react-transition-group vs framer-motion vs react-spring vs gsap vs react-motion vs animejs vs animated
Animation Libraries for Web Development Comparison
1 Year
react-transition-groupframer-motionreact-springgsapreact-motionanimejsanimatedSimilar Packages:
What's Animation Libraries for Web Development?

Animation libraries provide developers with tools to create smooth, visually appealing animations in web applications. These libraries simplify the process of animating elements, enhancing user experience and engagement. They offer various features such as tweening, transitions, and complex animations, allowing developers to bring their designs to life with minimal effort. Each library has its unique strengths and use cases, making it essential to choose the right one based on project requirements and personal preferences.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
react-transition-group14,067,55310,213244 kB243-BSD-3-Clause
framer-motion6,104,34427,4282.55 MB2585 days agoMIT
react-spring771,823-8.09 kB-2 months agoMIT
gsap629,78520,3184 MB8a month agoStandard 'no charge' license: https://gsap.com/standard-license. Club GSAP members get more: https://gsap.com/licensing/. Why GreenSock doesn't employ an MIT license: https://gsap.com/why-license/
react-motion426,20321,748-1937 years agoMIT
animejs224,71150,925109 kB234a year agoMIT
animated21,6831,852-517 years agoBSD-3-Clause
Feature Comparison: react-transition-group vs framer-motion vs react-spring vs gsap vs react-motion vs animejs vs animated

Animation Control

  • react-transition-group:

    Simplifies the management of enter/exit animations, providing hooks for lifecycle management of animations as components mount and unmount.

  • framer-motion:

    Delivers powerful animation control tailored for React, enabling developers to create interactive animations that respond to user gestures and state changes.

  • react-spring:

    Focuses on spring physics for animation control, providing a declarative API that makes it easy to create responsive and fluid animations.

  • gsap:

    Excels in animation control, offering a robust API for creating complex timelines and sequences, with fine-tuned control over every aspect of the animation.

  • react-motion:

    Uses a physics-based approach to control animations, allowing for natural motion that mimics real-world physics, making animations feel more organic.

  • animejs:

    Provides extensive control over animations, allowing for multiple targets and properties to be animated simultaneously with precise timing and easing options.

  • animated:

    Offers basic animation control with a focus on performance, allowing developers to animate properties easily without complex configurations.

Learning Curve

  • react-transition-group:

    Features a straightforward learning curve, especially for those familiar with React, as it focuses on managing component lifecycle transitions.

  • framer-motion:

    Designed for ease of use, it has a low learning curve for React developers, with intuitive APIs and comprehensive examples available.

  • react-spring:

    Has a moderate learning curve, with a focus on understanding spring physics, but its declarative nature makes it easier to grasp for React developers.

  • gsap:

    While powerful, GSAP has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive features and options, but it rewards users with unparalleled control over animations.

  • react-motion:

    Offers a moderate learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with physics-based animations, but provides clear examples to aid understanding.

  • animejs:

    Requires some understanding of animation concepts, but its clear documentation helps users grasp its capabilities quickly.

  • animated:

    Has a gentle learning curve, making it accessible for beginners who want to implement simple animations in React applications.

Performance

  • react-transition-group:

    Lightweight and efficient for managing transitions, ensuring that animations do not hinder application performance.

  • framer-motion:

    Built with performance in mind, it leverages React's rendering capabilities to ensure smooth animations even during state changes.

  • react-spring:

    Provides excellent performance with spring-based animations, ensuring smooth transitions that feel responsive to user input.

  • gsap:

    Known for its exceptional performance, GSAP can handle large-scale animations efficiently, making it a favorite among professional animators.

  • react-motion:

    Offers good performance for physics-based animations, but may require optimization for complex animations with many elements.

  • animejs:

    Highly performant, capable of handling complex animations without significant performance hits, making it suitable for intricate designs.

  • animated:

    Optimized for performance in React applications, ensuring smooth animations with minimal overhead.

Integration

  • react-transition-group:

    Designed for React, allowing for easy integration of transitions and animations into component lifecycles.

  • framer-motion:

    Designed specifically for React, ensuring smooth integration with React components and hooks.

  • react-spring:

    Integrates easily with React, leveraging hooks for a modern approach to animations in functional components.

  • gsap:

    Works well with various frameworks, including React, Vue, and Angular, allowing for versatile integration options.

  • react-motion:

    Tailored for React, providing a straightforward way to implement motion in React applications without external dependencies.

  • animejs:

    Can be used with any JavaScript framework or library, providing flexibility for integration into various projects.

  • animated:

    Seamlessly integrates with React, making it easy to add animations to components without additional setup.

Community and Support

  • react-transition-group:

    Well-documented with a supportive community, making it easy for developers to find solutions and examples.

  • framer-motion:

    Supported by a vibrant community and comprehensive documentation, making it easy to find help and resources.

  • react-spring:

    Features a supportive community and good documentation, with many examples available to help users get started quickly.

  • gsap:

    Has a large, active community with extensive resources, tutorials, and support, making it a go-to choice for professional animators.

  • react-motion:

    Community support is decent, with documentation and examples available, but it may not be as extensive as other libraries.

  • animejs:

    Boasts a strong community and extensive documentation, providing numerous examples and tutorials for users.

  • animated:

    Has a growing community with decent documentation, but may lack extensive resources compared to more established libraries.

How to Choose: react-transition-group vs framer-motion vs react-spring vs gsap vs react-motion vs animejs vs animated
  • react-transition-group:

    Use 'react-transition-group' for managing transitions and animations in React components. It is best suited for projects that need to handle enter/exit animations for components, providing a simple API to manage the lifecycle of animations.

  • framer-motion:

    Opt for 'framer-motion' if you are building a React application and want an easy-to-use library that provides powerful animations with a focus on user interactions and gestures. It is great for creating animations that respond to user input and for building complex UI transitions.

  • react-spring:

    Select 'react-spring' for a more declarative approach to animations in React, focusing on spring physics. It is perfect for projects that require smooth transitions and animations that feel organic and responsive to user actions.

  • gsap:

    Use 'gsap' (GreenSock Animation Platform) for high-performance animations that require precise control and advanced features. It is suitable for projects that demand complex timelines, easing functions, and compatibility with various frameworks and libraries.

  • react-motion:

    Choose 'react-motion' if you prefer a physics-based approach to animations in React. It is ideal for creating natural, fluid animations that mimic real-world motion, making it suitable for UI elements that need to move dynamically based on user interactions.

  • animejs:

    Select 'animejs' for a versatile animation engine that can handle complex animations across multiple properties and targets. It is perfect for projects that require detailed control over animations and support for SVG, CSS, and DOM attributes.

  • animated:

    Choose 'animated' if you are working with React and need a lightweight solution for creating simple animations with a focus on performance. It is ideal for projects that require minimal setup and straightforward animations.

README for react-transition-group

react-transition-group npm

ATTENTION! To address many issues that have come up over the years, the API in v2 and above is not backwards compatible with the original React addon (v1-stable).

For a drop-in replacement for react-addons-transition-group and react-addons-css-transition-group, use the v1 release. Documentation and code for that release are available on the v1-stable branch.

We are no longer updating the v1 codebase, please upgrade to the latest version when possible

A set of components for managing component states (including mounting and unmounting) over time, specifically designed with animation in mind.

Documentation

TypeScript

TypeScript definitions are published via DefinitelyTyped and can be installed via the following command:

npm install @types/react-transition-group

Examples

Clone the repo first:

git@github.com:reactjs/react-transition-group.git

Then run npm install (or yarn), and finally npm run storybook to start a storybook instance that you can navigate to in your browser to see the examples.