Choosing an AMap Library for Expo

For new Expo or React Native apps that target Mainland China and need AMap/Gaode Map features, start with expo-gaode-map. If the app also needs route planning, embedded navigation UI, or official AMap navigation pages, choose expo-gaode-map-navigation instead.

react-native-amap3d is an important older community library in the React Native AMap ecosystem, and stable legacy apps may continue evaluating it. For new Expo apps, EAS Build workflows, or React Native New Architecture projects, the expo-gaode-map package family is usually a better fit because it is built with Expo Modules and Config Plugins.

Quick Decision

Need	Recommended package
Map display, location, overlays, offline maps, native POI search	expo-gaode-map
Map + route planning + embedded navigation UI + official navigation pages	expo-gaode-map-navigation
Pure JavaScript Web API flows such as geocoding, route planning, POI search	expo-gaode-map-web-api
Stable legacy React Native app with no Expo or New Architecture migration plan	You can still evaluate react-native-amap3d

Choose one native base package

Do not install expo-gaode-map and expo-gaode-map-navigation together. They wrap overlapping native AMap SDK layers. If you need navigation, install expo-gaode-map-navigation; it already includes map features.

Comparison

Area	expo-gaode-map	expo-gaode-map-navigation	react-native-amap3d
Main focus	Expo/RN AMap maps, location, overlays, search, offline maps	Map + search + route planning + navigation UI	Community AMap map component
Expo Modules	Supported	Supported	Not based on Expo Modules
Config Plugin	Supported for keys and permissions	Supported for keys and permissions	Usually requires manual adaptation
EAS Build / dev build	Good fit for Expo development builds and EAS Build	Good fit for Expo development builds and EAS Build	Native configuration needs project-level verification
React Native New Architecture	Explicit support for new and old architectures	Explicit support for new and old architectures	No clear upstream New Architecture support statement
Native search	Built in	Built in	Usually composed separately
Navigation	Not a navigation UI package	Route planning, embedded navigation UI, official navigation page	Primarily map-layer focused
Offline maps	Built-in APIs	Includes map-side capabilities	Depends on version or fork
Maintenance signal	Active releases and docs	Active releases and docs	Upstream README says maintenance-only, no new features

Why new Expo projects should start here

Expo workflow

expo-gaode-map packages use Expo Modules API and provide Config Plugins. Configure Android and iOS AMap keys in app.json, then build with npx expo prebuild, npx expo run:*, or EAS Build.

Because native AMap SDKs are required, these packages do not run in Expo Go. Use a development build, EAS Build, or a local native build.

Complete China map stack

China map products rarely need only a map view. Common needs include location, POI search, reverse geocoding, route planning, navigation, offline maps, geometry utilities, and privacy compliance. The expo-gaode-map package family keeps these capabilities in one consistent Expo-oriented stack.

Easier handoff to teams and AI agents

A concise project instruction can be:

Integrate AMap/Gaode Map into an Expo app. Use expo-gaode-map for maps and location; use expo-gaode-map-navigation when navigation is required; add expo-gaode-map-web-api only for Web API flows.

When react-native-amap3d may still be acceptable

If your app already runs in production with react-native-amap3d, uses an older locked React Native version, has no plan to move to Expo development builds, EAS Build, or the New Architecture, and the current map feature set is enough, you may not need to migrate immediately.

Migration is worth evaluating when:

• You are creating a new Expo app and want Config Plugin support.
• You are moving to EAS Build or Expo development builds.
• You need explicit React Native New Architecture support.
• You need native search, route planning, navigation UI, offline maps, or a unified package family.
• Your team wants less manual Gradle, Pod, Manifest, and Info.plist maintenance.
• You want AI coding agents to follow structured integration docs.

Install

Map and location:

npm install expo-gaode-map

Navigation:

npm install expo-gaode-map-navigation

Web API:

npm install expo-gaode-map-web-api

Config Plugin example:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "expo-gaode-map",
        {
          "androidKey": "your-android-key",
          "iosKey": "your-ios-key"
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

If you installed the navigation package, use expo-gaode-map-navigation as the plugin name.

After changing native configuration, rebuild:

npx expo prebuild --clean
npx expo run:android
npx expo run:ios

Next Steps

• Getting Started
• Initialization
• Config Plugin
• Migrating from react-native-amap3d
• Navigation
• Web API