The two libraries share their navigators and most options, so the choice is about how the tree is described and what comes with it:
| Expo Router 57 | React Navigation 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Routes defined by | Files in src/app/ | Components (dynamic) or an object (static) |
| URLs and deep links | Automatic for every screen | A linking config you write (static API: generated) |
| Route types | Generated from files | Param list you write (static API: inferred) |
| Project type | Expo 6,418 projects | Any React Native 36,878 project |
| Protected screens | Stack.Protected | Conditional screens, if in the static API |
Choose Expo Router for a new Expo app, and for the web, where it adds real URLs and server rendering: BookNest's deep links and route types came for free. Choose React Navigation for a Community CLI app, for a brownfield app that adds React Native screens to a native one, or where a codebase already uses it. Since the fork, don't expect to mix them: a library that renders React Navigation navigators inside an Expo Router app is exactly what Expo CLI's check refuses (React Navigation).
Mistakes also fail differently. A misspelled Expo Router file silently creates a new URL, so typed routes and +not-found matter; in React Navigation, navigating to a missing screen fails loudly in development ("The action 'NAVIGATE' ... was not handled by any navigator").