react-i18next vs react-intl vs next-international vs react-intl-universal
Internationalization Libraries for React Comparison
1 Year
react-i18nextreact-intlnext-internationalreact-intl-universalSimilar Packages:
What's Internationalization Libraries for React?

Internationalization (i18n) libraries for React facilitate the development of multilingual applications by providing tools for managing translations, formatting dates, numbers, and currencies, as well as handling locale-specific content. These libraries help developers create a seamless user experience across different languages and regions, making it easier to reach a global audience. They enable dynamic language switching, support for pluralization, and integration with various translation management systems, ensuring that applications can adapt to diverse user needs.

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react-i18next4,443,5109,445330 kB287 days agoMIT
react-intl1,715,22614,407233 kB3016 days agoBSD-3-Clause
next-international17,1321,36276.7 kB984 months agoMIT
react-intl-universal13,8541,34259.9 kB563 months agoBSD-3-Clause
Feature Comparison: react-i18next vs react-intl vs next-international vs react-intl-universal

Integration with Frameworks

  • react-i18next:

    react-i18next is framework-agnostic but offers excellent integration with React. It supports hooks and higher-order components, making it easy to implement in any React application, regardless of its architecture.

  • react-intl:

    react-intl is built to work with React and provides a rich set of APIs for formatting and displaying internationalized content. It integrates well with React's component model and supports various localization strategies.

  • next-international:

    next-international is specifically designed for Next.js, leveraging its features like server-side rendering and static site generation to optimize loading times and SEO for multilingual content. It integrates seamlessly with Next.js routing, allowing for easy language-based routing.

  • react-intl-universal:

    react-intl-universal is designed to be simple and easy to integrate into any React application. It does not impose strict architectural patterns, allowing developers to use it flexibly within their existing projects.

Translation Management

  • react-i18next:

    react-i18next offers advanced features for managing translations, including support for namespaces, dynamic loading of translation files, and integration with translation management systems. This makes it suitable for large applications with extensive translation needs.

  • react-intl:

    react-intl focuses on providing a structured way to manage translations using the ICU message format, which allows for complex message formatting and pluralization. It is ideal for applications that require precise control over translation content.

  • next-international:

    next-international allows for easy management of translation files and supports various formats, making it simple to organize and update translations. It also provides a straightforward API for accessing translations throughout the application.

  • react-intl-universal:

    react-intl-universal provides a simple API for managing translations and supports dynamic loading of language packs. It is designed for ease of use, making it suitable for projects with less complex translation requirements.

Performance

  • react-i18next:

    react-i18next includes features like lazy loading of translations and caching, which help improve performance in applications with large translation files or many languages. It allows for efficient rendering by loading only the necessary translations.

  • react-intl:

    react-intl is designed with performance in mind, utilizing the ECMAScript Internationalization API for efficient formatting. It minimizes the overhead of translation management by leveraging built-in browser capabilities.

  • next-international:

    next-international is optimized for Next.js, ensuring that translations are preloaded and served efficiently, which enhances performance and reduces load times for multilingual applications.

  • react-intl-universal:

    react-intl-universal is lightweight and focuses on minimizing the performance impact of internationalization. It loads only the necessary translation files, ensuring that applications remain responsive.

Community and Support

  • react-i18next:

    react-i18next has a large and active community, offering extensive documentation, examples, and support through forums and GitHub. This makes it easier for developers to find help and resources.

  • react-intl:

    react-intl is part of the FormatJS suite, which has a strong community and comprehensive documentation. It is widely used and supported, making it a reliable choice for internationalization in React applications.

  • next-international:

    next-international benefits from the Next.js community, which is active and provides a wealth of resources, documentation, and support for developers using the library.

  • react-intl-universal:

    react-intl-universal has a smaller community compared to the others, but it is still well-documented and provides essential support for developers looking for a straightforward internationalization solution.

Learning Curve

  • react-i18next:

    react-i18next may have a steeper learning curve due to its extensive features and flexibility. However, once understood, it provides powerful tools for managing translations effectively.

  • react-intl:

    react-intl has a moderate learning curve, especially for developers familiar with the ICU message format. Its structured approach to internationalization may require some initial investment in learning.

  • next-international:

    next-international has a gentle learning curve for developers familiar with Next.js, as it integrates seamlessly with its features and conventions. It is straightforward to implement and use for multilingual support.

  • react-intl-universal:

    react-intl-universal is designed to be easy to learn and implement, making it suitable for developers looking for a quick and simple solution for internationalization without extensive setup.

How to Choose: react-i18next vs react-intl vs next-international vs react-intl-universal
  • react-i18next:

    Select react-i18next for its extensive features, including support for nested translations, pluralization, and interpolation. It is highly customizable and works well with React hooks, making it suitable for complex applications that require fine-grained control over localization.

  • react-intl:

    Opt for react-intl if you are looking for a comprehensive solution that follows the ECMAScript Internationalization API. It provides rich formatting options for dates, numbers, and currencies, making it ideal for applications that require precise locale-aware formatting alongside translations.

  • next-international:

    Choose next-international if you are building a Next.js application and need a solution that is tightly integrated with its routing and server-side rendering capabilities. It provides a straightforward API for managing translations and is optimized for performance in Next.js environments.

  • react-intl-universal:

    Consider react-intl-universal for its simplicity and ease of use, especially in projects that need a lightweight solution for internationalization. It supports dynamic language switching and is designed to work seamlessly with various build systems, making it a good choice for smaller applications.

README for react-i18next

react-i18next Tweet

CI Code Climate Coverage Status Quality npm

IMPORTANT:

Master Branch is the newest version using hooks (>= v10).

$ >=v10.0.0
npm i react-i18next

react-native: To use hooks within react-native, you must use react-native v0.59.0 or higher

For the legacy version please use the v9.x.x Branch

$ v9.0.10 (legacy)
npm i react-i18next@legacy

Documentation

The documentation is published on react.i18next.com and PR changes can be supplied here.

The general i18next documentation is published on www.i18next.com and PR changes can be supplied here.

What will my code look like?

Before: Your react code would have looked something like:

...
<div>Just simple content</div>
<div>
  Hello <strong title="this is your name">{name}</strong>, you have {count} unread message(s). <Link to="/msgs">Go to messages</Link>.
</div>
...

After: With the trans component just change it to:

...
<div>{t('simpleContent')}</div>
<Trans i18nKey="userMessagesUnread" count={count}>
  Hello <strong title={t('nameTitle')}>{{name}}</strong>, you have {{count}} unread message. <Link to="/msgs">Go to messages</Link>.
</Trans>
...

📖 What others say

Why i18next?

  • Simplicity: no need to change your webpack configuration or add additional babel transpilers, just use create-react-app and go.
  • Production ready we know there are more needs for production than just doing i18n on the clientside, so we offer wider support on serverside too (nodejs, php, ruby, .net, ...). Learn once - translate everywhere.
  • Beyond i18n comes with locize bridging the gap between development and translations - covering the whole translation process.

ecosystem

Localization workflow

Want to learn more about how seamless your internationalization and translation process can be?

video

watch the video

Installation

Source can be loaded via npm or downloaded from this repo.

# npm package
$ npm install react-i18next
  • If you don't use a module loader it will be added to window.reactI18next

Do you like to read a more complete step by step tutorial?

Here you'll find a simple tutorial on how to best use react-i18next. Some basics of i18next and some cool possibilities on how to optimize your localization workflow.

Examples

v9 samples

Requirements

  • react >= 16.8.0
  • react-dom >= 16.8.0
  • react-native >= 0.59.0
  • i18next >= 10.0.0 (typescript users: >=17.0.9)

v9

Core Contributors

Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):


Jan Mühlemann

💻 💡 👀 📖 💬

Adriano Raiano

💻 💡 👀 📖 💬

Pedro Durek

💻 💡 👀 💬

Tiger Abrodi

💻 👀

This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind are welcome!


Gold Sponsors


localization as a service - locize.com

Needing a translation management? Want to edit your translations with an InContext Editor? Use the original provided to you by the maintainers of i18next!

locize

By using locize you directly support the future of i18next and react-i18next.