react-select vs vue-multiselect: A Deep Dive for Professional Frontend Teams

Both react-select and vue-multiselect emerged to solve the same core problem: the native <select> element is too limited for modern UIs. But they evolved in different ecosystems, leading to distinct architectures, extension models, and maintenance realities. Let’s compare them through the lens of real-world engineering trade-offs.

⚠️ Maintenance Status: Active vs Archived

react-select is actively maintained with regular releases, TypeScript support, and compatibility with modern React (including Concurrent Mode). The team responds to issues and accepts community contributions.

vue-multiselect, however, has not seen a meaningful commit since 2021. Its GitHub repository is archived, and the npm package page includes a deprecation notice recommending alternatives like @vueform/multiselect for Vue 3. Do not use vue-multiselect in new Vue 3 projects.

🛑 Critical Note: If you’re on Vue 3, vue-multiselect relies on compatibility builds and lacks official support. Consider @vueform/multiselect or native solutions instead.

🧩 Component Architecture: Composition vs Templates

react-select treats everything as a composable unit. You pass functions or components via props like components, formatOptionLabel, or loadingMessage.

// react-select: Custom option rendering via prop
import Select from 'react-select';

const Option = ({ data }) => (
  <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
    <img src={data.avatar} alt="" width="24" />
    <span>{data.label}</span>
  </div>
);

<Select
  options={users}
  components={{ Option }}
  isSearchable
/>

vue-multiselect uses Vue’s scoped slots for customization, fitting naturally into .vue templates.

<!-- vue-multiselect: Scoped slot for option rendering -->
<template>
  <multiselect
    v-model="value"
    :options="users"
    label="name"
    track-by="id"
    :searchable="true"
  >
    <template #option="{ option }">
      <div style="display: flex; align-items: center">
        <img :src="option.avatar" width="24" />
        {{ option.name }}
      </div>
    </template>
  </multiselect>
</template>

<script>
import Multiselect from 'vue-multiselect';
export default {
  components: { Multiselect },
  data() {
    return { value: null, users: [...] };
  }
};
</script>

The difference isn’t just syntax—it reflects deeper philosophy: React favors JavaScript composition; Vue favors declarative templates.

🔍 Async Data Loading: First-Class vs Manual

react-select has built-in support for async options via the loadOptions prop. It handles loading states, caching, and debouncing out of the box.

// react-select: Async options with automatic loading UI
const loadOptions = (inputValue) =>
  fetch(`/api/users?q=${inputValue}`).then(res => res.json());

<AsyncSelect
  loadOptions={loadOptions}
  defaultOptions // show initial options
  cacheOptions   // cache results
/>

vue-multiselect does not include async logic. You must manage loading states, debouncing, and request cancellation yourself.

<!-- vue-multiselect: Manual async handling -->
<template>
  <multiselect
    v-model="selected"
    :options="fetchedOptions"
    :loading="isLoading"
    @search-change="debouncedFetch"
  />
</template>

<script>
import debounce from 'lodash/debounce';

export default {
  data() {
    return {
      isLoading: false,
      fetchedOptions: []
    };
  },
  methods: {
    fetchOptions(query) {
      this.isLoading = true;
      fetch(`/api/users?q=${query}`)
        .then(res => res.json())
        .then(data => this.fetchedOptions = data)
        .finally(() => this.isLoading = false);
    },
    debouncedFetch: debounce(function(query) {
      this.fetchOptions(query);
    }, 300)
  }
};
</script>

This makes react-select significantly more productive for search-as-you-type scenarios.

✅ Accessibility and Keyboard Navigation

Both libraries implement ARIA roles and keyboard navigation (arrow keys, Enter, Escape), but react-select goes further:

• Full screen reader support tested with VoiceOver, JAWS, and NVDA.
• Built-in focus management that works inside modals or portals.
• Automatic labelling via aria-labelledby when used with form libraries.

vue-multiselect supports basic keyboard navigation but lacks comprehensive ARIA compliance documentation and testing. In practice, teams often need to patch missing attributes manually.

🎨 Theming and Styling

react-select uses a CSS-in-JS approach by default but supports complete replacement via the styles prop (object-based) or className/classNamePrefix for global CSS.

// react-select: Object-based styling
const customStyles = {
  control: (base) => ({
    ...base,
    backgroundColor: '#f0f0f0',
    borderColor: '#ccc'
  }),
  option: (base, state) => ({
    ...base,
    backgroundColor: state.isFocused ? '#e0e0e0' : 'white'
  })
};

<Select styles={customStyles} options={options} />

vue-multiselect relies entirely on global CSS classes. You override .multiselect, .multiselect__option, etc., in your stylesheet.

/* vue-multiselect: Global CSS override */
.multiselect__option--highlight {
  background: #e0e0e0 !important;
}

.multiselect__tag {
  background: #007bff;
}

While global CSS is familiar, it’s harder to scope and theme per-instance—especially in design systems with multiple variants.

📦 Feature Parity: Where They Diverge

🔄 State Management Integration

In React apps using Redux, Zustand, or Context, react-select fits naturally because it doesn’t manage external state—you pass value and onChange like any controlled component.

// Works seamlessly with any state manager
const [selected, setSelected] = useState(null);
<Select value={selected} onChange={setSelected} options={opts} />

In Vue, vue-multiselect uses v-model, which integrates with Vuex or Pinia via computed setters—but only if you’re on Vue 2. In Vue 3, reactivity changes break some internal watchers, leading to subtle bugs.

💡 When to Choose Which

Pick react-select if:

• You’re in a React codebase (obviously).
• You need async, virtualized, or highly accessible selects.
• Your team values TypeScript and long-term maintenance.
• You’re building a design system that requires consistent, themeable components.

Avoid vue-multiselect if:

• You’re starting a new Vue 3 project—it’s effectively deprecated.
• You require robust async support without boilerplate.
• Accessibility compliance is non-negotiable.

For Vue 3, consider @vueform/multiselect or primevue/multiselect as active alternatives.

🧪 Final Thought: Ecosystem Lock-In Is Real

These libraries aren’t just drop-in widgets—they reflect their framework’s DNA. react-select leans into React’s composability and unidirectional data flow. vue-multiselect embraces Vue’s template-driven reactivity. That’s fine… until the project stalls.

Given vue-multiselect’s archived status, the only safe choice for new projects is react-select in React apps, and a modern alternative in Vue 3. Don’t let legacy convenience trap you in unmaintained code.