> For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at /llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at /llms-full.txt.


# Cresc as a CodePush & Expo Updates alternative

If your React Native team is moving away from discontinued CodePush or seeking a cost-effective alternative to Expo Updates (EAS Update), Cresc is the ideal drop-in replacement: keep the OTA workflow, slash update bandwidth and MAU costs by up to 80%+, deliver 90% smaller delta patches, and keep rollback and CI/CD automation in reach.

## Why teams look for a replacement

- **CodePush reached end-of-life** and is no longer maintained. Teams need a future-proof, actively developed home for React Native hot updates.
- **Expo Updates (EAS Update) is costly at scale**: Metered billing ($0.005 per additional update MAU and $0.10/GiB edge bandwidth) creates unpredictable, runaway monthly invoices for high-traffic apps.
- **Full-bundle delivery wastes bandwidth**: Re-downloading whole multi-megabyte JavaScript bundles on every bugfix wastes end-user data and cellular battery compared to differential patches.
- **Teams still need rapid release cycles**: Shipping critical bug fixes and improvements in seconds without waiting for app store review delays remains essential.
- **Release engineers demand predictability**: Engineering teams need transparent flat pricing, CI-friendly publishing, automated rollback protection, and full release auditability.

## What Cresc gives you

- **Massive price advantage over Expo Updates**: Transparent flat monthly tiers ($19/mo Standard, $99/mo Pro covering 1,000,000 daily checks) with global CDN delivery included—no surprise per-user overage charges.
- **True delta OTA updates (HDiff)**: Ship a one-line fix as a 3.4 KB patch and a small feature in about 50 KB instead of shipping full multi-megabyte JavaScript bundles.
- **Automated rollback protection**: Automated health checks detect release issues and revert users safely to the last known good build.
- **Source-mapped JS crash reporting (included free)**: View production stack traces symbolicated back to your original source lines—Sentry-style observability without an extra subscription.
- **CI/CD native workflow**: CLI and dashboard tools built to slot cleanly into GitHub Actions, Bitrise, Fastlane, and custom deployment pipelines.
- **Self-hosting flexibility**: Option to self-host backend components for complete control and data sovereignty.
- **Cross-ecosystem support**: Works seamlessly across React Native CLI, Expo prebuild/bare workflows, Hermes bytecode, and HarmonyOS.

## Feature & Pricing Comparison

| Capability                        | Cresc                                   | CodePush (Discontinued)    | Expo Updates (EAS Update)               |
| --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Pricing predictability**        | **Fixed flat tiers, $0 overages**       | Free (no longer available) | Metered usage: MAU + bandwidth ($$$)    |
| **Entry paid tier**               | **$19/mo** (10,000 checks/day)          | N/A                        | $19/mo (restricted to 3,000 MAUs)       |
| **Production tier**               | **$99/mo** (1,000,000 checks/day)       | N/A                        | **$199/mo** (restricted to 50,000 MAUs) |
| **Overage penalties**             | **None (zero surprise bills)**          | N/A                        | **$0.005/user + $0.10/GiB bandwidth**   |
| **Typical update size**           | **3.4–98 KB (benchmarked delta patch)** | Multi-megabytes            | Multi-megabytes (full bundle)           |
| **Global CDN bandwidth**          | **Included on every plan**              | Discontinued               | Costly edge bandwidth overages          |
| **Automated rollback**            | **Yes (automatic crash detection)**     | Yes                        | Limited                                 |
| **Source-mapped crash reporting** | **Yes, included free**                  | No                         | Requires separate paid service (Sentry) |
| **Active maintenance & updates**  | **Active & continually evolving**       | Discontinued (March 2025)  | Active                                  |
| **HarmonyOS OTA support**         | **Yes**                                 | No                         | No                                      |
| **Self-hosting support**          | **Yes**                                 | Community forks only       | Complex EAS lock-in                     |

## Migration path in four steps

1. Install the Cresc CLI (`npm i -g react-native-update-cli`) and integrate the SDK into your React Native or Expo app.
2. Upload the production APK or IPA matching the build users currently have installed as the baseline package.
3. Connect Cresc into your CI/CD pipeline using your API Key.
4. Publish your next OTA update through Cresc, observing micro delta patch downloads, adoption rates, and rollback safety.

Start here:

- [Installation and configuration](/docs/getting-started.md)
- [Code integration](/docs/integration.md)
- [CodePush API migration guide](/codepush-api-migration.md)
- [Publishing hot updates](/docs/publish.md)
- [Expo pricing vs Cresc](/expo-pricing-vs-cresc.md)

## Who should choose Cresc

Choose Cresc if your team:

- Needs an actively maintained, drop-in replacement for discontinued CodePush.
- Wants to escape high, metered monthly bills from Expo EAS Update.
- Wants 3.4 KB hotfix downloads instead of multi-megabyte bundles eating users' cellular data.
- Demands predictable, flat monthly infrastructure costs with global CDN delivery included.
- Needs source-mapped JS error monitoring without paying for an external crash reporting service.

## FAQ

### Is Cresc a direct replacement for CodePush and Expo Updates?

Yes. For CodePush users, Cresc provides the exact same operational mental model: upload a baseline native package, build and push JavaScript updates, and manage rollout targets—backed by an active CLI, SDK, and dashboard. For Expo users, Cresc provides identical OTA delivery capabilities at a fraction of the cost, eliminating EAS Update lock-in and meter anxiety.

### How much cheaper is Cresc compared to Expo Updates?

For most active apps, Cresc delivers **70% to 90% cost savings**:

- Expo charges $199/month for its Production plan, which only includes 50,000 update MAUs and 1 TiB bandwidth. Every additional updated user costs $0.005, and each extra GiB of bandwidth costs $0.10. An app serving 150,000 users with two 5 MB updates a month can easily face monthly bills of **$700+**.
- With Cresc, the **Pro tier is just $99/month** (less than half Expo's base fee) and covers **1,000,000 daily queries** with global CDN bandwidth included and zero overage fees. Furthermore, Cresc's HDiff delta compression shrinks downloads to tens of kilobytes, drastically reducing data transfer.

### What still requires a native release?

Native code modifications, native dependency changes, and anything that modifies files under `ios/` or `android/` still requires a standard store submission. Pure JavaScript logic, styling, and bundled image assets can be updated instantly over the air.

### Can I migrate without rewriting the whole app?

Yes. The migration consists solely of swapping the SDK import, uploading the initial production baseline package, and adjusting your build scripts. Your app's core architecture and component code remain untouched.

### Where should I start?

Visit [Getting Started](/docs/getting-started.md) to install the SDK, or check our [CodePush & Expo Migration Checklist](/codepush-migration-checklist.md) for a step-by-step migration guide.


### Contact Us

- [Email hi@cresc.dev](mailto:hi@cresc.dev)
- [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/reactnativecn/react-native-update/discussions)

### Terms & Policies

- [User Agreement](https://cresc.dev/policy/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://cresc.dev/policy/#privacy)

### Help & Support

- [FAQ](/docs/faq)
- [CodePush & Expo Updates Alternative](/codepush-alternative)
- [CodePush & Expo Migration](/codepush-migration-checklist)
- [CodePush API Migration](/codepush-api-migration)
- [Expo Updates vs Cresc](/expo-updates-vs-cresc)
- [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/reactnativecn/react-native-update/issues)

### Links

- [React Native OTA Guide](/react-native-ota-updates)
- [Expo Pricing vs Cresc](/expo-pricing-vs-cresc)
- [llms.txt](/llms.txt)
- [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt)
- [React Native](https://reactnative.dev/)
- [ReactJS](https://react.dev/)

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