react-sortable-hoc vs react-sortable-tree: Choosing the Right Drag-and-Drop Sorting Tool

Both react-sortable-hoc and react-sortable-tree bring drag-and-drop reordering to React apps, but they solve very different problems. One is a flexible utility for making any list sortable; the other is a ready-made tree component with built-in hierarchy management. Let’s break down how they work, what they’re good for, and why neither should be used in new projects.

⚠️ Deprecation Status: Critical First Consideration

Both packages are officially deprecated.

• react-sortable-hoc shows a clear deprecation notice on its npm page and GitHub repository, recommending migration to @dnd-kit/sortable.
• react-sortable-tree has been archived on GitHub and marked as unmaintained, with no updates in years.

Important: For new projects, avoid both. Use modern, actively maintained alternatives. This comparison is provided for legacy code maintenance or architectural understanding only.

🧩 Core Purpose: General Utility vs Specialized Component

react-sortable-hoc is a set of higher-order components that inject drag-and-drop sorting logic into your existing React components. You keep full control over rendering.

// react-sortable-hoc: Wrap your own item component
import { SortableContainer, SortableElement } from 'react-sortable-hoc';

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({ value }) => <li>{value}</li>);

const SortableList = SortableContainer(({ items }) => {
  return (
    <ul>
      {items.map((value, index) => (
        <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
});

// Usage
<SortableList items={['Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry']} onSortEnd={handleSort} />

react-sortable-tree is a complete, self-contained tree component. You pass it data, and it renders the entire interactive hierarchy.

// react-sortable-tree: Provide tree data, get a ready-made UI
import SortableTree from 'react-sortable-tree';

const treeData = [
  { title: 'Parent', children: [
    { title: 'Child 1' },
    { title: 'Child 2' }
  ]}
];

<SortableTree
  treeData={treeData}
  onChange={newTree => console.log(newTree)}
  canDrag={true}
/>

🗂️ Data Structure: Flat Lists vs Nested Trees

react-sortable-hoc works with flat arrays. It doesn’t understand hierarchy — each item is independent.

// Input for react-sortable-hoc
const items = ['Item A', 'Item B', 'Item C']; // flat array

react-sortable-tree requires a recursive tree structure with children arrays.

// Input for react-sortable-tree
const treeData = [
  {
    title: 'Node 1',
    children: [
      { title: 'Leaf A' },
      { title: 'Leaf B' }
    ]
  }
];

You cannot use react-sortable-hoc to build a collapsible tree without significant custom logic. Conversely, react-sortable-tree cannot render a simple flat list without unnecessary overhead.

🎨 Rendering Control: Full Freedom vs Locked-In UI

With react-sortable-hoc, you define every aspect of how items look. The HOC only handles drag state and position updates.

// Fully custom item rendering
const SortableItem = SortableElement(({ user }) => (
  <div className="user-card">
    <img src={user.avatar} />
    <span>{user.name}</span>
  </div>
));

react-sortable-tree gives you limited customization via props like rowHeight, generateNodeProps, or theme, but the core layout (indentation, collapse buttons, connectors) is fixed.

// Limited customization in react-sortable-tree
<SortableTree
  generateNodeProps={({ node }) => ({
    style: { color: node.isSpecial ? 'red' : 'black' }
  })}
/>

If you need pixel-perfect control over item appearance or non-standard layouts (e.g., masonry grids), react-sortable-hoc is more adaptable — though again, it’s deprecated.

🔄 State Management: Manual vs Built-In

react-sortable-hoc leaves state management entirely to you. You receive an onSortEnd callback with old/new indices and must update your data accordingly.

function handleSortEnd({ oldIndex, newIndex }) {
  const newItems = arrayMove(items, oldIndex, newIndex);
  setItems(newItems); // you manage the state
}

react-sortable-tree manages the entire tree state internally and calls onChange with the new tree structure whenever it changes.

function handleChange(treeData) {
  setTreeData(treeData); // treeData is the full new tree
}

The tree component handles complex operations like moving a node between different parents or depths automatically. With react-sortable-hoc, you’d have to implement cross-container or nested logic yourself.

🖱️ Interaction Model: Simple Reordering vs Hierarchical Manipulation

react-sortable-hoc supports:

• Reordering within a single list
• Dragging between multiple lists (with additional setup)
• Horizontal or vertical orientation

But it does not support:

• Nesting items under others
• Collapsing/expanding sections
• Visual depth indicators

react-sortable-tree supports:

• Dragging nodes to become children of other nodes
• Collapsing/expanding subtrees
• Visual indentation and connection lines
• Programmatic expansion control

But it does not support:

• Non-hierarchical layouts
• Custom drag previews beyond basic theming
• Fine-grained control over drop zones

🧪 Real-World Fit: When Each Makes (Legacy) Sense

Use react-sortable-hoc (legacy only) if:

• You have a flat list of cards, images, or form fields to reorder
• You already have styled components and just need DnD behavior added
• You need to integrate sorting into an existing complex layout

Example: Reordering steps in a workflow builder where each step is a custom React component.

Use react-sortable-tree (legacy only) if:

• You’re building a file explorer, org chart, or category manager
• You need users to restructure nested data visually
• You want built-in collapse/expand without writing it yourself

Example: An admin panel for managing a product taxonomy with drag-and-drop category nesting.

🔁 Modern Alternatives to Consider

Since both packages are deprecated, here are current options:

• For general-purpose sorting: @dnd-kit/sortable — more powerful, accessible, and actively maintained.
• For tree structures: react-arborist (virtualized, performant) or react-sortable-tree-v2 (community fork, use with caution).

📊 Summary: Key Differences

💡 Final Guidance

Don’t start new projects with either library. Their deprecation isn’t just about missing features — it means no security updates, bug fixes, or compatibility with future React versions (especially concurrent features).

For flat sorting, @dnd-kit/sortable offers a cleaner, hook-based API with better accessibility. For trees, evaluate whether you truly need a full interactive tree component or if a simpler custom solution using a modern DnD library would suffice.

Understanding these two packages helps when maintaining older codebases, but forward-looking architecture demands modern, supported tools.