react-select vs downshift vs react-autocomplete
React Autocomplete Libraries Comparison
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What's React Autocomplete Libraries?

React autocomplete libraries provide developers with tools to create interactive and user-friendly input fields that suggest options as users type. These libraries enhance the user experience by making it easier to find and select options from a potentially large dataset. They often include features such as keyboard navigation, accessibility support, and customizable styling, allowing developers to create tailored solutions that fit their application's needs. Each library has its own strengths and use cases, making it essential to understand their differences when choosing one for a project.

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react-select2,537,14727,723724 kB43825 days agoMIT
downshift658,62412,1392.79 MB485 months agoMIT
react-autocomplete34,5632,166-917 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: react-select vs downshift vs react-autocomplete

Customization

  • react-select:

    React Select is highly customizable, offering a wide range of props to modify its appearance and behavior. You can customize styles, control the rendering of options, and even implement complex features like async loading and multi-select.

  • downshift:

    Downshift offers a high level of customization, allowing developers to control every aspect of the dropdown's behavior and appearance. You can define how the input, suggestions, and selection are rendered, making it suitable for unique design requirements.

  • react-autocomplete:

    React Autocomplete provides basic customization options, such as styling the input and suggestion list, but it is less flexible compared to Downshift. It is designed for simplicity, making it easier to implement without extensive customization needs.

Complexity

  • react-select:

    React Select strikes a balance between complexity and usability. It provides a rich feature set while maintaining a user-friendly API, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced developers.

  • downshift:

    Downshift requires a deeper understanding of React and state management, as it provides a lower-level API. This complexity allows for greater flexibility but may increase the learning curve for new developers.

  • react-autocomplete:

    React Autocomplete is relatively simple to implement, making it an excellent choice for developers who need basic autocomplete functionality without the overhead of complex configurations.

Accessibility

  • react-select:

    React Select has strong accessibility support, including keyboard navigation and ARIA attributes, making it a good choice for applications that prioritize accessibility.

  • downshift:

    Downshift is designed with accessibility in mind, providing keyboard navigation and ARIA roles out of the box. However, developers must ensure they implement these features correctly to maintain accessibility standards.

  • react-autocomplete:

    React Autocomplete includes basic accessibility features, but developers may need to add additional ARIA attributes and keyboard handling to ensure a fully accessible experience.

Performance

  • react-select:

    React Select is optimized for performance and can handle large datasets efficiently, especially with features like async loading and virtualization, making it suitable for applications with extensive options.

  • downshift:

    Downshift is lightweight and performs well, but its performance can depend on how well developers manage state and rendering. Optimizations may be necessary for large datasets to ensure smooth performance.

  • react-autocomplete:

    React Autocomplete is efficient for small to medium datasets but may struggle with performance when handling large datasets due to its simpler implementation.

Community and Support

  • react-select:

    React Select has a large community and extensive documentation, offering numerous resources, examples, and community support, making it easier to find solutions and best practices.

  • downshift:

    Downshift has a smaller community compared to React Select but is well-documented. Support may be limited to GitHub issues and community forums.

  • react-autocomplete:

    React Autocomplete has a modest community and documentation, providing basic support for common use cases but may lack extensive resources for complex scenarios.

How to Choose: react-select vs downshift vs react-autocomplete
  • react-select:

    Choose React Select if you need a feature-rich and versatile dropdown component that supports multi-select, async options loading, and extensive customization. It is perfect for applications that require complex selection capabilities and a polished user interface.

  • downshift:

    Choose Downshift if you need a highly customizable and flexible autocomplete solution that allows for fine-grained control over the rendering and behavior of the dropdown. It is ideal for developers who want to build a fully tailored experience and are comfortable managing state and rendering logic themselves.

  • react-autocomplete:

    Choose React Autocomplete if you want a straightforward and easy-to-use library that provides basic autocomplete functionality with minimal setup. It is suitable for projects that require quick implementation without extensive customization and where the default behavior meets the application's needs.

Similar Npm Packages to react-select

react-select is a flexible and customizable dropdown component for React applications. It allows developers to create single or multi-select dropdowns with a variety of features, including search, async loading, and custom styling. With its rich API and extensive documentation, react-select is widely used for building user-friendly forms and interfaces that require selection capabilities. Its versatility makes it suitable for both simple and complex use cases, allowing for a seamless user experience.

However, there are alternatives to react-select that also provide dropdown functionality with different features and customization options:

  • react-dropdown-select is a lightweight and flexible dropdown component that offers a simple API for creating single or multi-select dropdowns. It is designed to be easy to use and integrate into existing applications. With features like search, custom rendering, and keyboard navigation, react-dropdown-select is a great choice for developers looking for a straightforward solution without the overhead of more complex libraries. Its minimalistic approach makes it suitable for projects that prioritize simplicity and performance.

  • react-selectize is another alternative that provides a customizable select component for React applications. It combines the features of a dropdown with the ability to create tags, making it ideal for scenarios where users need to select multiple items or create new entries on the fly. react-selectize offers a range of features, including custom styling, keyboard navigation, and support for async data loading. If your application requires a more dynamic and interactive selection experience, react-selectize can be a suitable option.

To see how these packages compare, check out the comparison: Comparing react-dropdown-select vs react-select vs react-selectize.

Similar Npm Packages to downshift

downshift is a powerful library for building accessible, customizable, and flexible autocomplete components in React applications. It provides a set of primitives that allow developers to create dropdowns, comboboxes, and other input types with ease. Downshift focuses on accessibility and user experience, making it a popular choice for developers who want to implement autocomplete features without sacrificing usability.

While downshift is a robust solution for autocomplete functionality, there are several alternatives available in the React ecosystem. Here are a couple of notable options:

  • react-autocomplete is a simple and lightweight library for creating autocomplete components in React. It provides a straightforward API for building basic autocomplete functionality, making it easy to integrate into applications. If you are looking for a minimalistic solution that requires less customization and is quick to set up, react-autocomplete is a suitable choice. It is ideal for projects where simplicity and ease of use are prioritized over extensive features.

  • react-select is a highly customizable and feature-rich library for building select components in React. While it is primarily designed for select dropdowns, it also supports autocomplete functionality. react-select offers a wide range of features, including multi-select, async options, and custom styling, making it a versatile choice for developers who need more than just basic autocomplete capabilities. If your application requires advanced features and customization options, react-select is an excellent option.

To explore how downshift compares with react-autocomplete and react-select, check out the comparison: Comparing downshift vs react-autocomplete vs react-select.

Similar Npm Packages to react-autocomplete

react-autocomplete is a flexible and customizable autocomplete component for React applications. It allows developers to implement search and selection functionality in their applications easily. With features like keyboard navigation, custom rendering, and support for asynchronous data fetching, react-autocomplete is a solid choice for enhancing user experience in forms and search interfaces. However, there are several alternatives available in the React ecosystem that also provide autocomplete functionality. Here are a few notable options:

  • downshift is a powerful and flexible library for building autocomplete and dropdown components in React. It provides a set of primitives that allow developers to create custom dropdowns with features like keyboard navigation, accessibility support, and more. downshift is highly customizable, making it suitable for complex use cases where you need more control over the behavior and appearance of the autocomplete component. If you are looking for a library that gives you the flexibility to build your own custom solution, downshift is an excellent choice.

  • react-autosuggest is another popular library for implementing autocomplete functionality in React applications. It provides a simple and intuitive API for creating autosuggest inputs, complete with features like suggestions filtering, custom rendering, and keyboard navigation. react-autosuggest is particularly useful for scenarios where you need to provide users with suggestions based on their input, making it a great option for search fields and form inputs.

  • react-select is a flexible and customizable select input control for React applications. While it is primarily known for its select dropdown functionality, it also includes powerful autocomplete features. react-select supports multi-select, async options loading, and custom styling, making it a versatile choice for forms and user interfaces that require selection capabilities. If you need a comprehensive solution that combines both select and autocomplete functionalities, react-select is a fantastic option.

To see how these libraries compare, check out the comparison: Comparing downshift vs react-autocomplete vs react-autosuggest vs react-select.

README for react-select

NPM CircleCI Coverage Status Supported by Thinkmill

React-Select

The Select control for React. Initially built for use in KeystoneJS.

See react-select.com for live demos and comprehensive docs.

React Select is funded by Thinkmill and Atlassian. It represents a whole new approach to developing powerful React.js components that just work out of the box, while being extremely customisable.

For the story behind this component, watch Jed's talk at React Conf 2019 - building React Select

Features include:

  • Flexible approach to data, with customisable functions
  • Extensible styling API with emotion
  • Component Injection API for complete control over the UI behaviour
  • Controllable state props and modular architecture
  • Long-requested features like option groups, portal support, animation, and more

Using an older version?

Installation and usage

The easiest way to use react-select is to install it from npm and build it into your app with Webpack.

yarn add react-select

Then use it in your app:

With React Component

import React from 'react';
import Select from 'react-select';

const options = [
  { value: 'chocolate', label: 'Chocolate' },
  { value: 'strawberry', label: 'Strawberry' },
  { value: 'vanilla', label: 'Vanilla' },
];

class App extends React.Component {
  state = {
    selectedOption: null,
  };
  handleChange = (selectedOption) => {
    this.setState({ selectedOption }, () =>
      console.log(`Option selected:`, this.state.selectedOption)
    );
  };
  render() {
    const { selectedOption } = this.state;

    return (
      <Select
        value={selectedOption}
        onChange={this.handleChange}
        options={options}
      />
    );
  }
}

With React Hooks

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import Select from 'react-select';

const options = [
  { value: 'chocolate', label: 'Chocolate' },
  { value: 'strawberry', label: 'Strawberry' },
  { value: 'vanilla', label: 'Vanilla' },
];

export default function App() {
  const [selectedOption, setSelectedOption] = useState(null);

  return (
    <div className="App">
      <Select
        defaultValue={selectedOption}
        onChange={setSelectedOption}
        options={options}
      />
    </div>
  );
}

Props

Common props you may want to specify include:

  • autoFocus - focus the control when it mounts
  • className - apply a className to the control
  • classNamePrefix - apply classNames to inner elements with the given prefix
  • isDisabled - disable the control
  • isMulti - allow the user to select multiple values
  • isSearchable - allow the user to search for matching options
  • name - generate an HTML input with this name, containing the current value
  • onChange - subscribe to change events
  • options - specify the options the user can select from
  • placeholder - change the text displayed when no option is selected
  • noOptionsMessage - ({ inputValue: string }) => string | null - Text to display when there are no options
  • value - control the current value

See the props documentation for complete documentation on the props react-select supports.

Controllable Props

You can control the following props by providing values for them. If you don't, react-select will manage them for you.

  • value / onChange - specify the current value of the control
  • menuIsOpen / onMenuOpen / onMenuClose - control whether the menu is open
  • inputValue / onInputChange - control the value of the search input (changing this will update the available options)

If you don't provide these props, you can set the initial value of the state they control:

  • defaultValue - set the initial value of the control
  • defaultMenuIsOpen - set the initial open value of the menu
  • defaultInputValue - set the initial value of the search input

Methods

React-select exposes two public methods:

  • focus() - focus the control programmatically
  • blur() - blur the control programmatically

Customisation

Check the docs for more information on:

TypeScript

The v5 release represents a rewrite from JavaScript to TypeScript. The types for v4 and earlier releases are available at @types. See the TypeScript guide for how to use the types starting with v5.

Thanks

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this project. It's been a wild ride.

If you like React Select, you should follow me on twitter!

Shout out to Joss Mackison, Charles Lee, Ben Conolly, Tom Walker, Nathan Bierema, Eric Bonow, Emma Hamilton, Dave Brotherstone, Brian Vaughn, and the Atlassian Design System team who along with many other contributors have made this possible ❤️

License

MIT Licensed. Copyright (c) Jed Watson 2022.

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