react-joyride vs reactour: Building User Onboarding Flows

Both react-joyride and reactour solve the same core problem — guiding users through a interface with highlighted steps. However, they differ in how they manage state, handle styling, and maintain long-term support. Let's look at the technical details to help you decide.

🛠️ Setup and Installation

react-joyride is installed as a standalone component. You import it and place it in your root or layout component. It does not require a context provider for basic usage.

// react-joyride: Direct import
import Joyride from 'react-joyride';

function App() {
  return <Joyride steps={steps} run={true} />;
}

reactour typically requires importing the Tour component and sometimes a provider depending on the version. The original package works similarly to Joyride but often relies on global state for masking.

// reactour: Direct import
import Tour from 'reactour';

function App() {
  return <Tour steps={steps} isOpen={true} />;
}

📍 Defining Tour Steps

Both libraries use an array of objects to define steps, but the property names differ slightly.

react-joyride uses target (CSS selector or ref) and content. It supports placement for positioning.

// react-joyride: Step definition
const steps = [
  {
    target: '.my-element',
    content: 'Click here to start',
    placement: 'bottom',
  },
];

reactour uses selector instead of target. The content is often passed as content or children.

// reactour: Step definition
const steps = [
  {
    selector: '.my-element',
    content: 'Click here to start',
  },
];

🎮 Controlling the Tour Flow

Control is critical for multi-step tours. You need to know when a user moves next or closes the tour.

react-joyride uses a callback prop to listen to events like next, prev, or end. You manage the run state externally.

// react-joyride: Controlled flow
const [run, setRun] = useState(false);

const handleCallback = (data) => {
  if (data.action === 'end') {
    setRun(false);
  }
};

<Joyride steps={steps} run={run} callback={handleCallback} />;

reactour relies on the isOpen prop and onClose handler. It is simpler but offers less granularity on step changes.

// reactour: Controlled flow
const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(true);

const handleClose = () => {
  setIsOpen(false);
};

<Tour steps={steps} isOpen={isOpen} onClose={handleClose} />;

🎨 Styling and Customization

Customizing the look of the tooltip and mask is often required to match brand guidelines.

react-joyride allows passing a styles object to override internal components like the tooltip, button, or overlay.

// react-joyride: Custom styles
<Joyride
  steps={steps}
  styles={{
    options: {
      primaryColor: '#007bff',
      zIndex: 1000,
    },
  }}
/>

reactour uses class names and a maskClassName prop to style the overlay. You often need to write custom CSS to match the theme.

// reactour: Custom styles
<Tour
  steps={steps}
  isOpen={true}
  maskClassName="custom-mask"
  className="custom-tooltip"
/>

🧩 Maintenance and Ecosystem

Long-term support is a key factor for architectural decisions.

react-joyride is actively maintained with regular updates for React versions including React 18. It has a large community and many examples available.

// react-joyride: React 18 compatible
// Frequently updated to support new React features

reactour has seen slower update cycles. While stable, it may require more work to integrate with newer React features like concurrent rendering. There is a newer scoped package @reactour/tour, but the original reactour is less active.

// reactour: Maintenance check
// Check npm for latest release date before committing

📊 Summary: Key Differences

💡 Final Recommendation

react-joyride is the stronger choice for most professional projects. It offers better control over the tour lifecycle, more styling options, and a clearer path for future updates. Use it when you need reliability and flexibility.

reactour is suitable for simpler use cases or legacy projects already using it. If you choose it, verify the maintenance status of the specific version you plan to install. For new development, react-joyride reduces risk.