Trust me or not, video communication is skyrocketing at a much faster pace than anyone can imagine, from interacting with peers to having a quick face-to-face chat with friends and family, to purchasing a product online - every individual prefers this mode of communication. As a result of this, developers are seeking video calling SDKs to integrate an in-app video chat feature into their React Native apps, as it is the most popular cross-platform framework for building mobile applications.
But which provider to choose for your next app development project? Because there are many video calling APIs in the market that support the React Native framework. And that is where we step in, providing you with comprehensive information on the best providers, key features to consider, and more through this blog post.
What is a video calling SDK & API?
A video calling API (Application Programming Interface) is a technology that allows two applications to interact with each other, meaning you can use video APIs to easily add calling features like one-to-one face calls, group video calls, push notifications, and more to your existing chat software.
A video SDK (Software Development Kit), on the other hand, is a toolkit that provides pre-made UI components, libraries, documentation, and tools to enable developers to proceed with the integration process.
What are React Native video calling apps?
A React Native video calling app is simply a software or an application that is developed using the React Native framework for fostering real-time video communication between peers. Being a cross-platform framework, developers can use a single codebase to deploy the app on both Android and iOS platforms.
Top 10 must-have features of React Native video SDKs
With the fundamental part done, our next focus should be on how to choose the right in-app video calling API provider for React Native apps, and for that, you must ensure the third-party provider offers the following features:
Cross-Platform Support (iOS & Android)
Allows you to easily integrate a video calling feature into multiple platforms, such as Android and iOS, for a better user experience.HD Video & Audio with Adaptive Bitrate
Let users make crystal-clear video and audio calls with no lag or jitters, ensuring the utmost quality at all times.Noise Suppression & Echo Cancellation
Helps users connect with each other without any background noise and clean audio.Prebuilt & Customizable UI Components
Your choice of React Native video API provider must offer pre-built UI kits to speed up the user interface development process and add features that you require.One-to-one & Group Video Calling
Allows users to engage in single face-to-face interactions or group video calls with friends and family.Screen Sharing & Call Recording
Your preferred provider must have this attribute, which enables users to share their screen during a call and record it for later use.End-to-End Encryption & Token Authentication
The APIs and SDKs must be secured with stringent encryption mechanisms, such as end-to-end encryption, and multiple access control policies to safeguard them from threats.Push Notifications & Background Call Handling
Notifies users of any incoming or missed calls and allows them to handle calls from any device or platform smoothly.Low Latency & Real-Time Performance
The video calls made by users should have low latency and be able to deliver content instantly, even over unstable networks.Analytics, Logs & Reconnection Support
Your desired API provider must offer the ability to monitor call performance, provide white label apps that reflect your business identity, and auto-recover from disconnections.
5 Best React Native Video Call APIs & Chat SDKs
Below are 2025's best video SDKs and APIs to easily integrate high-quality video calling capabilities and other collaboration features into your React Native chat apps.
1. MirrorFly
MirrorFly is simply the industry's best and leading provider of in-app video, voice, and chat SDK, helping businesses and developers in building secure and feature-rich React Native chat apps. Along with this, they also support an end-to-end encryption mechanism to safeguard chats from potential threats, ultra-low latencies for instant communication even in unstable network conditions, over 1,000 call and chat features, and a dual pricing model - SaaS and SaaP.
While these are a positive aspect on one side of the coin, the other is the limitless customization capability and on-premise hosting ability that businesses love.
Features
- One-to-one and group video calls
- Topic-based chats
- Low-code SDKs
- Pre-built UI kits
- Multi-tenancy support
- 100% customizable solution
- Complete control on source codes
Developer Support - Yes
Deployment Options - On-cloud and on-prem hosting
Pricing - Offers Saas and SaaP pricing solutions for businesses
2. Apphitect
Apphitect is yet another self-hosted video calling SDK provider that aids businesses in creating polished React Native applications in minutes. If we speak of their excellence, then the list goes on - from offering myriads of chat and call attributes, high security, unmatched scalability, low latency, and the ability to host apps on business servers. Apart from this, they also let businesses build white-label video chat apps with their branding elements and logos.
Features
- Private and group video calls
- Presence indicators
- File and media sharing
- On-prem hosting
- Push notifications
- Complete control over source codes
- Whitelabel solutions
Developer Support - Yes
Deployment Options - On-premise hosting
Pricing - One-time payment option
3. Agora
Agora is one such real-time messaging platform whose APIs and SDKs are known to create functional video calling apps with rich feature set and great scalability. The platform is also known to positively enhance user engagement and interaction - because of its ultra-low latencies and advanced calling functionalities. Along with this, their major highlight is the global coverage that it gives with high-quality communication.
Features
- HD-video calls
- Screen sharing
- Adaptive video bitrate
- AI noise suppression
- Breakout rooms
Developer Support - Polished integration guides with GitHub repo
Deployment Options - Cloud hosting
Pricing - Pay-per-use pricing structure with $0.0009/min for voice conferencing and $0.0039/user for video conferencing
4. Twilio
Twilio's React Native video SDKs offer cloud-based services that enable developers to integrate premium communication and collaboration features into their applications seamlessly. Plus, their APIs support high-definition visuals, thus making them a superior communication platform. However, their major drawback is that Twilio video can support only 50 participants and no more than that.
Features
- HD-quality video calls
- Individual and group interactions
- Video call recording
Developer Support - Clean and documented React Native SDKs
Deployment Options - Twilio's cloud infrastructure
Pricing - Pricing varies based on features but mostly it is billed per minute
5. Sinch
Sinch’s React Native video SDK has become a must-try API provider by businesses around for building customizable web and mobile video chat applications with ease. Their APIs and SDKs are known for their multi-platform support and high-end features, unlike those of their peers. However, their only setback is the steep learning curve, which makes it difficult for new developers.
Features
- Single and group calls
- Multi-platform support
- Custom filters and masks
- Live streaming and broadcasting
- SMS and MMS capabilities
Developer Support - Only documentation support
Deployment Options - On-cloud hosting
Pricing - Offers variable pricing model, reach out to their sales team for accurate pricing
Concluding Notes!
To conclude, we can say that video SDKs are the future and a game-changer for businesses in creating customized, real-time video chat apps tailored to their specific needs and requirements. And with plenty of them in the market, look for SDKs that offer exquisite features, cross-platform support, and limitless customization capabilities so that you can boost user engagement and retention rates.
Also, conduct a thorough review of its latency and scalability parameters, as well as which provider outperforms the others in these aspects. That's all from us, and it's time to start integrating!