Expo EAS Update Alternative — Best Expo Updates Replacement with Patch Updates
Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates are widely adopted OTA solutions within the Expo ecosystem. For teams building apps with Expo's managed workflow and EAS Build, they provide a straightforward path to over-the-air updates without the complexity of managing infrastructure.
However, as apps scale and requirements evolve, many teams find themselves needing capabilities that go beyond what Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates offer: smaller updates through patch updates, extensive rollback mechanisms, internal testing flows, bare React Native support, and on-premise hosting options.
React Native Stallion provides these capabilities at a lower cost than Expo EAS Update, making it a strong alternative for teams needing more flexibility while maintaining the reliability and ease of use that modern React Native OTA solutions should offer.
What Expo Updates Does Well
Before diving into the differences, it's important to acknowledge what Expo Updates does well:
Great for Apps Built Inside the Expo-Managed Workflow
Expo Updates excels when your entire app development workflow is built around Expo's managed environment. If you're using Expo's build service, EAS, and staying within the managed workflow, Expo Updates integrates seamlessly.
Simple Setup and Frictionless Integration
For teams already in the Expo ecosystem, getting started with Expo Updates is straightforward. The integration is well-documented and the setup process is designed to be as frictionless as possible.
Reliable OTA Distribution for Many Use Cases
Expo Updates provides reliable over-the-air distribution for many common use cases. For apps that fit within Expo's managed workflow and don't need advanced customization, it works well.
Expo EAS Update vs React Native Stallion
Expo EAS Update is Expo's cloud-based OTA solution that works seamlessly with EAS Build. While Expo EAS Update provides reliable distribution, React Native Stallion offers significant advantages for teams needing patch updates, extensive rollback mechanisms, and cost efficiency.
Key Differences: Expo EAS Update vs React Native Stallion
- Patch Updates: Expo EAS Update delivers full bundles only. React Native Stallion supports patch updates that are 90-98% smaller.
- Cost: Expo EAS Update pricing can scale significantly with usage. React Native Stallion offers more affordable, predictable pricing.
- On-Premise: Expo EAS Update has no self-hosting option. React Native Stallion offers full on-premise deployment.
- Rollback Mechanism: React Native Stallion provides extensive and dependable automatic rollback with crash-aware recovery. Expo EAS Update has limited rollback capabilities.
Where Teams May Outgrow Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates
As your app scales and requirements become more complex, you may find that Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates have limitations that impact your ability to deliver the best possible update experience. Here's where React Native Stallion provides additional capabilities:
Patch Updates
Expo EAS Update & Expo Updates: Full bundle delivery only. Every update requires downloading the entire bundle, even for tiny changes.
React Native Stallion: Patch updates supported—significantly smaller and faster OTA releases. Updates are often 90-98% smaller than full bundles, downloading in seconds instead of minutes.
Extensive Rollback & Crash Recovery
Expo EAS Update & Expo Updates: Limited rollback capabilities. Manual intervention often required when updates cause issues.
React Native Stallion: Extensive and dependable automatic rollback mechanism with crash-aware recovery. Automatically detects and reverts problematic updates, preventing crash loops and ensuring app stability. Manual rollback options available for device-level control.
Internal Testing
Expo EAS Update & Expo Updates: Limited to the Expo ecosystem. Internal testing capabilities are constrained by Expo's managed workflow.
React Native Stallion: Fully supported for any React Native app—internal channels, QA groups, and staged testing. You can create dedicated testing channels for your team, test updates before production, and promote builds safely from internal → beta → production.
Bare React Native Support
Expo EAS Update & Expo Updates: Limited; primarily designed for managed workflow. While Expo supports bare React Native apps, the OTA update capabilities are optimized for the managed workflow.
React Native Stallion: Excellent; works with all React Native setups, including custom native modules and enterprise apps. Whether you're using bare React Native, custom native code, or complex native modules, React Native Stallion integrates seamlessly.
On-Prem Hosting
Expo EAS Update & Expo Updates: No on-premise or self-hosted option. All updates must go through Expo's infrastructure.
React Native Stallion: Full on-prem hosting option for compliance-heavy teams. Deploy on your own infrastructure with complete data control, perfect for enterprises with regulatory requirements, data residency needs, or security policies that mandate internal hosting.
Cost
Expo EAS Update & Expo Updates: Can become expensive for teams that grow beyond the managed workflow. As your app scales and you need more features, costs can increase significantly.
React Native Stallion: Inexpensive, predictable, and purpose-built for OTA delivery. Transparent pricing that scales with your needs without hidden costs or expensive add-ons.
Extensive & Dependable Rollback Mechanism
React Native Stallion provides an extensive and dependable rollback mechanism that automatically protects your app from problematic updates. Our crash-aware recovery system detects issues immediately and reverts to the previous stable version, preventing crash loops and ensuring your users always have a working app.
- Automatic Rollback: Detects and reverts problematic updates without manual intervention
- Crash-Aware Recovery: Prevents crash loops by identifying and rolling back updates that cause startup failures
- Manual Rollback: Device-level control to revert installed updates when needed
- Dependable Protection: Extensive testing and production-proven rollback mechanisms ensure your app remains stable
This extensive rollback capability is a key differentiator from Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates, which have limited rollback mechanisms and often require manual intervention when updates cause issues.
| Capability | React Native Stallion | CodePush (or any of its forks) | Expo Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
Differential / Patch Updates Binary-safe diffs, 98% smaller than full bundles | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Rollback & Crash Recovery Automatic rollback and crash loop prevention | ✓ | ✗ | △ Limited |
Manual Rollback Device-level revert for installed updates | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Bandwidth Efficiency Minimal data transfer for faster installs | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Bundle Signing Cryptographic verification, tamper-proof | ✓ Customer keys | △ Deployment-key | ✓ Expo-managed |
Active Development Regular updates, modern features | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Self-Hosted Option On-premise deployment available | ✓ | △ Fork-based | ✗ |
Update Strategy Control Granular install strategies, mandatory prompts | ✓ | △ Limited | ✓ |
Update Analytics Release-wise adoption and failure tracking | ✓ | ✗ | △ Basic |
AI-Powered Release Intelligence Intelligent crash analytics, automated fixes, and release optimization | ⏳ Planned | ✗ | ✗ |
Comparison based on documented capabilities and common production usage as of 2025.
When React Native Stallion Is the Better Choice
React Native Stallion becomes the better choice when your team needs:
Smaller, Faster OTA Updates
If you want to reduce update sizes by 90-98% and deliver updates that download in seconds instead of minutes, React Native Stallion's Patch Updates provide a significant advantage over Expo Updates' full bundle approach.
Extensive Rollback & Crash Recovery
React Native Stallion's extensive and dependable rollback mechanism automatically detects and reverts problematic updates, preventing crash loops and ensuring app stability. This provides peace of mind that bad updates won't impact your users.
Internal or Beta Testing Flows
For teams that need dedicated internal testing channels, QA workflows, or beta testing capabilities, React Native Stallion provides built-in support that Expo Updates lacks.
Bare React Native or Custom Native Modules
If you're using bare React Native, custom native code, or complex native modules, React Native Stallion works seamlessly with any React Native setup, while Expo Updates is optimized primarily for the managed workflow.
On-Premise Hosting
For organizations with compliance requirements, data residency regulations, or security policies that mandate internal hosting, React Native Stallion's on-premise option provides the control you need, while Expo Updates offers no self-hosting option.
More Flexible OTA Behavior at Lower Cost
When you need advanced OTA capabilities without the cost overhead that can come with scaling Expo Updates, React Native Stallion provides a more affordable and flexible solution.
Migration from Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates
If you're currently using Expo EAS Update or Expo Updates and considering React Native Stallion, the migration process is straightforward:
- Similar Concepts: Both solutions follow similar OTA update patterns, making the transition smooth
- Comprehensive Documentation: React Native Stallion provides detailed guides for migrating from various OTA solutions
- Step-by-Step Guide: Follow our Expo integration guide for complete migration instructions
Learn how to migrate your Expo app from Expo EAS Update or Expo Updates to React Native Stallion →
Our Expo integration guide provides step-by-step instructions for a smooth transition.
Conclusion
Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates are excellent for apps fully inside the Expo ecosystem. If you're building with Expo's managed workflow and your requirements fit within Expo's capabilities, they're solid choices.
React Native Stallion becomes the better alternative when teams need:
- Patch updates for smaller, faster releases
- Extensive and dependable rollback mechanism with crash-aware recovery
- Internal and beta testing flows
- On-premise hosting for compliance and security
- Better cost efficiency at scale
- Support for bare React Native and custom native modules
For scaling React Native apps that need more flexibility, advanced features, and cost-effective OTA delivery, React Native Stallion provides a highly flexible and future-proof OTA platform.
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is React Native Stallion a good Expo EAS Update alternative?
Yes, React Native Stallion is an excellent Expo EAS Update alternative and Expo Updates replacement, especially for teams needing patch updates (90-98% smaller than Expo EAS Update's full bundles), extensive rollback mechanisms, internal testing, on-prem hosting, or better cost efficiency than Expo EAS Update. It works with any React Native setup, not just Expo-managed workflows.
Is React Native Stallion a good Expo Updates alternative?
Yes, React Native Stallion is an excellent Expo Updates alternative, especially for teams needing patch updates, extensive rollback mechanisms, internal testing, on-prem hosting, or better cost efficiency. It works with any React Native setup, not just Expo-managed workflows.
Does React Native Stallion support patch updates?
Yes! React Native Stallion's Patch Updates feature provides differential updates that are 90-98% smaller than full bundles. This is a key advantage over Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates, which only support full bundle downloads. Learn more in our Patch Updates guide.
Can I use React Native Stallion with Expo apps?
Yes, React Native Stallion works with all React Native apps, including those built with Expo. Whether you're using Expo's managed workflow, bare React Native, or custom native modules, React Native Stallion integrates seamlessly. Learn how to integrate React Native Stallion with your Expo app.
Does React Native Stallion support on-premise hosting?
Yes, React Native Stallion offers full on-premise hosting options for enterprises requiring data control, compliance, or security. This is a significant advantage over Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates, which have no self-hosting option. Learn more about self-hosted deployment.
How does React Native Stallion compare to Expo Updates in terms of cost?
React Native Stallion offers more affordable and predictable pricing compared to Expo EAS Update and Expo Updates, especially as apps scale. With transparent pricing and no hidden costs, React Native Stallion provides better value for teams needing advanced OTA capabilities.
Can I migrate from Expo Updates to React Native Stallion?
Yes, migrating from Expo EAS Update or Expo Updates to React Native Stallion is straightforward. The concepts are similar, and we provide comprehensive migration documentation. Check out our Expo integration guide for step-by-step instructions on migrating from Expo EAS Update or Expo Updates to React Native Stallion.