React Native Session Replay Tools Compared

Yes, you can record React Native sessions today. Sentry, PostHog, LogRocket, UXCam, Smartlook and Vexo are generally known to offer React Native SDKs with replay, and AnyReplay records the React element tree in pure JavaScript. The biggest difference between React Native session replay tools is not the dashboard but how they capture the screen, which decides fidelity, data usage, masking and whether you need a native build.

This guide explains the two capture approaches, describes each tool from its public positioning, and lists what to check before installing one. Mobile SDKs change quickly, so check each vendor's docs for current support and limits.

React Native session replay tools at a glance

How is mobile session replay different from web?

On the web, replay records the DOM: a snapshot of the page and every change to it, which the player rebuilds in a sandboxed iframe. A phone has no DOM. A mobile recorder has to decide what "the screen" is, and in React Native there are two broad answers.

Screenshots and the native view hierarchy

Many mobile replay SDKs capture through native code: they take periodic screenshots, or walk the iOS and Android view hierarchy, and reconstruct the screen from that. The advantage is fidelity. Images, custom drawing, maps and native components look like the real app. The costs are a native module, which usually means a development build rather than Expo Go (check their docs for Expo Go support), more data per session because pixels are heavier than structure, and masking that has to identify sensitive areas in what was captured.

JavaScript element-tree (semantic) recording

The other approach records what React renders: element types, text, positions and sizes. This is semantic recording, and it is how AnyReplay works. It needs no native module, sends only what changed, masks text inputs before anything leaves the device, and keeps real text that can be searched and translated. The trade-offs are real: the replay is a wireframe with real text rather than a pixel-perfect picture, custom native components appear as empty boxes, and AnyReplay requires the New Architecture. Session replay for React Native without screenshots goes deeper.

The tools, one by one

Sentry

Sentry is error and performance monitoring with session replay attached to errors, and its React Native SDK includes mobile session replay. Its strength is context: a replay next to a crash, a stack trace and performance data. If your team already triages errors in Sentry, it is the obvious first candidate. Check their docs for how mobile replay is captured, masked and configured, and for Expo support.

PostHog

PostHog positions itself as an all-in-one product platform, and its React Native SDK supports session replay alongside analytics, feature flags and experiments. It suits teams that want mobile recordings tied to events and funnels in the same place. Check their docs for mobile replay requirements and current limits. See AnyReplay vs PostHog.

LogRocket

LogRocket is generally known for developer-focused replay with console, network and error context plus product analytics, and it is generally known to offer a React Native SDK. It is a natural fit if your web product already runs on LogRocket. Check their docs for how the mobile SDK captures sessions and whether it needs a native build. See AnyReplay vs LogRocket.

UXCam

UXCam positions itself as mobile app analytics with session replay, aimed at product teams who want screen flows and user journeys as well as individual recordings. It is worth a look when app analytics, rather than debugging, is the main job. Check their docs for React Native setup, masking options and Expo support.

Smartlook

Smartlook, part of Cisco, is generally known for session recordings across web and native mobile apps, paired with events and funnels. It suits teams that want one tool across a website and several app platforms. Check their docs for React Native specifics. See AnyReplay vs Smartlook.

Vexo

Vexo focuses specifically on React Native and Expo, offering analytics and session replays designed for that stack. If you want a tool whose whole product is built around React Native apps, it is worth comparing. Check their docs for how recordings are captured and which Expo workflows are supported.

AnyReplay

AnyReplay's @anyreplay/react-native SDK is pure JavaScript, with no native module, no prebuild and no config plugin, so it works in Expo Go and in development and production builds on the New Architecture (the default from Expo SDK 52). It records the committed element tree every 500 ms by default and sends only changes, records scroll positions, taps (when the finger lifts, so a scroll is not a tap) and rage taps, and follows screens through React Navigation or a screen(name) call for Expo Router. Masking runs on the device and matches the browser SDK: credential and payment fields are masked whatever you configure, and every TextInput is masked unless you set maskAllInputs: false. Reviewers can translate a session into their own language. Setup is on the React Native and Expo integration pages.

Does session replay work with Expo Go?

It depends on the SDK. Expo Go only runs JavaScript and the native modules bundled with it, so a recorder that needs its own native code generally needs a development build instead; check each vendor's docs for Expo Go support. AnyReplay has no native code and runs in Expo Go, provided the project uses the New Architecture.

Does session replay affect app performance?

Any recorder does some work on the device and uses some network. The questions are how often it captures, how much it sends and whether it can be tuned. Pixel capture sends images; element-tree capture sends structure and, once a screen is recorded, only changes, so an idle screen sends nothing. In AnyReplay, snapshotIntervalMs controls capture frequency and sampleRate controls what share of users are recorded. Measure on your slowest supported device before a full rollout, whichever tool you pick.

What to check before choosing

• Expo support. Does it run in Expo Go, or does it need a development build or config plugin?
• New Architecture. Is the SDK compatible with Fabric, or does it require it? AnyReplay requires React Native 0.72+ with the New Architecture.
• Masking on the device. Are text inputs masked before data leaves the phone, and how do you mask other views? See input masking.
• Data usage. How much does a typical session send on a mobile connection, and can you reduce it?
• Native crash context. Do you need replay linked to native crashes and stack traces? Sentry is strong here; AnyReplay does not capture them.
• Fidelity. Do reviewers need pixel-accurate screens, or is a wireframe with real text enough to see what the user did?
• Web too. Do you want the same tool for your website?

Where AnyReplay fits (and where it doesn't)

Choose another tool if you need pixel-accurate screens, heavy use of custom native components, maps or canvas drawing, native crash reports, console or network logs, or funnels and product analytics: Sentry, LogRocket, PostHog, UXCam and Smartlook cover those. AnyReplay does not record the screen on the old architecture, has no SDK yet for native Swift or Kotlin apps, and lists record only the rows that were rendered.

AnyReplay fits mobile app teams who want to install replay like any JavaScript package, keep it working in Expo Go, mask inputs on the device, and let support or product reviewers watch sessions in their own language, with the same tool covering the website. It is in early access with a free plan; see pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Sentry, PostHog, LogRocket, UXCam, Smartlook, Vexo, React Native and Expo are trademarks of their owners. AnyReplay is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Descriptions are general and may be out of date; check each vendor's site for current features, pricing and limits.