Animation Libraries for React and React Native Applications
framer-motion, react-motion, react-native-animatable, react-native-reanimated, react-spring, and react-transition-group are JavaScript libraries that enable declarative animations in React and React Native applications. These tools help developers create smooth transitions, gestures, and interactive UI elements while abstracting low-level animation APIs. Some focus on web-only use (react-transition-group, react-motion), others specialize in React Native (react-native-animatable, react-native-reanimated), and a few like framer-motion and react-spring support both platforms with varying degrees of fidelity and performance characteristics.
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Animation Libraries Compared: Framer Motion, React Spring, Reanimated & More
Choosing the right animation library in the React ecosystem depends heavily on your platform (web vs. React Native), performance requirements, and desired level of abstraction. Let’s compare six major options — including one that’s past its prime — through real engineering lenses.
⚠️ Deprecation Status: Know What’s Still Alive
Before diving into features, note that react-motion is effectively deprecated. Its GitHub repo hasn’t seen meaningful updates since 2018, and the maintainers recommend migrating to alternatives like react-spring. Do not start new projects with react-motion.
The rest — framer-motion, react-spring, react-transition-group, react-native-reanimated, and react-native-animatable — are actively maintained as of 2024.
🧱 Core Philosophy: Declarative vs Imperative vs Hybrid
framer-motion: High-Level Declarative
Framer Motion treats animation as a prop. You describe what should animate, not how.
// Web or React Native
import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
<motion.div
initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}
/>
react-spring: Physics-Based Declarative
React Spring uses spring physics as its core model, giving natural-feeling motion.
import { useSpring, animated } from 'react-spring';
const props = useSpring({ opacity: 1, from: { opacity: 0 } });
return <animated.div style={props} />;
react-transition-group: Lifecycle Hooks Only
This library doesn’t animate anything itself — it just tells you when to animate.
import { CSSTransition } from 'react-transition-group';
<CSSTransition in={show} timeout={300} classNames="fade">
<div>Hello</div>
</CSSTransition>
/* CSS */
.fade-enter { opacity: 0; }
.fade-enter-active { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 300ms; }
react-native-reanimated: Native-Thread Declarative
Reanimated v2+ uses worklets — functions that run on the UI thread — for true 60fps.
import Animated, { useSharedValue, useAnimatedStyle, withTiming } from 'react-native-reanimated';
const opacity = useSharedValue(0);
opacity.value = withTiming(1, { duration: 500 });
const style = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({ opacity: opacity.value }));
return <Animated.View style={style} />;
react-native-animatable: Simple Preset Animations
Provides ready-made animations via component props.
import Animatable from 'react-native-animatable';
<Animatable.View animation="fadeIn" duration={500}>
<Text>Hello</Text>
</Animatable.View>
📱 Platform Support: Web vs React Native
| Package | Web | React Native |
|---|---|---|
framer-motion | ✅ | ✅ (limited) |
react-spring | ✅ | ✅ |
react-transition-group | ✅ | ❌ |
react-native-reanimated | ❌ | ✅ |
react-native-animatable | ❌ | ✅ |
react-motion | ✅ | ❌ (deprecated) |
Note:
framer-motion’s React Native support lacks advanced features like layout animations and gesture handlers available on web.
⚡ Performance Model: JavaScript Thread vs Native Thread
This is critical on mobile:
- JavaScript-thread animations (
react-native-animatable, olderAnimatedAPI): Can jank if JS is busy. - Native-thread animations (
react-native-reanimated): Run independently of JS, ensuring smoothness.
Compare these two React Native approaches:
// react-native-animatable (JS thread)
<Animatable.View animation="slideInUp" />
// react-native-reanimated (native thread)
const translateY = useSharedValue(100);
translateY.value = withSpring(0);
const style = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({ transform: [{ translateY: translateY.value }] }));
<Animated.View style={style} />
For complex interactions (e.g., dragging a card), only reanimated guarantees consistent 60fps.
🔄 Handling Enter/Exit Transitions
All libraries handle this differently:
react-transition-group (Web)
Uses lifecycle states (entering, entered, etc.) to toggle CSS classes.
<TransitionGroup>
{items.map(item => (
<CSSTransition key={item.id} timeout={500} classNames="item">
<div>{item.name}</div>
</CSSTransition>
))}
</TransitionGroup>
framer-motion (Web & RN)
Automatic presence detection with AnimatePresence.
import { AnimatePresence, motion } from 'framer-motion';
<AnimatePresence>
{isVisible && (
<motion.div
initial={{ y: -100 }}
animate={{ y: 0 }}
exit={{ y: -100 }}
/>
)}
</AnimatePresence>
react-spring (Web & RN)
Uses useTransition hook for list/item transitions.
const transitions = useTransition(items, {
from: { opacity: 0 },
enter: { opacity: 1 },
leave: { opacity: 0 }
});
return transitions((style, item) => <animated.div style={style}>{item}</animated.div>);
react-native-reanimated
Requires manual coordination with LayoutAnimation or custom logic — no built-in presence system.
// No direct equivalent; often combined with useState + timing functions
🖱️ Gesture Integration
For drag, pan, or tap interactions:
framer-motion: Built-indragprop andwhileHover/whileTap.
<motion.div drag dragConstraints={{ left: 0, right: 0 }} />
react-spring: Works with@react-spring/webor@react-spring/native+ gesture libraries likereact-use-gesture.
const [{ x, y }, api] = useSpring(() => ({ x: 0, y: 0 }));
const bind = useDrag(({ offset: [x, y] }) => api.start({ x, y }));
return <animated.div {...bind()} style={{ x, y }} />;
react-native-reanimated: Deep integration withreact-native-gesture-handler.
const gesture = Gesture.Pan().onUpdate(e => {
translateX.value = e.translationX;
});
return <GestureHandlerRootView>
<GestureDetector gesture={gesture}>
<Animated.View style={animatedStyle} />
</GestureDetector>
</GestureHandlerRootView>;
- Others: No native gesture support; require external libraries.
📦 Bundle Impact and Learning Curve
- Lightweight & simple:
react-transition-group(just lifecycle hooks),react-native-animatable(preset animations). - Moderate:
framer-motion(rich feature set but larger bundle),react-spring(flexible but requires understanding springs). - Heavy but powerful:
react-native-reanimated(steep learning curve due to worklets and threading model).
🛠️ Real-World Selection Guide
Building a Marketing Website?
→ Use framer-motion for scroll-triggered animations, hover effects, and page transitions. Pair with AnimatePresence for route changes.
Creating a Data Dashboard with Smooth Charts?
→ react-spring excels at interpolating values and animating SVG paths based on data changes.
Shipping a Production React Native App?
→ For anything beyond basic fades: react-native-reanimated + react-native-gesture-handler. Accept the learning curve for buttery-smooth UX.
Need Simple Modal Fade-Ins on Web?
→ react-transition-group + CSS transitions. Zero runtime overhead.
Maintaining Legacy Code with react-motion?
→ Plan migration to react-spring or framer-motion. Do not extend its usage.
🔚 Final Thought
There’s no universal “best” animation library. Match the tool to your constraints:
- Web-only, design-focused? →
framer-motion - Cross-platform, physics-driven? →
react-spring - React Native, performance-critical? →
react-native-reanimated - Minimalist web transitions? →
react-transition-group - Simple mobile presets? →
react-native-animatable(with caution) - Legacy
react-motion? → Migrate away
Choose wisely — the right animation library makes interactions feel alive without sacrificing performance or maintainability.
How to Choose: framer-motion vs react-motion vs react-native-animatable vs react-native-reanimated vs react-spring vs react-transition-group
- framer-motion:
Choose
framer-motionif you're building a modern React or React Native app and want a high-level, expressive API with excellent developer experience for common animations like gestures, layout transitions, and shared element transitions. It’s ideal when you prioritize rapid prototyping, visual polish, and don’t need fine-grained control over native animation threads. Avoid it if you require 60fps native-thread animations on mobile or must minimize bundle size in performance-critical contexts. - react-motion:
Avoid
react-motionin new projects — it is effectively deprecated and no longer actively maintained. While it pioneered spring-based physics in React, its API has been superseded by more modern alternatives likereact-springandframer-motion. If you encounter it in legacy code, plan a migration path rather than extending its usage. - react-native-animatable:
Choose
react-native-animatablefor simple, pre-defined animations (like fades, bounces, or slides) in React Native apps where ease of use outweighs performance needs. It runs animations on the JavaScript thread, so it’s unsuitable for complex or high-frame-rate interactions. Use it only for basic entrance/exit effects in non-performance-sensitive screens. - react-native-reanimated:
Choose
react-native-reanimatedwhen building demanding React Native UIs that require buttery-smooth 60fps animations, gesture-driven interactions, or shared values between JS and native threads. It’s the go-to for production-grade mobile experiences like custom navigators, pull-to-refresh, or drag-and-drop interfaces. Be prepared for a steeper learning curve and more verbose syntax compared to higher-level libraries. - react-spring:
Choose
react-springif you need a physics-based animation engine that works consistently across web and React Native, with strong support for interpolations, springs, and timeline orchestration. It offers more granular control thanframer-motionwhile maintaining a declarative style. Ideal for data visualizations, complex state-driven transitions, or when you want to avoid platform-specific animation code. - react-transition-group:
Choose
react-transition-groupwhen you need minimal, reliable enter/exit animations tied to component mounting/unmounting (e.g., modals, lists, route transitions). It doesn’t handle animation logic itself but provides lifecycle hooks to drive CSS or imperative animations. Best paired with CSS transitions or other animation libraries for actual motion implementation.
Popular Comparisons
README for framer-motion
Motion for React
An open source animation library
for React
npm install motion
Table of Contents
Why Motion?
- Simple API: First-class React, JavaScript, and Vue packages.
- Hybrid engine: Power of JavaScript combined with native browser APIs for 120fps, GPU-accelerated animations.
- Production-ready: TypeScript, extensive test suite, tree-shakable, tiny footprint. Batteries included: Gestures, springs, layout transitions, scroll-linked effects, timelines.
🍦 Platforms
Motion is available for React, JavaScript and Vue.
React
import { motion } from "motion/react"
function Component() {
return <motion.div animate={{ x: 100 }} />
}
Get started with Motion for React.
Note: Framer Motion is now Motion. Import from motion/react instead of framer-motion.
JS
import { animate } from "motion"
animate("#box", { x: 100 })
Get started with JavaScript.
Vue
<script>
import { motion } from "motion-v"
</script>
<template> <motion.div :animate={{ x: 100 }} /> </template>
Get started with Motion for Vue.
🎓 Examples & tutorials
Browse 330+ official examples, with copy-paste code that'll level-up your animations whether you're a beginner or an expert.
Over 100 examples come with a full step-by-step tutorial.
⚡️ Motion+
A one-time payment, lifetime-updates membership:
- 330+ examples
- 100+ tutorials
- Premium APIs like Cursor and Ticker
- Transition editor for Cursor and VS Code
- AI skills
- Private Discord
- Early access content
👩🏻⚖️ License
- Motion is MIT licensed.
💎 Contribute
- Want to contribute to Motion? Our contributing guide has you covered.
✨ Sponsors
Motion is sustainable thanks to the kind support of its sponsors.
Partners
Motion powers the animations for all websites built with Framer, the web builder for creative pros. The Motion website itself is built on Framer, for its delightful canvas-based editing and powerful CMS features.
Motion drives the animations on the Cursor homepage, and is working with Cursor to bring powerful AI workflows to the Motion examples and docs.
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