React animation libraries provide developers with tools to create smooth, interactive animations and transitions in web applications. These libraries help enhance user experience by making interfaces more engaging and visually appealing. They abstract the complexities of CSS animations and JavaScript transitions, allowing developers to implement animations declaratively and efficiently. Each library has its unique approach and features, catering to different use cases and developer preferences.
NPM Package Downloads Trend
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Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
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react-transition-group
12,347,938
10,153
244 kB
236
-
BSD-3-Clause
framer-motion
4,332,544
23,617
3.02 MB
212
a day ago
MIT
react-spring
729,059
28,092
9.38 kB
119
3 months ago
MIT
react-motion
409,276
21,681
-
193
7 years ago
MIT
Feature Comparison: react-transition-group vs framer-motion vs react-spring vs react-motion
Animation Complexity
react-transition-group: React Transition Group is focused on managing transitions for components entering and exiting the DOM. It provides a simple way to apply CSS transitions and animations, but it is less suited for complex animations compared to the other libraries.
framer-motion: Framer Motion excels in handling complex animations with ease. It supports keyframes, gestures, and layout animations, allowing for intricate designs without extensive boilerplate code. Its API is designed to simplify the creation of advanced animations while maintaining performance.
react-spring: React Spring offers a powerful and flexible API for creating animations based on spring physics. It allows for complex animations with a straightforward syntax, making it easy to create interactive UI elements. It also supports interpolation and chaining animations, providing a high degree of control over animation behavior.
react-motion: React Motion provides a physics-based animation model, which makes it ideal for creating natural, fluid animations. It allows developers to define animations based on spring dynamics, resulting in smooth transitions that mimic real-world motion, but it may require more effort for complex animations.
Ease of Use
react-transition-group: React Transition Group is simple to use for basic transitions, especially for those familiar with CSS. However, it may require additional work to implement complex animations, as it relies heavily on CSS classes.
framer-motion: Framer Motion is known for its intuitive API, making it easy for developers to get started with animations. It provides built-in support for common animation patterns, reducing the learning curve and enabling rapid prototyping of animated components.
react-spring: React Spring strikes a balance between ease of use and flexibility. Its API is straightforward, allowing developers to create animations quickly while still offering advanced features for those who need them. The documentation is comprehensive, aiding in the learning process.
react-motion: React Motion has a steeper learning curve due to its physics-based approach. Developers need to understand spring dynamics to effectively use the library, which can be a barrier for those unfamiliar with the concept.
Performance
react-transition-group: React Transition Group is lightweight and performs well for simple transitions. However, for more complex animations, it may not be as performant as the other libraries, especially if many components are animated simultaneously.
framer-motion: Framer Motion is optimized for performance, utilizing the latest React features like concurrent mode and hooks. It minimizes re-renders and leverages the GPU for smoother animations, making it suitable for high-performance applications.
react-spring: React Spring is designed with performance in mind, utilizing hooks and optimized rendering techniques. It can handle multiple animations efficiently, making it a good choice for applications with many animated elements.
react-motion: React Motion's physics-based approach can lead to performance issues if not managed correctly, especially with many animated components. However, when used appropriately, it can provide smooth animations without significant performance overhead.
Community and Ecosystem
react-transition-group: React Transition Group is a well-established library with a solid community. It is widely used in many projects, ensuring good support and resources for developers.
framer-motion: Framer Motion has a growing community and is backed by Framer, a popular design tool. It has extensive documentation and examples, making it easy for developers to find resources and support.
react-spring: React Spring has a vibrant community and is widely used in the React ecosystem. It has a wealth of resources, examples, and community support, making it a safe choice for new projects.
react-motion: React Motion has a smaller community compared to other libraries, which may result in fewer resources and examples. However, it is still maintained and has a loyal user base.
Integration with Other Libraries
react-transition-group: React Transition Group can be easily integrated with existing React components and CSS frameworks, making it a versatile choice for adding transitions to any project.
framer-motion: Framer Motion integrates seamlessly with other libraries and frameworks, allowing for easy combination with tools like React Router and styled-components. Its flexibility makes it suitable for a wide range of projects.
react-spring: React Spring is designed to work well with other libraries, making it easy to integrate with state management solutions like Redux or MobX. Its composable nature allows for creative combinations with other UI libraries.
react-motion: React Motion can be integrated with other libraries but may require additional effort to manage state and animations together. Its physics-based model may not always align with other libraries' paradigms.
How to Choose: react-transition-group vs framer-motion vs react-spring vs react-motion
framer-motion: Choose Framer Motion if you need a powerful, flexible animation library that integrates seamlessly with React. It offers a simple API for complex animations and is particularly suited for projects requiring advanced animations and gestures.
Similar Npm Packages to react-transition-group
react-transition-group is a popular library for managing transitions and animations in React applications. It provides a simple API to create animations for components as they enter or exit the DOM, making it easier to manage the lifecycle of animations in a declarative way. While react-transition-group is a robust solution for handling transitions, there are other libraries in the React ecosystem that offer similar capabilities. Here are a few alternatives:
framer-motion is a powerful animation library for React that allows developers to create complex animations with ease. It provides a declarative API that makes it simple to define animations directly in your components. Framer Motion supports gestures, layout animations, and shared element transitions, making it a versatile choice for building interactive UIs. If you need advanced animation capabilities and want to create fluid, responsive animations, framer-motion is an excellent option.
react-spring is another popular library for creating animations in React applications. It utilizes spring physics to create smooth and natural animations, allowing developers to create responsive and interactive UIs. React Spring provides a flexible API that can be used for both simple and complex animations, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases. If you prefer a physics-based approach to animations and want to create engaging user experiences, react-spring is a great choice.
framer-motion is a popular animation library for React that allows developers to create complex animations with ease. It provides a simple and intuitive API for animating components, making it a go-to choice for many React developers looking to enhance their user interfaces with smooth transitions and engaging animations. While framer-motion offers a robust solution for animations in React, there are several alternatives worth considering:
gsap (GreenSock Animation Platform) is a powerful JavaScript library for creating high-performance animations. It is widely used in web development for its flexibility and performance. GSAP is not limited to React and can be used with any JavaScript framework. It supports complex animations, timelines, and a wide range of easing options, making it a favorite among developers who need fine control over their animations. If you are looking for a comprehensive animation solution that works across different platforms, GSAP is an excellent choice.
popmotion is a functional JavaScript motion library that provides a wide range of animation capabilities. It allows developers to create animations using a simple API and supports physics-based animations, keyframes, and gestures. Popmotion is lightweight and can be used with any JavaScript framework, including React. If you prefer a more functional approach to animations and want to create dynamic, interactive experiences, Popmotion is a great alternative.
react-spring is a spring-physics-based animation library for React. It provides a simple and declarative way to create animations and transitions using spring physics, resulting in natural and fluid animations. React-spring is particularly useful for creating animations that respond to user interactions or changes in state. If you are looking for a library that emphasizes a physics-based approach to animations and integrates seamlessly with React, react-spring is a solid option.
react-spring is a powerful library for creating animations in React applications. It leverages the physics of spring dynamics to create smooth and natural animations, making it easier for developers to implement complex animations with minimal effort. With its declarative API, react-spring allows you to animate components based on their state, providing a seamless user experience. While react-spring is a popular choice for animations, there are several alternatives in the React ecosystem that offer different features and approaches to animation. Here are a few noteworthy alternatives:
framer-motion is a popular animation library that focuses on creating complex animations and transitions with ease. It provides a simple API and powerful features such as gesture support, layout animations, and shared layout transitions. framer-motion is particularly well-suited for designers and developers looking to create high-quality animations with minimal code. Its integration with the Framer design tool also makes it a great choice for teams that prioritize design and animation in their projects.
react-motion is another animation library that uses spring physics to create smooth animations. It provides a simple API for animating components based on their state and allows for fine-tuned control over the animation process. While react-motion is effective for creating fluid animations, it may require more boilerplate code compared to other libraries. It is a good choice for developers who appreciate the physics-based approach to animations and want to have more control over the animation parameters.
react-transition-group is a low-level animation library that provides simple transition effects for React components. It allows developers to manage the lifecycle of animations and transitions, making it easy to create enter and exit animations for components. While react-transition-group does not provide the same level of abstraction as react-spring or framer-motion, it is a lightweight option for developers who need basic transition effects without the overhead of a more complex animation library.
react-motion is a popular animation library for React applications that allows developers to create smooth and natural animations with ease. It provides a simple API for defining animations based on physics principles, making it easy to create visually appealing transitions and effects. While react-motion offers a solid foundation for animations, there are several alternatives available in the React ecosystem that cater to different needs. Here are a few noteworthy options:
framer-motion is a powerful and flexible animation library specifically designed for React. It offers a rich set of features, including advanced animations, gesture support, and layout animations. Framer Motion is well-suited for building complex animations and transitions, making it a popular choice among designers and developers alike. Its intuitive API and extensive documentation make it easy to get started, while its performance optimizations ensure smooth animations even in demanding scenarios.
popmotion is a versatile animation library that can be used with any JavaScript framework, including React. It provides a wide range of animation capabilities, including physics-based animations, keyframes, and gestures. Popmotion is particularly useful for developers who want fine-grained control over their animations and prefer a more functional programming approach. While it may require a bit more setup compared to other libraries, its flexibility and power make it a great choice for custom animations.
react-spring is another popular animation library for React that focuses on spring physics to create smooth and natural animations. It allows developers to create complex animations with a simple and declarative API. React Spring is particularly well-suited for animating components based on their state, making it easy to integrate animations into your React applications. Its ability to interpolate values and handle complex transitions makes it a strong contender for projects that require fluid and responsive animations.
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.
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.
