comparison

React Buoy vs Reactotron

Updated July 2026

Reactotron is a free desktop app that watches your React Native app from your computer during development. React Buoy is a set of tools that live inside the app itself — on the device, in every environment, with an optional desktop dashboard and AI-agent access on top. If you debug alone at a desk against a dev build, Reactotron is a solid free choice. If your team needs to see what the app did on a QA phone, in staging, or in production — or wants Claude/Cursor to drive the debugging — that's what Buoy is built for.

What Reactotron does well

Reactotron, built and maintained by Infinite Red, has been a React Native staple for years. It's a desktop app your dev build connects to over the network: you get API request/response tracking, Redux and MobX-State-Tree state subscription, custom commands, benchmarks, and an event timeline. It's free, open source, actively maintained, and the setup is a small dev-only dependency. For a solo developer working against a simulator, it remains one of the best free options — and if that's you, use it.

React Buoy vs Reactotron, feature by feature

Capability	React Buoy	Reactotron
Network inspector	Yes	Yes
Redux tools	Yes	Yes
MobX-State-Tree tools	No	Yes
React Query devtools	Yes	Community plugin
Zustand / Jotai devtools	Yes	No
AsyncStorage / MMKV / SecureStore browser	Yes	AsyncStorage
Runs on the device itself	Yes	No
Works in staging & production builds	Yes	No
Usable by QA/support without a laptop	Yes	No
On-device performance benchmarks (FPS/CPU/memory)	Yes	JS benchmarks
AI agent access (MCP for Claude/Cursor)	Yes	No
Open source	Docs & desktop public; core is commercial	Yes
Price	Free core · Pro for desktop/MCP	Free

The core difference: where the tools live

Reactotron's model is a desktop observer: the app streams events to your computer while you develop. That model is great at a desk and stops at the desk — a tester who hits a bug on their own phone, a staging build in a stakeholder's hands, or a production incident are all invisible to it. Buoy's model is in-app: the floating menu and tools ship with the build, so anyone holding the device can open the network log or storage browser right where the bug happened. The desktop dashboard and MCP server then attach to those same in-app tools when you're at a desk or when an AI agent is doing the driving.

Can you use both?

Yes, and some teams do: Reactotron for personal desktop debugging during feature work, Buoy in the build for everything that happens away from your desk — QA passes, staging sign-off, and production triage. They don't conflict; Buoy tools are separate npm packages you add per need, starting with @buoy-gg/core.

Frequently asked questions

Is Reactotron still maintained?

Yes. Infinite Red actively maintains Reactotron, and it remains a good free desktop debugging option for React Native dev builds.

Does Reactotron work in production?

No — it's designed as a dev-only dependency that connects your dev build to the desktop app. React Buoy ships inside the app and works in dev, staging, and production, with you controlling who can open the tools.

Which is better for debugging network requests in React Native?

Both capture requests, headers, timing, and responses during development. The difference is where: Reactotron shows them on your desktop against a dev build; Buoy shows them on the device itself in any environment, so QA and support can capture the same evidence without a laptop.

Is React Buoy free like Reactotron?

The on-device tools are free. Pro (paid, per seat) adds the desktop dashboard, the MCP server for AI agents, and team features. Reactotron is fully free and open source.

Debug beyond your desk

Free for on-device debugging. Two-minute install, no native code.

Quick startnpm i @buoy-gg/core