React.js vs. Vue.js: A Comparison of Popular Frameworks

JavaScript has gained in popularity and many tech giants are reaping the benefits of it. A plethora of frameworks and languages are popping up every 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 a software development company, we can’t afford to overlook the most discussed frameworks of this era – React.js and Vue.js. So, in this comparison of React vs. Vue, 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 developers who keep themselves updated on every aspect of Vue.js 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 the Facebook community and makes it super easy to build interactive UIs.

React Isn’t an MVC Framework

There are many JavaScript MVC frameworks on the market which are doing a pretty good job in terms of performance and reliability. So, why has React 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 the React Native framework.

React also presents the use of JavaScript XML, or JSX, which is a 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 two of the top JavaScript frameworks out there for building web applications.

Vue.js is an open-source JavaScript framework which is capable of developing single-page applications. It can be also used as a web application framework with the aim of simplifying web development. Vue.js application development has captured significant attention from developers across the globe in order to build amazing web apps.

Vue or Vue.js is a progressive framework for building eye-catching UIs 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 framework and build something lightweight.

There are lots of reasons for its popularity and one of the key reasons is its ability to re-render 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

React.js vs Vue.js: Who Wins The Battle?

There are many similarities between these two frameworks such as:

• Both are built to work with root libraries.
• React.js and Vue.js are based on the Virtual DOM model.
• Both tools have a 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.

Pros of React.js:

• Flexibility and Responsiveness: It offers maximum flexibility and responsiveness.
• 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 in effort to add even more features.
• Scalability: React has been proven to be better for large-scale apps due to its flexible structure and scalability.
• Constantly Evolving: React is backed by professional developers from Facebook who continuously look for ways to improve it. 
• Web or Mobile Platform: React provides the React Native platform which can be used for developing native-rendered apps for iOS and Android through the same React component model.
• Be it a web or native mobile development, React is ideal for the majority of platforms for user interface design.

Cons of React.js:

• 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:

In comparison to React, Vue.js has fewer 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 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 revamp an 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, Smaller Size: It takes up less space and tends to give better performance than 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 and efficient structure, and reusable templates.

Cons of Using Vue.js

The Vue.js framework still has 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 terms of large-scale app development when using Vue.js.

Well, Vue.js has the potential to achieve milestones in web app development considering its modern features, speed, and flexibility.

In-Depth Comparison of Both Frameworks

Rerendering 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 rerendering feature. React’s mechanism triggers the rerendering of an entire component tree when the component’s state is changed. You may need to use extra properties to avoid the unnecessary rerendering of subcomponents.

While Vue’s rerendering feature is out-of-the-box, Vue offers optimized rerendering in which the system keeps track of dependencies during its render and works accordingly.

Rerendering 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.

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 beginners and experienced professionals alike, as the majority of them have worked with HTML in one way or another.

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 interacting with each other and sharing 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 the 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 the vue-cli.

Both of these 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's the Winner?

Cross-platform app development is already widely popular and both frameworks are in a race to provide the superior cross-platform app development experience. React’s React Native is a mature 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 a lightweight, faster, and modern UI library for crafting a topnotch SPA (single-page application), you should opt for Vue.js. It is advantageous for developers who are used to work with HTML. Also, it provides reusability of the components making it the developer's 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 the choice.

However, 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 any issue.
• Need to build large-scale apps.
• Light-weight and easy version migrating.

A Quick React.js vs Vue.js Comparison

Wrapping Up:

Whether you choose React.js or Vue.js, 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, Vue.js is a better choice and if you want to build mobile apps with JavaScript, React is definitely the way to go.

Here, we have tried not to be biased with any frameworks. If we are missing any important points or concepts which can make this article more comprehensive valuable, you can tell us via the comments below!