ReactJS vs Vue.js Detailed Comparison of Popular Frameworks
According to one Statista survey, JavaScript is the most widely used programming language among software developers worldwide with 62.5 percent of respondent ratio. Over the recent time, JavaScript has gained in popularity and many tech giants are reaping the benefits of it. A plethora of frameworks and languages are taking place dayby-day and we can’t keep up with all of them. It is pretty hard to decide which ones are worth paying attention to. The JavaScript world is moving faster than ever before and as being a prominent software development company, we can’t afford to overlook the most discussed frameworks of this era – ReactJS and Vue.js. So, in this comparison guide of React vs. Vue.Js, we will help you select the best framework, based on the significant pros and cons of each, along with market trends and insights. We have a skilled pool of resources who keep themselves updated on every aspect of Vue.js application development and react development.
Let’s dive into the details: Before you read further, ensure that you clearly understand what React and Vue.js are. They are highly valued and widely used JavaScript frameworks for interface design.
What is React? Why Is It So Popular? React is backed by a Facebook community and it makes it super easy to build interactive UIs.
Keep in mind that, React isn’t an MVC framework. There are many JavaScript MVC frameworks in the market which are doing the pretty good job in terms of performance and reliability. Despite those, why React has gained so much popularity? Why would someone use React rather than relying on some other MVC framework? React is a library for creating reusable and attractive UI components. It is very suitable for the components which represent data that changes frequently. With React, you can build reusable user interfaces by breaking them into components instead of using templates or HTML. Learn once, Write Anywhere React’s official website has mentioned this key feature that says that you can build mobile apps in JavaScript using React Native framework. React also presents the use of JavaScript XML – JSX which is syntax extension to JavaScript. React doesn’t necessarily need JSX but it is easy and helpful in the creation of UI components and debugging. Companies that use React.Js
Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, New York Times, Yahoo, WhatsApp, Codecademy, Dropbox, Airbnb, Asana, Microsoft
An Introduction To Vue.js: Progressive JavaScript Framework React and Angular are top JavaScript frameworks out there and both are universally preferred frameworks to build web applications. On the other side, Vue.js is an open-source JavaScript framework which is capable of developing contemporary single-page applications. It can be also used as a web application framework with an aim to simplify web development. Vue.js application development has captured the significant attention of developers across the globe in order to build amazing web apps. As they have mentioned, Vue or Vue.js is a progressive framework for building eyecatchy UI for the web. It was initially released in 2014 by Evan You, a former Google developer who used AngularJS and decided to exclude pain points of the Angular and build something lightweight. There are lots of reasons for its popularity and one of the key reasons is its ability to rerender without any action. It allows you to build reusable, small, yet robust components and hence, offers a composable framework that lets you add components whenever required. Companies who are using Vue.js
Facebook, Netflix, Adobe, Grammarly, Behance, Xiaomi, Alibaba, Codeship, Gitlab, and Laracasts
ReactJS vs Vue.js: Who Wins The Battle?
There are many similarities between these two frameworks such as, • • •
Both are built to work with the root libraries ReactJS and Vue.js are based on the Virtual DOM model Both tools are having the component-based structure
Certainly, there are differences between these two tools. Each framework has its own advantages and disadvantages to consider. Let’s have a look at each framework one by one.
ReactJS – Powered By Facebook And Evolved By Community Be it a web or native development, React is ideal for the majority of the platforms for user interface design. Pros of ReactJS: • • • • • •
Flexibility and Responsiveness: It offers maximum flexibility and responsiveness that makes it a suitable choice for modern needs. Virtual DOM: As it is based on document object model, it allows browser-friendly arrangement of documents in HTML, XHTML, or XML format. Rich JavaScript Library: Contributors from all over the world are putting efforts to make it richer with modern features. Scalability: React is proven better for large-scale apps due to its flexible structure and scalability. Constantly Evolving: React is backed by professional developers from Facebook and since its inception, it is continuously evolving. Web or Mobile Platform: React provides React Native platform which can be used for developing native-rendered apps for iOS and Android through the same React component model.
Cons of ReactJS: • •
Lack of Proper Documentation: There’s no proper and updated documentation available which makes it a bit messy and chaotic. A Steep Learning Curve: Due to complex setup process, properties, functions, and structure, it requires deep knowledge to build an application.
Now, let’s move to the Vue.js and talk about its benefits and drawbacks:
Vue.js: Light-Weight, Flexible, and Faster JavaScript Framework In comparison to React, Vue.js has very less number of downloads and it is mainly popular for building attractive single-page applications and web applications. However, Vue.js features an adaptable architecture which makes it one of the widely used frameworks with officially up-to-date libraries and packages.
Pros Of Using Vue.Js •
Ease-of-Use: Vue.js embraces standard HTML-based templates which make it easier to use and revamping the existing application.
• • • •
Smoother Integration: Whether it is a single-page application or complex web interface, Vue.js offers smoother integration of smaller parts without any effect on the whole system. Better Performance In Little Size: It does not occupy more space and tends to give optimum performance over other frameworks. Well-written Documentation: It provides an easy learning curve through the detailed documentation and requires no extra knowledge; HTML and JavaScript will get the job done. Adaptability: Overall sound design and architecture makes it a popular JavaScript framework. It provides hassle-free migration, simple & efficient structure, and reusable templates.
Cons Of Using Vue.Js Vue.js framework still shares a very small market share in comparison to Angular and React. It is becoming popular at a fast pace but, at the same time, one can have issues in the large-scale app development in this initial phase of Vue.js. Well, vue.js has a potential to achieve milestones in web app development considering its modern features, speed, and flexibility.
In-Depth Comparison of Both Frameworks: React.js and Vue.js Which Is Better, When, and Why Re-rendering and Optimization When you compare React and Vue, speed can’t be a significant comparison factor in deciding which is better. In terms of performance, let’s consider a re-rendering feature. React’s mechanism triggers the re-render of an entire component tree when the component’s state is changed. You may need to use extra properties to avoid unnecessary re-renders of subcomponents. While Vue’s re-rendering feature is out-of-the-box. Vue offers optimized re-rendering in which system keeps track of dependencies during its render and works accordingly. Re-rendering of Vue is the most distinguishing feature which makes it a widely embraced framework by the developers across the world. JSX VS HTML React uses JSX – a declarative JavaScript XML which allows developers to write components leveraging the power of JavaScript, while Vue.js uses HTML templates to create views. This leads to fewer advantages, such as, HTML-based templates are much more familiar and it is also beneficial in terms of revamping the existing application to gain the benefit of Vue’s reactivity feature. This provides an easy learning curve for the beginners and experienced professionals as the majority of them have worked with HTML in one or other way. However, this is true that you require learning DSL (Domain Specific Language) to write templates which are almost as equal as you learn JSX – additional syntax on plain JavaScript. Routing And State Management Solutions
In component-based frameworks like React and Vue, you need to pay more attention to the state management and data flow as you begin scaling up an application. This is because there are a number of components are interacting with each other and sharing the data. In such a scenario, React offers an innovative solution called Flux/Redux architecture which represents unidirectional data flow and an alternative to the famous MVC architecture. Now, if we consider Vue.js framework, there’s a more advanced architecture called Vuex which integrates into Vue and offers an unbeatable experience. Building Tools React and Vue, both have a pretty good development environment. With little or no configuration you can create apps that get you up and running with the latest practices and templates. In React, there is a Create React App(CRA) and in Vue, it is vue-cli. These both bootstrap tools tend to give you a comfortable and flexible development environment and a superior starting point to get you started with coding. Cross-Platform App Development: Who Is A Winner? Cross-platform app development is already a buzz and both frameworks are in a race to provide superior cross-platform app development. React’s React Native is matured and widely used platform for native-rendered apps. On the other side, Vue’s Weex is still evolving and aims to provide a smooth development experience to create apps for iOS and Android.
When To Use Vue.js Over React? When you want lightweight, faster, and modern UI library for crafting a topnotch SPA(single-page applications), you can opt for Vue.js. It is advantageous for designers who are used to work with HTML. Also, it provides reusability of the components making it developers’ pick to build unmatched user experience in web applications.
When To Opt For React Over Vue.js? When you are a fan of JavaScript! React has a mature and larger development community of professionals who are dedicated to making it more advanced. React is powered by Facebook which has many use cases, solutions, resources, and projects. Furthermore, React is suitable for large-scale applications and mobile apps due to the grown-up user base. It is clear that if you want to build a mobile app using JavaScript, React Native is definitely a choice. However, React or Vue – either is a fine option for building modern JavaScript applications and it highly depends on the team, app size, and an approach that is feasible to you. Here’s a quick overview of the whole evaluation:
Vue is better than React in the following scenario: • •
Up-to-date documentation and simpler syntax Smaller, faster, and flexible
•
Rich HTML templates to provide ease in development
React is better than Vue.js when, • • • •
There’s a requirement to build mobile apps Professional and great community support to solve your any issue Need to build large-scale apps light-weight and easy version migrating
A Quick view of React.JS vs Vue.JS Comparison
Type
Ideal for
React
Vue
JavaScript Library
JavaScript Framework
Both Web and Native
Primarily focused on web dev, but it was written to support other platforms moving forward
Facebook Community Developer(s)
(Created by Jordan Walke)
Evan You
Initial Release
March 2013
February 2014
Written-in
JavaScript
JavaScript
Cross-platform development
React’s React Native is matured and widely used platform for nativerendered apps
Learning Curve
A steep learning curve and requires deep knowledge
Vue’s Weex is still evolving and aims to provide a smooth development experience
Easy learning curve, HTML-based templates makes it familiar
Popularity
React Stands 2nd in the list of hottest Javascript projects on GitHub
Stands 1st, Vue.js is the trendiest project in 2017, with more than 40,000 stars added on GitHub during the year
Reusability
Only CSS
Maximum reusability
Performance
Similarly fast
Similarly fast
Contributors on Github
1201
189
Model
Virtual DOM(Document Object Model)
Virtual DOM HTML-based templates
Function
can be used as a base in the development of single-page or mobile applications
Simplicity
Notable Features
Bootstrap application
web application framework capable of powering advanced single-page applications
React is complex than Vue
• • • • • •
One-way data binding with props Stateful components Virtual DOM Lifecycle methods JSX (JavaScript XML) Architecture beyond HTML
CRA(Create React App)
Vue is simpler than React
• • •
• • •
HTML-based template Reactivity Components ( divide the whole app into small, self-contained, and often reusable components) Transitions Routing Integrations
Vue-cli
Wrapping It Up: Whether you choose Reactjs development or VueJS application development, both frameworks have no considerable differences and this decision is highly subjective based on your requirements. If you want to integrate a front-end JavaScript framework into an existing application, VueJS is a better choice and if you want to build mobile apps with JavaScript, React is definitely a pick. If you are not clear about the requirements or you have any idea in your mind, we can help you! Yes, we are making digital transformation easier for the majority of the industry verticals through our hands-on expertise and 30 years of experience in custom software development. We ensure that there will be a right choice of a framework according to your needs. We have skilled developers who keep themselves updated with the newest tools and technologies.
What are you waiting for? Drop us a line or call us to discuss your next endeavors. Here, we have tried not to be biased with any frameworks. We believe, your requirements must be met regardless of the technologies or frameworks. If we are missing any important points or concepts which can make this article more comprehensive and value-added, you can tell us via comments below!