with Rork's iPhone app or its desktop Companion over USB |
| Store publishing | With a real person, at a written price | Built in: Rork builds and uploads from its own machines |
| Backend | Optional AppX Backend from Starter ($20/mo) | Rork Cloud (beta), or Supabase / Firebase |
| Widgets, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | No | Yes, on Rork Max (from $200/mo) |
Credits are not the same unit in the two products. Rork describes a credit as roughly one request to the agent, and says iOS builds and cloud simulator sessions are charged on top of the message that started them.
What the entry plan buys
On AppX we measured real builds. A 1-screen timer used 11 credits, a 2-screen water tracker 16, and a 5-screen recipe app 29. Basic gives 100 credits for $5, so the recipe app cost about $1.45 and three apps of that size fit in a month. If a first build fails, you aren't charged. Extra credits are $5 for 60.
Rork Pro gives 100 credits for $20, with no daily cap. Rork's docs don't publish a per-app credit figure, so we can't tell you how many apps that is, and we won't guess.
Preview and publishing
Preview. With AppX you get a web preview and you scan a code to open the app in Expo Go on your own phone. With Rork you test in an iOS simulator or Android emulator in the browser, and you can install an iPhone app on your own device through Rork's tools or TestFlight.
Publishing. This is where Rork is clearly ahead on automation. Its docs describe a Publish menu with a submit step for the App Store: Rork builds and uploads on its own machines, with no Mac or Xcode, and you finish the listing in App Store Connect. For Google Play it builds and signs the bundle and you create the app record in Play Console.
AppX does not have a submit button. When you want to publish on the App Store or Google Play, a real person from our team does it with you, at a written price you see before you pay. In both products you pay Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 yourself.
When to pick Rork
- You want a native Swift app and care about iPhone-only features. Rork lists widgets, Live Activities, Apple Watch and Health integration as things native apps can do.
- You want to submit to the stores from inside the builder, today.
- You work in GitHub and want two-way sync with your editor.
- You need notifications or background work now. Rork's docs list both for native apps. AppX apps don't include push notifications, maps or background location yet.
- You want a built-in backend with a Postgres database and edge functions.
When to pick AppX
- You want one codebase for both platforms, in a stack any React Native developer can pick up.
- You want to start at $5 a month, not $20, and still get the code.
- You want the ZIP in your hands without connecting GitHub.
- You like to see the plan before anything is built. AppX plans the screens first and builds in milestones: the first build delivers the first part, then "Build next milestone" adds more.
- You prefer an interface in Russian or Uzbek.
- You'd rather have a person handle the store submission with you than follow the steps alone.
FAQ
Does Rork still generate React Native code?
Not for new projects. Rork's docs say new Expo (React Native) projects can no longer be created, and that existing Expo projects keep working and can still be built, published and exported.
Is AppX cheaper than Rork?
The entry price is lower: AppX Basic is $5 a month and Rork Pro is $20 a month. Both include 100 credits, but a credit is not the same unit in the two products, so compare by what you build, not by the number.
Can I get the source code from both?
Yes. AppX gives the full Expo project as a ZIP on every plan. Rork exports through its GitHub integration on paid plans.
How long does a build take in each?
We only measured AppX: on our 12-app bench on 27 September 2026 the median first build took about 6.3 minutes and an edit about 1.9 minutes. We have not benchmarked Rork, so we make no claim about it.
Can AppX publish my app on the App Store?
Yes, with a real person from the AppX team, at a written price. It is not automatic. Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 are paid by you.
Sources
All pages fetched on 2026-10-03.
- Rork, "What happened to Expo?": https://docs.rork.com/expo
- Rork, Plans & Subscriptions: https://docs.rork.com/introduction/subscriptions
- Rork, iPhone, Android, or web: https://docs.rork.com/swift-vs-react-native/whats-the-difference
- Rork, Code Export FAQ: https://docs.rork.com/faq/code-export
- Rork, Publishing FAQ: https://docs.rork.com/faq/publishing
- Rork, General FAQ: https://docs.rork.com/faq/general
- Rork, Technical FAQ: https://docs.rork.com/faq/technical
- Rork, Publish your app: https://docs.rork.com/introduction/deploy-your-app
- Rork, Rork Cloud: https://docs.rork.com/backend/rork-cloud
- Rork, Rork Companion: https://docs.rork.com/rork-max-swift
- Rork, marketing FAQ: https://rork.com/faq
- AppX: https://appx.uz/ · https://appx.uz/pricing · https://appx.uz/store-ready · https://appx.uz/blog/how-long-to-build-mobile-app-with-ai