react vs vue vs preact vs svelte vs inferno: Which is Better JavaScript UI Libraries and Frameworks?

Package	Downloads	Stars	Size	Issues	Publish	License

react	26,857,025	229,380	318 kB	864	7 months ago	MIT
vue	5,525,347	47,700	2.39 MB	892	3 days ago	MIT
preact	4,288,090	36,830	1.42 MB	160	a month ago	MIT
svelte	1,640,424	80,009	2.34 MB	765	2 days ago	MIT
inferno	144,715	16,094	657 kB	38	a year ago	MIT

Package

Downloads

Stars

Size

Issues

Publish

License

react

26,857,025

229,380

318 kB

864

7 months ago

MIT

vue

5,525,347

47,700

2.39 MB

892

3 days ago

MIT

preact

4,288,090

36,830

1.42 MB

160

a month ago

MIT

svelte

1,640,424

80,009

2.34 MB

765

2 days ago

MIT

inferno

144,715

16,094

657 kB

a year ago

MIT

Performance

react: React offers good performance through its virtual DOM and efficient reconciliation process, but it may require optimization techniques like memoization and shouldComponentUpdate to maintain high performance in larger applications.
vue: Vue provides solid performance with its virtual DOM and optimized reactivity system. It balances performance with ease of use, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.
preact: Preact is extremely lightweight and fast, with a virtual DOM that closely resembles React's. Its small size contributes to quicker load times, which is particularly beneficial for performance-sensitive applications.
svelte: Svelte compiles components into highly efficient JavaScript at build time, resulting in minimal runtime overhead. This leads to exceptional performance, as there is no virtual DOM to manage during execution.
inferno: Inferno is designed for high performance, boasting a virtual DOM implementation that is optimized for speed. It minimizes the overhead associated with rendering and updates, making it one of the fastest libraries available.

Learning Curve

react: React has a moderate learning curve, particularly due to concepts like JSX, hooks, and state management. However, its extensive documentation and community support help ease the learning process.
vue: Vue is often praised for its low learning curve, thanks to its clear documentation and simple syntax. It allows developers to gradually adopt its features, making it accessible for newcomers.
preact: Preact has a gentle learning curve, especially for those who have experience with React. Its API is almost identical, allowing for a smooth transition between the two libraries.
svelte: Svelte is known for its straightforward syntax and less boilerplate code, making it easy for beginners to learn. Its unique approach to reactivity is intuitive, allowing developers to focus on building rather than configuration.
inferno: Inferno's API is similar to React's, making it relatively easy to pick up for those already familiar with React. However, its unique optimizations may require some adjustment for new users.

Ecosystem and Community

react: React boasts one of the largest ecosystems in the JavaScript world, with a vast array of third-party libraries, tools, and community resources. This makes it easier to find solutions and support for various challenges.
vue: Vue has a strong community and a rich ecosystem, with numerous plugins and libraries available. Its popularity in the developer community ensures ample resources and support.
preact: Preact benefits from a growing ecosystem and can leverage many React libraries due to its compatibility. The community is active, providing support and resources for developers.
svelte: Svelte's ecosystem is rapidly expanding, with increasing community support and a growing number of libraries. However, it is still smaller than React's, which may affect the availability of resources.
inferno: Inferno has a smaller community compared to React and Vue, which may limit the availability of third-party libraries and resources. However, it is growing and has a dedicated user base.

State Management

react: React provides built-in state management through hooks like useState and useReducer, but for more complex applications, developers often turn to external libraries like Redux or Context API for global state management.
vue: Vue includes a built-in state management solution called Vuex, which is designed to manage complex state in larger applications. This makes it easier to maintain and manage application state.
preact: Preact also does not include a built-in state management system, but it can work seamlessly with popular state management libraries like Redux and MobX, giving developers the freedom to choose their preferred solution.
svelte: Svelte offers a unique approach to state management, allowing developers to manage state directly within components without the need for external libraries. Its reactivity model simplifies state management significantly.
inferno: Inferno does not have a built-in state management solution, but it can integrate with existing libraries like Redux or MobX for state management needs, allowing flexibility in choosing the right tool.

Component Structure

react: React is fundamentally built around a component-based architecture, allowing for the creation of reusable UI components. This promotes a modular approach to development, making code easier to maintain and scale.
vue: Vue utilizes a component-based architecture, allowing developers to create reusable components with their own state and behavior. This modularity simplifies development and improves code organization.
preact: Preact also follows a component-based architecture, enabling developers to build applications using reusable components. Its API is designed to be lightweight and efficient, similar to React.
svelte: Svelte encourages a component-based architecture, where each component is self-contained and can manage its own state and styles. This leads to cleaner and more organized code, enhancing maintainability.
inferno: Inferno uses a component-based architecture similar to React, allowing developers to create reusable components that encapsulate their own logic and styles, promoting modularity and maintainability.

react

React is a JavaScript library for creating user interfaces.

The react package contains only the functionality necessary to define React components. It is typically used together with a React renderer like react-dom for the web, or react-native for the native environments.

Note: by default, React will be in development mode. The development version includes extra warnings about common mistakes, whereas the production version includes extra performance optimizations and strips all error messages. Don't forget to use the production build when deploying your application.

Usage

import { useState } from 'react'; import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'; function Counter() { const [count, setCount] = useState(0); return ( <> <h1>{count}</h1> <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}> Increment </button> </> ); } const root = createRoot(document.getElementById('root')); root.render(<App />);