effector vs mobx vs redux vs rxjs

State Management and Reactive Streams in Frontend Architecture

redux, mobx, effector, and rxjs are all tools for managing state and data flow in JavaScript applications, but they solve the problem in very different ways. redux relies on a single immutable store and pure functions to manage state changes, making it predictable but verbose. mobx uses mutable state with automatic dependency tracking, allowing for a more object-oriented style. effector focuses on isolated units of state and events with a functional approach, designed for performance and type safety. rxjs is a library for reactive programming using observables, handling streams of data over time rather than just static state.

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Package	Downloads	Stars	Size	Issues	Publish	License
Package	Downloads	Stars	Size	Issues	Publish	License
effector	0	4,833	1.59 MB	154	8 months ago	MIT
mobx	0	28,185	4.35 MB	82	7 months ago	MIT
redux	0	61,448	290 kB	42	2 years ago	MIT
rxjs	0	31,665	4.5 MB	294	a year ago	Apache-2.0

State Management and Reactive Streams in Frontend Architecture

redux, mobx, effector, and rxjs are all tools for managing state and data flow in JavaScript applications, but they work differently under the hood. Let's compare how they tackle common problems like updating data, connecting to UI, and handling async logic.

🧠 Core Mental Model: Store vs Observable vs Unit

redux uses a single immutable store for the whole app.

State is read-only and changed by dispatching actions.
You write pure functions called reducers to specify how state changes.

// redux: Define slice and store
import { configureStore, createSlice } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';

const counterSlice = createSlice({
  name: 'counter',
  initialState: { value: 0 },
  reducers: { increment: (state) => { state.value += 1; } }
});

const store = configureStore({ reducer: { counter: counterSlice.reducer } });

mobx uses mutable state with automatic tracking.

You mark objects as observable, and MobX watches for changes.
Components re-render automatically when observed data changes.

// mobx: Create observable store
import { makeAutoObservable } from 'mobx';

class CounterStore {
  value = 0;
  constructor() { makeAutoObservable(this); }
  increment() { this.value += 1; }
}

const store = new CounterStore();

effector uses isolated units called stores and events.

You create separate stores for different pieces of state.
Events trigger updates, and stores hold the data.

// effector: Create store and event
import { createStore, createEvent } from 'effector';

const increment = createEvent();
const $counter = createStore(0).on(increment, (count) => count + 1);

rxjs uses streams of data called observables.

Data flows over time, and you subscribe to receive values.
It is not a state manager by default, but BehaviorSubject can hold state.

// rxjs: Create state stream
import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs';

const counter$ = new BehaviorSubject(0);

// Update value
counter$.next(counter$.value + 1);

✍️ Updating State: Dispatch vs Action vs Event vs Next

redux requires dispatching an action object.

You cannot change state directly; you send a request to change it.
This makes changes explicit and easy to log.

// redux: Dispatch action
store.dispatch({ type: 'counter/increment' });
// Or with toolkit slice actions
store.dispatch(counterSlice.actions.increment());

mobx allows direct mutation inside actions.

You call methods that change properties directly.
MobX detects the change and notifies listeners.

// mobx: Call action method
store.increment();
// Or direct mutation if auto-observable
store.value += 1;

effector triggers an event to update the store.

Events are functions you call to pass payload data.
Stores listen to events and update based on logic.

// effector: Trigger event
increment();
// Or with payload
const setCount = createEvent();
setCount(10);

rxjs pushes a new value into the stream.

You call next() on the subject to emit new data.
Subscribers receive the new value asynchronously.

// rxjs: Emit new value
counter$.next(5);

⚛️ React Integration: Selector vs Observer vs Unit vs Hook

redux uses hooks to select data from the store.

useSelector subscribes the component to specific state slices.
useDispatch gives you the function to send actions.

// redux: React hooks
import { useSelector, useDispatch } from 'react-redux';

function Counter() {
  const count = useSelector((state) => state.counter.value);
  const dispatch = useDispatch();
  return <button onClick={() => dispatch(increment())}>{count}</button>;
}

mobx wraps components to track usage.

observer makes a component react to changes in observable data.
It automatically re-renders when observed data changes.

// mobx: Observer component
import { observer } from 'mobx-react-lite';

const Counter = observer(({ store }) => {
  return <button onClick={() => store.increment()}>{store.value}</button>;
});

effector binds stores directly to components.

useUnit hooks into stores and events efficiently.
It prevents unnecessary re-renders by tracking specific units.

// effector: React unit hook
import { useUnit } from 'effector-react';

function Counter() {
  const count = useUnit($counter);
  const inc = useUnit(increment);
  return <button onClick={inc}>{count}</button>;
}

rxjs requires a hook to subscribe to streams.

Libraries like rxjs-react or custom hooks are needed.
You must manage subscription cleanup manually or via hooks.

// rxjs: Custom hook pattern
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
  useEffect(() => {
    const sub = counter$.subscribe(setCount);
    return () => sub.unsubscribe();
  }, []);
  return <button onClick={() => counter$.next(count + 1)}>{count}</button>;
}

⏳ Handling Async Logic: Thunks vs Flows vs Effects vs Operators

redux uses middleware like Thunks or Sagas.

Thunks allow functions that dispatch actions after async work.
Sagas use generators for complex async flows.

// redux: Async thunk
import { createAsyncThunk } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';

const fetchData = createAsyncThunk('data/fetch', async () => {
  const res = await fetch('/api');
  return res.json();
});

mobx uses flow for async actions.

It wraps async functions to track state changes during awaits.
Looks like async/await but integrates with MobX tracking.

// mobx: Async flow
import { flow } from 'mobx';

class Store {
  fetchData = flow(function* () {
    const res = yield fetch('/api');
    this.data = yield res.json();
  });
}

effector uses effects for side effects.

Effects are units that handle async operations and return promises.
They integrate with stores via sample or attach.

// effector: Async effect
import { createEffect } from 'effector';

const fetchData = createEffect(async () => {
  const res = await fetch('/api');
  return res.json();
});

rxjs uses operators to manage async streams.

Operators like switchMap or mergeMap handle requests.
You can cancel requests by unsubscribing or switching streams.

// rxjs: Async operator
import { switchMap } from 'rxjs/operators';

stream$.pipe(
  switchMap(() => fetch('/api').then(res => res.json()))
).subscribe(data => console.log(data));

🛠️ Debugging and Tooling

redux has the most mature DevTools.

Time-travel debugging lets you rewind state changes.
Action logs show exactly what changed and why.

// redux: DevTools setup
// Automatically included in configureStore
const store = configureStore({ reducer: { ... } });

mobx has DevTools for tracking reactions.

You can see which observables triggered which components.
Less focus on history, more on dependency graphs.

// mobx: DevTools
import { configure } from 'mobx';
configure({ enforceActions: 'always' });

effector has its own DevTools extension.

Shows store updates and event triggers visually.
Supports tracing event chains across the app.

// effector: DevTools
import { inspect } from '@effector/inspect';
inspect();

rxjs relies on logging or marble diagrams.

No standard UI DevTools for React integration.
Developers often use tap operator to log stream values.

// rxjs: Logging stream
import { tap } from 'rxjs/operators';
stream$.pipe(tap(val => console.log(val))).subscribe();

🤝 Similarities: Shared Ground Between Libraries

While the differences are clear, these libraries also share many core ideas and tools. Here are key overlaps:

1. 🔄 Reactive Updates

All four libraries update the UI when data changes.
They avoid manual DOM manipulation by syncing state to view.

// Example: All trigger UI updates
// redux: dispatch -> reducer -> selector -> render
// mobx: action -> observable -> observer -> render
// effector: event -> store -> unit -> render
// rxjs: next -> subscribe -> setState -> render

2. 📦 Ecosystem Support

All have dedicated React bindings or community hooks.
Supported by TypeScript with strong type definitions.

// Example: TypeScript support
// redux: TypedUseSelectorHook
// mobx: IReactionDisposer
// effector: Store<T>
// rxjs: Observable<T>

3. ⚡ Performance Optimization

All aim to minimize unnecessary re-renders.
They provide mechanisms to select specific data slices.

// Example: Selecting data
// redux: useSelector(state => state.user)
// mobx: observer accesses this.props.user
// effector: useUnit($user)
// rxjs: distinctUntilChanged()

📊 Summary: Key Differences

Feature	`redux`	`mobx`	`effector`	`rxjs`
State Model	🗄️ Immutable Single Store	🧱 Mutable Objects	🧩 Isolated Units	🌊 Streams
Update Method	📤 Dispatch Actions	✏️ Direct Mutation	⚡ Trigger Events	➡️ Emit Values
React Binding	🪝 `useSelector`	🧐 `observer`	🔌 `useUnit`	📞 `subscribe` / Hooks
Async Handling	🧵 Thunks / Sagas	🌊 `flow`	🎯 `effects`	🛠️ Operators
Learning Curve	📈 Steep (Boilerplate)	📉 Low (Magic)	📊 Medium (Functional)	📈 High (Reactive)
DevTools	🏆 Excellent (Time Travel)	✅ Good (Reaction Graph)	✅ Good (Unit Trace)	⚠️ Limited (Logging)

💡 The Big Picture

redux is like a strict ledger 📒 — great for teams that need predictability, audit trails, and a standard pattern everyone knows. Ideal for large enterprise apps where state changes must be explicit.

mobx is like a spreadsheet 📊 — perfect for teams who want to write less code and prefer mutable state. It shines in complex domain models where automatic tracking saves time.

effector is like a circuit board 🔌 — best for developers who want high performance and type safety without Redux verbosity. It works well for apps that need fine-grained control over re-renders.

rxjs is like a water pipe system 🚰 — designed for handling complex streams of events over time. It is the go-to for heavy async logic, websockets, or event-heavy interfaces.

Final Thought: There is no single best tool. redux offers stability, mobx offers speed of development, effector offers balance and performance, and rxjs offers power for streams. Choose based on your team's comfort with functional vs object-oriented styles and the complexity of your data flow.

How to Choose: effector vs mobx vs redux vs rxjs

effector:
Choose effector if you want a balance between structure and flexibility without the boilerplate of Redux. It is ideal for large applications where type safety and performance are critical, as it avoids re-renders by default and has a unique unit-based architecture. It works well for teams that prefer functional programming patterns but find Redux too rigid.
mobx:
Choose mobx if you prefer mutable state and want to write less boilerplate code. It is suitable for applications where state logic resembles object-oriented design, allowing you to modify state directly without dispatchers. It shines in rapid prototyping and complex domain models where automatic dependency tracking reduces manual wiring.
redux:
Choose redux (specifically Redux Toolkit) if you need a predictable state container with a large ecosystem and strict unidirectional data flow. It is best for teams that value explicit state changes and time-travel debugging, especially in large organizations where consistency is key. It is the standard choice when integrating with many third-party libraries that expect a Redux store.
rxjs:
Choose rxjs if your application deals heavily with asynchronous events, streams, or complex event composition rather than simple UI state. It is perfect for handling websockets, user input streams, or canceling ongoing requests. It is less about UI state management and more about managing data flows over time.

Popular Comparisons

effector

mobx

redux

rxjs

README for effector

☄️ effector

Business logic with ease

Visit effector.dev for docs, guides and examples

Introduction

Effector implements business logic with ease for Javascript apps (React/React Native/Vue/Svelte/Node.js/Vanilla), allows you to manage data flow in complex applications. Effector provides best TypeScript support out of the box.

Effector follows five basic principles:

Application stores should be as light as possible - the idea of adding a store for specific needs should not be frightening or damaging to the developer.
Application stores should be freely combined - data that the application needs can be statically distributed, showing how it will be converted in runtime.
Autonomy from controversial concepts - no decorators, no need to use classes or proxies - this is not required to control the state of the application and therefore the api library uses only functions and plain js objects
Predictability and clarity of API - a small number of basic principles are reused in different cases, reducing the user's workload and increasing recognition. For example, if you know how .watch works for events, you already know how .watch works for stores.
The application is built from simple elements - space and way to take any required business logic out of the view, maximizing the simplicity of the components.

Installation

You can use any package manager

npm add effector

React

To getting started read our article how to write React and Typescript application.

npm add effector effector-react

SolidJS

npm add effector effector-solid

Vue

npm add effector effector-vue

Svelte

Svelte works with effector out of the box, no additional packages needed. See word chain game application written with svelte and effector.

CDN

Documentation

For additional information, guides and api reference visit our documentation site

Packages

Articles

Community

official
awesome-effector a curated list of awesome effector packages, videos and articles
Twitter
Telegram (@effector_en)
Telegram 🇷🇺 (@effector_ru)
dev.to
Discord
Add a GitHub Topic effector to your project's home page

Online playground

You can try effector with online playground

Code sharing, Typescript and react supported out of the box. Playground repository

DevTools

Use effector-logger for printing updates to console, displaying current store values with ui or connecting application to familiar redux devtools

Learn more

Support us

Read more articles on a patreon page
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Your support allows us to improve the developer experience 🧡.

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