React vs Vue: Choosing the Best JavaScript Frameworks

React and Vue are one of the famous technologies used for building innovative JavaScript web apps. But it is difficult to decide which one is the best for your project. Knowing Vue js vs React in detail, their features, and their pros can help you make an accurate decision.

What Is React?

React is a convenient and flexible JavaScript library that is used to build user interfaces. It is quite beneficial in developing single-page apps. Many industries are using React, such as Airbnb, Instagram, and Facebook.

Important Features of React

One-Way Data Binding

React uses a one-directional flow of data and because of this, it is easy to manage and understand React.

Virtual DOM

It has Virtual DOM features that increase the performance of the apps and reduce the direct manipulation of the actual DOM.

Component-Based Architecture

React has a modular architecture that helps in the creation of reusable components when it comes to a structured codebase.

Advantages of React

React has a wide community and a large ecosystem of libraries and tools
It is a great choice for high-load and complex apps
React offers more flexibility in terms of how you can structure your project. That’s the reason many businesses hire React developers for their important projects.
JSX syntax is an extension to JavaScript that allows writing UI components more naturally. However, some developers might find it confusing as compared to traditional HTML templates.

Disadvantages of React

It has a steep learning curve for beginners
The ecosystem of React changes quickly and sometimes it becomes difficult to keep up with the changes and updates
Some developers find JSX syntax confusing and prefer the traditional HTML templates

What Is Vue?

In Vue vs React, the former is relatively new and also a JavaScript framework. Just like React, developers use Vue for creating user interfaces. It is simple and easy to integrate.

Important Features of Vue

Easy Integration

Vue is an adaptable framework that offers easy integration.

Reactive Data Binding

Vue offers a powerful reactive binding system that enables automatic updates of the DOM.

Component-Based Architecture

It has a component-based architecture that enables developers to build large-scale apps made of reusable components.

Advantages of Vue

Vue is easy to learn because it has a simple structure as compared to React
The documentation of Vue is not only detailed but also easy to understand
It integrates easily with other libraries and existing projects
React uses a virtual DOM and offers composable and reactive data models

Disadvantages of Vue

Vue has a small community as compared to React
A large amount of Vue resources were in Chinese which caused a language barrier. But this is improving over time

React vs Vue

Below is the comparison of React and Vue on different parameters that will help you decide which one suits your requirements:

Adaptability

React
React is more adaptable as compared to Vue because it enables writing template code in JavaScript. It uses a syntax extension (JSX) that enables developers to integrate HTML with the JavaScript code. The process seems difficult but the code performs better and results in adaptable application performance.

Vue
Vue offers less adaptability because it uses regular-old HTML for writing templates. However, it enables developers to use HTML and CSS freely in standard forms and thus it is more detailed for the new developers.

Performance

When it comes to performance, there is not much difference between these two as both have the same sized architecture using virtual DOM.

React
React currently takes around 100kb. However, both React and Vue perform the same manipulations within nearly the same timeframe.

Vue
Vue currently takes about 80 kb and the Vue-based TezJS framework uses the same process as VueJS and meets its expectations.

Flexibility

React
In React JS vs Vue JS, developers get the freedom to install any component of their choice with React. Experienced developers prefer the flexibility of React and using it for front-end development is a bit better as compared to Vue.

Vue
When it comes to Vue, it suggests certain components to create features for the app. Beginners prefer to use Vue because it is easy to learn and because of its approachability.

Popularity and Community

React
React has more than 189k starts on GitHub and over 331,000 #reactjs questions on Stack Overflow. It has a wide community of developers and support.

Vue
Vue has over 196k stars on GitHub and more than 74,000 questions on Stack Overflow. With Vue, developers get less support as it is progressively growing.

Mobile Development

React
Using React Native app development, developers can build iOS and Android native apps. React Native was released by Facebook and it emphasizes mobile application development. It is one of the best cross-platform frameworks and it shares 90% of the code for different operating systems.

Vue
Vue pairs with Native Script in order to create cross-platform apps. It supports some of the mobile app frameworks like Native script or Weez, but it is not as reliable as a creation of Facebook is.

Application Size

React
The size of a simple React application is bigger than that of the Vue app when it comes to Vue vs React. It has a size of 1-2 Mb and it doesn’t make smaller apps.

Vue
Vue apps are in smaller sizes, i.e., 50-100 kb and the framework is also very lightweight. Developers can break the code into smaller parts and easily optimize the load time.

Conclusion

To choose the best one among React vs Vue, the best thing is to consider your project requirements. Go for React when you want to create a large application and opt for Vue if you’re working on a smaller project. React is a better option when you can create a highly responsive app and Vue is a better option when you want to create single-page apps.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do React and Vue handle UI?

React uses JSX which is a syntax extension that allows HTML to be written within JavaScript. JSX then transforms into React elements. Contrary to that, Vue uses an HTML-based template syntax that allows developers to bind the rendered DOM to the underlying Vue instance’s data.

How do React and Vue manage state?

React often relies on external libraries for state management and provides a centralized store for all components in an app. Vue has a built-in state management solution called Vuex and it provides a centralized store for managing all components’ states.

Which one is easy to learn in React vs Vue?

Vue is easy to learn for beginners because it is simple and it integrates easily with related concepts. On the other hand, React has a steep learning curve and requires developers to learn different concepts.

Is React more flexible than Vue?

Yes, React is more flexible than Vue because Vue offers opinions that limit flexibility.

Which one is better for large-scale apps?

React is a better option for large-scale apps and projects because developers get flexibility and can choose from different tools and libraries. Vue is a better option for small or medium-sized projects.