angular, react, svelte, and vue are leading frontend frameworks/libraries used to build interactive, component-based web applications. Each provides a structured approach to UI development but differs significantly in architecture, reactivity model, and developer experience. angular is a full-featured framework with strong typing and dependency injection. react is a declarative UI library centered around a virtual DOM and unidirectional data flow. svelte compiles components to highly efficient imperative code at build time, eliminating the need for a runtime. vue offers a progressive, flexible core that scales from simple scripts to complex SPAs with optional tooling.
Angular vs React vs Svelte vs Vue: A Deep Technical Comparison
Choosing a frontend framework is one of the most consequential decisions in web development. angular, react, svelte, and vue each offer distinct philosophies for building user interfaces. This comparison dives into their technical realities — not just syntax, but how they handle reactivity, rendering, state management, and scalability.
🧩 Component Model: How UI Is Structured
All four use components as the primary building block, but their composition models differ.
angular uses class-based components with templates defined in separate HTML files or inline strings. Metadata is attached via decorators.
// angular: Class-based component
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
@Component({
selector: 'app-user',
template: `<p>Hello {{name}}!</p>`
})
export class UserComponent {
name = 'Alice';
}
react treats components as pure functions (or classes) that return JSX. Everything is JavaScript.
// react: Function component with JSX
function User({ name }) {
return <p>Hello {name}!</p>;
}
svelte uses single-file components with a custom syntax that compiles to vanilla JS.
<!-- svelte: Single-file component -->
<script>
let name = 'Alice';
</script>
<p>Hello {name}!</p>
vue supports both single-file components (SFCs) and in-DOM templates. Composition API uses functions; Options API uses objects.
<!-- vue: Single-file component with Composition API -->
<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue';
const name = ref('Alice');
</script>
<template>
<p>Hello {{ name }}!</p>
</template>
🔁 Reactivity: How Changes Propagate
This is where the frameworks diverge most fundamentally.
angular uses Zone.js to monkey-patch async operations and trigger change detection. Developers can also use OnPush strategy with immutable inputs for performance.
// angular: Change detection via Zone.js
@Component({
template: `<button (click)="update()">{{count}}</button>`
})
export class CounterComponent {
count = 0;
update() {
this.count++; // Triggers change detection
}
}
react relies on explicit state setters (useState) to schedule re-renders. The entire component function re-executes on state change.
// react: Explicit state updates
function Counter() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
return <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>{count}</button>;
}
svelte uses compile-time analysis to generate imperative DOM updates. No virtual DOM; assignments directly trigger updates.
<!-- svelte: Reactive assignment -->
<script>
let count = 0;
function increment() {
count += 1; // Compiler generates update code
}
</script>
<button on:click={increment}>{count}</button>
vue wraps data in reactive proxies (via ref or reactive). Property access triggers dependency tracking.
<!-- vue: Proxy-based reactivity -->
<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue';
const count = ref(0);
const increment = () => count.value++;
</script>
<template>
<button @click="increment">{{ count }}</button>
</template>
🖼️ Rendering Strategy: Virtual DOM vs Compiled Output
angular and react both use a virtual DOM diffing strategy. angular's renderer is tightly coupled to its change detection system, while react's reconciler is pluggable (e.g., React Native).
svelte has no runtime diffing. The compiler analyzes your template and generates direct DOM manipulation code:
// svelte output (simplified)
function create_fragment(ctx) {
let button;
let t;
return {
c() {
button = element("button");
t = text(/*count*/ ctx[0]);
},
p(ctx, [dirty]) {
if (dirty & /*count*/ 1) set_data(t, /*count*/ ctx[0]);
}
};
}
vue uses a virtual DOM but with compiler optimizations. In Vue 3, the compiler marks static nodes and hoists them, reducing runtime work.
📦 State Management: Built-in vs Ecosystem
angular encourages using services with RxJS for state. @Input()/@Output() handle parent-child communication.
// angular: Service-based state
@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class UserService {
private user = new BehaviorSubject<User | null>(null);
user$ = this.user.asObservable();
}
react has no official state solution. Context + useReducer works for small apps; Redux, Zustand, or Jotai for larger ones.
// react: Context + useReducer
const UserContext = createContext();
function UserProvider({ children }) {
const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(userReducer, initialState);
return <UserContext.Provider value={{ state, dispatch }}>{children}</UserContext.Provider>;
}
svelte uses stores (writable, readable, derived) that are framework-agnostic observables.
// svelte: Writable store
import { writable } from 'svelte/store';
export const user = writable(null);
vue provides reactive and ref for local state. For global state, Pinia is the official recommendation.
// vue: Pinia store
import { defineStore } from 'pinia';
export const useUserStore = defineStore('user', {
state: () => ({ user: null }),
actions: { setUser(user) { this.user = user; } }
});
🧪 Testing Approach
angular includes Jasmine/Karma by default. TestBed provides DI mocking.
// angular: TestBed
TestBed.configureTestingModule({
declarations: [UserComponent]
});
const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(UserComponent);
react typically uses Jest + React Testing Library. Tests focus on user behavior, not implementation.
// react: React Testing Library
render(<User name="Alice" />);
expect(screen.getByText('Hello Alice!')).toBeInTheDocument();
svelte uses Jest or Vitest with @testing-library/svelte.
// svelte: Testing Library
const { getByText } = render(User, { name: 'Alice' });
expect(getByText('Hello Alice!')).toBeInTheDocument();
vue offers @vue/test-utils for mounting components with mocked dependencies.
// vue: Vue Test Utils
const wrapper = mount(User, { props: { name: 'Alice' } });
expect(wrapper.text()).toContain('Hello Alice!');
🌐 Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Support
All four support SSR, but through different mechanisms:
angular: Angular Universal (Node.js or .NET)react: Next.js (most common), Remix, or custom setupssvelte: SvelteKit (official framework)vue: Nuxt.js (official framework)
None provide SSR out of the box in their core libraries — you need their respective meta-frameworks.
🛠️ Tooling and Developer Experience
angular enforces structure via its CLI. Strong TypeScript integration, but verbose.
react offers maximum flexibility but requires choosing your own bundler, linter, and testing setup unless using a framework like Next.js.
svelte provides minimal tooling by design. SvelteKit adds routing, SSR, and more.
vue balances convention and choice. Vite + Vue CLI offer great DX with sensible defaults.
📊 Summary Table
| Aspect | angular | react | svelte | vue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reactivity | Zone.js + Change Detection | setState + Reconciliation | Compile-time | Proxies + Effect Tracking |
| Rendering | Virtual DOM | Virtual DOM | Direct DOM | Optimized Virtual DOM |
| Learning Curve | Steep | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle |
| Type Safety | TypeScript by default | Optional (with TS) | Optional | Optional (with TS) |
| Bundle Size | Larger (full framework) | Small core + ecosystem | Very small (no runtime) | Moderate |
| Best For | Enterprise apps, teams needing structure | Flexible architectures, rich ecosystems | Performance-critical apps, simplicity | Gradual adoption, balanced DX |
💡 Final Thoughts
There’s no universal "best" framework — only what fits your team, project constraints, and long-term maintenance strategy.
- If you need strict conventions and full-stack TypeScript,
angulardelivers. - If you want maximum ecosystem choice and community resources,
reactis unmatched. - If runtime performance and minimal code are paramount,
sveltecompiles away the overhead. - If you seek a smooth learning path with escape hatches for complexity,
vuestrikes a rare balance.
Evaluate based on your actual needs — not hype. All four are mature, well-maintained, and capable of building production-grade applications.
- react:
Choose
reactif you value ecosystem flexibility, a vast third-party library landscape, and fine-grained control over your application architecture. It's ideal when you need to integrate with diverse backends, leverage hooks for logic reuse, or adopt emerging patterns like server components. Be prepared to make many architectural decisions yourself and manage state complexity as your app grows. - vue:
Choose
vueif you want a gentle learning curve, clear documentation, and a balanced approach between convention and flexibility. It’s well-suited for teams transitioning from jQuery, projects needing gradual adoption, or applications requiring both simple and complex features without heavy configuration. Consider alternatives if you require strict type safety out of the box or deep integration with non-JavaScript ecosystems. - svelte:
Choose
svelteif you prioritize minimal bundle size, zero-runtime overhead, and writing less boilerplate code. It excels in performance-critical applications, embedded widgets, or scenarios where simplicity and compile-time optimization matter more than ecosystem maturity. Avoid it if your team relies heavily on established React/Vue libraries or needs advanced SSR solutions beyond SvelteKit. - angular:
Choose
angularif you're building large enterprise applications that require strict structure, TypeScript by default, comprehensive tooling (CLI, testing, i18n), and long-term stability. Its steep learning curve is justified when teams need enforced conventions, dependency injection, and a batteries-included ecosystem. Avoid it for small projects or teams unfamiliar with RxJS and decorators.
react
React is a JavaScript library for creating user interfaces.
The react package contains only the functionality necessary to define React components. It is typically used together with a React renderer like react-dom for the web, or react-native for the native environments.
Note: by default, React will be in development mode. The development version includes extra warnings about common mistakes, whereas the production version includes extra performance optimizations and strips all error messages. Don't forget to use the production build when deploying your application.
Usage
import { useState } from 'react';
import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client';
function Counter() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
return (
<>
<h1>{count}</h1>
<button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
Increment
</button>
</>
);
}
const root = createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
root.render(<Counter />);