What is react-native-ui-kitten?

akveo/react-native-ui-kitten — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 10,679TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((ui-kitten))
    What it does
      Pre-built components
      Consistent styling
      Theme switching
    Components
      Buttons and inputs
      Cards and lists
      480 SVG icons
    Design system
      Eva design system
      Light and dark themes
      Custom themes
    Getting started
      One-line template
      Kitten Tricks starter
      JS and TS versions

mindmap root((ui-kitten)) What it does Pre-built components Consistent styling Theme switching Components Buttons and inputs Cards and lists 480 SVG icons Design system Eva design system Light and dark themes Custom themes Getting started One-line template Kitten Tricks starter JS and TS versions

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Bootstrap a new React Native app with UI Kitten pre-configured using the one-line template command.

USE CASE 2

Add a consistent set of buttons, inputs, cards, and lists to an existing React Native app without designing each component from scratch.

USE CASE 3

Let users switch between light and dark themes in your mobile app at runtime without restarting.

USE CASE 4

Kickstart a mobile app with 40+ pre-built screens from the Kitten Tricks starter kit and customize from there.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptReact NativeJavaScript

How does it compare?

	akveo/react-native-ui-kitten	helmetjs/helmet	elie222/inbox-zero
Stars	10,679	10,677	10,685
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript	TypeScript
Setup difficulty	easy	easy	moderate
Complexity	2/5	2/5	3/5
Audience	developer	developer	general

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

MIT license, use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

So what is it?

UI Kitten is a free, open source library of pre-built interface components for building mobile apps with React Native. React Native is a framework that lets you write one codebase and publish it as both an iOS and Android app. UI Kitten gives you a set of 25 or more ready-made components, such as buttons, inputs, cards, and lists, that are already styled and consistent with each other so you do not need to design each one from scratch. The library is built on top of a design system called Eva, which provides the visual rules that all components follow. One notable feature is runtime theme switching: you can let users toggle between a light and a dark theme without restarting the app. You can also create your own custom themes. The library includes support for a set of 480 icons in SVG format. To start a new project with UI Kitten already configured, the README provides a one-line command that creates a fresh React Native app using a template. There is both a JavaScript and a TypeScript version of the template. For developers who want a bigger head start, the team maintains a companion project called Kitten Tricks, which is a starter kit containing over 40 pre-built screens in both light and dark themes that you can adapt for your own app. UI Kitten is made by Akveo, a software development company that also offers paid professional support for teams building React Native applications. The project is fully open source under the MIT license and has comprehensive documentation with examples.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Using react-native-ui-kitten, create a login screen with an email input, password input, and a primary button styled with the Eva Light theme.

Prompt 2

How do I implement runtime theme switching in UI Kitten so a toggle in my settings screen switches between light and dark modes?

Prompt 3

Show me how to create a custom Eva theme in UI Kitten that changes the primary brand color to purple across all components.

Prompt 4

I want to use UI Kitten icons. Show me how to register the icon library and render an SVG icon inside a Button component.

Frequently asked questions