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SDUI framework comparison 2025

Best Server-Driven UI Frameworks for Mobile

Nativeblocks vs DivKit vs Firebase Remote Config vs custom build. What to choose for Android and iOS in 2026.

Try Nativeblocks freeWhat is SDUI?

Server-driven UI framework comparison

Feature-by-feature breakdown across the four main approaches teams use for mobile SDUI.

CriterionNativeblocksDivKitRemote ConfigCustom build
Use your own components
Works with Jetpack Compose
Works with SwiftUI
Code push without store review
Built-in A/B testing
Visual editor
Offline layout caching
Typed DSL (not raw JSON)
Open-source core
Free tier

Detailed breakdown

What each approach actually looks like in practice for a mobile team.

Recommended

Nativeblocks

Open-source SDUI for Kotlin & Swift

Strengths

Uses your own Jetpack Compose / SwiftUI components
Annotate existing code, no rewrite
Typed DSL generated from your components
Code push without app store review
A/B testing and rollout controls built in
Offline layout caching on-device
Open-source SDK, compiler, and CLI

Limitations

Native apps only (Android + iOS)

Best choice for native Android and iOS teams who want SDUI without giving up their design system or Kotlin/Swift codebase.

DivKit (Yandex)

JSON-described component SDUI

Strengths

Open-source and battle-tested at Yandex scale
Cross-platform support (iOS, Android, Web)
Rich built-in component library

Limitations

Must use DivKit's component model, can't bring your own
Custom components require significant effort
JSON schema can be verbose and hard to type-check
Tight coupling to DivKit's rendering engine

Good if you want a ready-made component set and don't need your own design system. Harder to adopt into an existing codebase.

Firebase Remote Config

Feature flags and configuration

Strengths

Already in many stacks (Firebase ecosystem)
Simple string/boolean/number configuration
Fast and reliable delivery

Limitations

Not SDUI. Controls values, not layout trees
Cannot change screen structure or component hierarchy
No visual editor for layouts
Requires code changes for structural UI updates

Right for feature flags and simple config values. Not a substitute for SDUI. You still need app releases to change screen layouts.

Custom / DIY SDUI

Build your own layout engine

Strengths

Full control over the schema and renderer
No external dependency

Limitations

Months of engineering time to build
Ongoing maintenance burden
No versioning, rollback, or A/B testing out of the box
Need to design your own JSON schema
Need to build a visual editor or use JSON directly

Makes sense for teams with very specific requirements and dedicated infrastructure bandwidth. Most teams underestimate the build cost.

How to choose the right SDUI framework

Use this decision guide to narrow it down for your team.

Are you building native Android or iOS apps (not React Native)?

Use Nativeblocks. It's built specifically for Jetpack Compose and SwiftUI, so your components render natively with zero performance overhead.

Do you need to bring your own design system components?

Nativeblocks is the only SDUI framework that lets you annotate your existing components with @NativeBlock and use them in server-driven layouts. DivKit and others require you to use their component set.

Do you just need feature flags, not layout control?

Firebase Remote Config or LaunchDarkly are simpler choices. SDUI frameworks like Nativeblocks are for when you need to control which components appear on screen, not just which values they show.

Are you considering building your own SDUI layer?

Most teams underestimate this cost. You're looking at 3–6 months to build a solid renderer, plus ongoing maintenance, versioning, and tooling. Nativeblocks open-sources all of that.

Do you need A/B testing and rollout controls alongside SDUI?

Nativeblocks includes A/B testing, percentage-based rollouts, and per-segment targeting built into the same platform. Other SDUI frameworks require a separate tool for this.

The SDUI framework built for native mobile teams

Kotlin, Swift, your components, your design system. Deploy layout changes without a store review.

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