react-select vs react-autosuggest vs selectize
React Component Libraries for Select Inputs Comparison
1 Year
react-selectreact-autosuggestselectizeSimilar Packages:
What's React Component Libraries for Select Inputs?

These libraries provide advanced solutions for creating user-friendly select input components in React applications. They enhance the user experience by offering features like autocomplete suggestions, multi-select capabilities, and customizable styling. Each library has its unique strengths, making them suitable for different use cases in web development. Understanding their functionalities and design principles can help developers choose the right tool for their specific needs.

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react-select5,240,63227,839724 kB449a month agoMIT
react-autosuggest312,2225,967-2614 years agoMIT
selectize41,46213,046-467 years agoApache-2.0
Feature Comparison: react-select vs react-autosuggest vs selectize

Customization

  • react-select:

    react-select offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to modify nearly every aspect of the component, including styles, components, and behavior. It supports custom rendering for options and allows for complete control over the dropdown's appearance and functionality.

  • react-autosuggest:

    react-autosuggest allows for basic customization of the suggestion list and input field, but it is primarily focused on providing a functional autocomplete experience. Developers can style the input and suggestion list through CSS, but the core functionality is more rigid compared to others.

  • selectize:

    selectize provides a good level of customization, allowing developers to style the input and dropdown using CSS. It also supports custom item rendering and can be extended with plugins, making it versatile for different use cases.

Performance

  • react-select:

    react-select can handle large datasets efficiently with features like virtualized rendering and asynchronous loading of options. However, performance may vary based on the complexity of the custom components used, so developers should be mindful of performance implications when customizing extensively.

  • react-autosuggest:

    react-autosuggest is optimized for performance with efficient rendering of suggestions based on user input. It minimizes re-renders by using controlled components and is designed to handle large datasets smoothly, making it suitable for applications with extensive suggestion lists.

  • selectize:

    selectize is generally performant but can experience slowdowns with very large datasets due to its jQuery foundation. It is best suited for smaller to medium datasets unless optimized with remote data fetching.

User Experience

  • react-select:

    react-select excels in user experience with features like multi-select, search functionality, and the ability to group options. Its flexible design allows for a more interactive and engaging selection process, catering to complex user needs.

  • react-autosuggest:

    react-autosuggest provides a clean and intuitive user experience focused on autocomplete functionality. It enhances usability by displaying suggestions as the user types, making it easy to find options quickly without overwhelming the user with choices.

  • selectize:

    selectize offers a user-friendly interface with tagging capabilities and a straightforward selection process. It is particularly effective for scenarios where users need to create custom tags or select multiple items, enhancing the overall interaction.

Integration

  • react-select:

    react-select is built specifically for React, ensuring smooth integration with React's state management and lifecycle methods. It is well-documented and widely used, providing a robust solution for any React application needing select inputs.

  • react-autosuggest:

    react-autosuggest integrates seamlessly with React applications, leveraging React's component lifecycle for efficient updates. It is easy to implement and requires minimal setup, making it a great choice for projects focused on simplicity and speed.

  • selectize:

    selectize is a jQuery plugin, which may require additional effort to integrate into React applications. While it can be used within React, it may not leverage React's full capabilities, potentially leading to challenges in managing state and updates.

Community and Support

  • react-select:

    react-select has a large and active community, providing extensive documentation, examples, and community support. It is widely adopted, which means developers can find numerous resources and third-party extensions to enhance its functionality.

  • react-autosuggest:

    react-autosuggest has a smaller community compared to the others, but it is still actively maintained and supported. Documentation is clear, making it easier for developers to get started and find solutions to common issues.

  • selectize:

    selectize has a moderate community presence, but it is not as actively maintained as the other two. While it has decent documentation, developers may find fewer resources and community support compared to react-select.

How to Choose: react-select vs react-autosuggest vs selectize
  • react-select:

    Choose react-select if you require a highly customizable select input with support for multi-select, async options, and advanced features like grouping and searching. It is suitable for complex forms where users need to select one or multiple options from a large dataset.

  • react-autosuggest:

    Choose react-autosuggest if you need an autocomplete input that provides suggestions based on user input, making it ideal for search fields or any scenario where users benefit from predictive text. It is lightweight and focuses on providing a seamless suggestion experience.

  • selectize:

    Choose selectize if you want a jQuery-based solution that offers a rich feature set, including tagging, remote data sets, and a user-friendly interface. It is beneficial for projects that already use jQuery and require a more traditional approach to select inputs.

README for react-select

NPM CircleCI Coverage Status Supported by Thinkmill

React-Select

The Select control for React. Initially built for use in KeystoneJS.

See react-select.com for live demos and comprehensive docs.

React Select is funded by Thinkmill and Atlassian. It represents a whole new approach to developing powerful React.js components that just work out of the box, while being extremely customisable.

For the story behind this component, watch Jed's talk at React Conf 2019 - building React Select

Features include:

  • Flexible approach to data, with customisable functions
  • Extensible styling API with emotion
  • Component Injection API for complete control over the UI behaviour
  • Controllable state props and modular architecture
  • Long-requested features like option groups, portal support, animation, and more

Using an older version?

Installation and usage

The easiest way to use react-select is to install it from npm and build it into your app with Webpack.

yarn add react-select

Then use it in your app:

With React Component

import React from 'react';
import Select from 'react-select';

const options = [
  { value: 'chocolate', label: 'Chocolate' },
  { value: 'strawberry', label: 'Strawberry' },
  { value: 'vanilla', label: 'Vanilla' },
];

class App extends React.Component {
  state = {
    selectedOption: null,
  };
  handleChange = (selectedOption) => {
    this.setState({ selectedOption }, () =>
      console.log(`Option selected:`, this.state.selectedOption)
    );
  };
  render() {
    const { selectedOption } = this.state;

    return (
      <Select
        value={selectedOption}
        onChange={this.handleChange}
        options={options}
      />
    );
  }
}

With React Hooks

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import Select from 'react-select';

const options = [
  { value: 'chocolate', label: 'Chocolate' },
  { value: 'strawberry', label: 'Strawberry' },
  { value: 'vanilla', label: 'Vanilla' },
];

export default function App() {
  const [selectedOption, setSelectedOption] = useState(null);

  return (
    <div className="App">
      <Select
        defaultValue={selectedOption}
        onChange={setSelectedOption}
        options={options}
      />
    </div>
  );
}

Props

Common props you may want to specify include:

  • autoFocus - focus the control when it mounts
  • className - apply a className to the control
  • classNamePrefix - apply classNames to inner elements with the given prefix
  • isDisabled - disable the control
  • isMulti - allow the user to select multiple values
  • isSearchable - allow the user to search for matching options
  • name - generate an HTML input with this name, containing the current value
  • onChange - subscribe to change events
  • options - specify the options the user can select from
  • placeholder - change the text displayed when no option is selected
  • noOptionsMessage - ({ inputValue: string }) => string | null - Text to display when there are no options
  • value - control the current value

See the props documentation for complete documentation on the props react-select supports.

Controllable Props

You can control the following props by providing values for them. If you don't, react-select will manage them for you.

  • value / onChange - specify the current value of the control
  • menuIsOpen / onMenuOpen / onMenuClose - control whether the menu is open
  • inputValue / onInputChange - control the value of the search input (changing this will update the available options)

If you don't provide these props, you can set the initial value of the state they control:

  • defaultValue - set the initial value of the control
  • defaultMenuIsOpen - set the initial open value of the menu
  • defaultInputValue - set the initial value of the search input

Methods

React-select exposes two public methods:

  • focus() - focus the control programmatically
  • blur() - blur the control programmatically

Customisation

Check the docs for more information on:

TypeScript

The v5 release represents a rewrite from JavaScript to TypeScript. The types for v4 and earlier releases are available at @types. See the TypeScript guide for how to use the types starting with v5.

Thanks

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this project. It's been a wild ride.

If you like React Select, you should follow me on twitter!

Shout out to Joss Mackison, Charles Lee, Ben Conolly, Tom Walker, Nathan Bierema, Eric Bonow, Emma Hamilton, Dave Brotherstone, Brian Vaughn, and the Atlassian Design System team who along with many other contributors have made this possible ❤️

License

MIT Licensed. Copyright (c) Jed Watson 2022.