Others claim you cannot truly compare React to Angular because React is only a view library, whereas Angular is a full-stack MVC framework.
Nonetheless, you should compare them because both are great technologies for supporting the most demanding digital business objectives and are ready to produce great apps.
What is React.js?
React.js is an open-source JavaScript library. It is used to create user interfaces that are fast and appealing to the eye.
It combines a significant emphasis on user experience with ease of development (due to compact chunks of code known as “components”). The MVC model’s view layer is React, and you have practically complete choice in selecting the model and controller libraries.
Advantages and disadvantages of React.js
Let’s discuss React’s pros and cons from a business standpoint.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cost-effectiveness | High pace of development |
| Great UX | View part only |
| Popularity | |
| Performance | |
| SEO-friendliness | |
| Shortened time to market |
Companies that use React.js
Not just Facebook but other businesses are utilizing React and its potential. There are a few other household names, including
- Airbnb
- Netflix
- Slack
- Udemy
- New York Times
Although this means more than just big brands can use React, you can do your work as much or little as you need. For instance, adding React to your website only takes a minute.
What is Angular?
Google developed the open-source Angular framework for creating web applications. Angular is built on TypeScript, whereas React is based on JavaScript. Also, unlike React, Angular is a complete MVC framework, so once you master it, you won’t need any additional tools. The first version of Angular, AngularJS, was rewritten to create Angular.
*On December 31, 2021, Google stopped providing support for AngularJS.*
Advantages and disadvantages of Angular
| Pros | Cons |
| Better error handling | Huge size |
| Cleaner code | SEO options |
| Custom directives | Performance |
| Higher performance | Steep learning curve |
| Material Design-like interface | |
| Seamless updates thanks to Angular CLI |
Companies that use Angular
- Forbes
- General Motors
- Nike
- Paypal
- Telegram
- Upwork
A quick comparison between React and Angular
| REACT | ANGULAR | |
| Developed by | ||
| Programming Language | JavaScript/TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Compatibility | Full backward compatibility | Updates needed |
| Data binding | One-way binding | Two-way binding |
| DOM | Virtual DOM | Real DOM |
A thorough comparison between React and Angular
Some claim that comparing React JS with Angular is challenging because they are slightly different. But if both can create fantastic apps, does it matter?
Since that Angular is a full-stack MVC framework and doesn’t need any other libraries to function, it is a superior choice.
Whether or not React JS’s requirement for additional libraries is advantageous for your project will rely on its goals.
Being an independent view library, React allows you virtually limitless options when creating user experiences. In addition, you have much freedom in deciding which libraries you want to collaborate with.
Performance
• Dom
Since Angular uses real DOM, it traverses the entirety of the HTML document to determine what needs to be modified and then “mutates” the tree to implement the changes.
As React JS uses a virtual DOM implementation, all the HTML must not be updated. It simply searches for discrepancies between the current and previous versions of HTML and updates it accordingly. As a result, React apps load considerably more quickly than Angular ones.
• React Current Mode
According to the official React website, concurrent Mode is a set of new functionalities. Concurrency was introduced as a built-in feature in React 18, released on the 29th of March 2022, allowing React to prepare many versions of the UI at once.
Earlier iterations of React had concurrency, but it was primarily a test feature.
Interruptible rendering, a fundamental component of Concurrent React, ensures that the UI will remain consistent even if a render is stopped. React can prepare new displays in the background without interfering with the main thread, resulting in a smooth user experience.
• React Fiber
React recently modified its engine, raising the speed from “just quick” to “blazingly fast” (with the v16 version).
Also, React Fiber provides a priority-based update system, allowing you to fine-tune your renderings and guarantee that the most critical updates are carried out first. You may also pause and resume working whenever you choose.
• Angular Ivy
As a reaction to React Fiber, Ivy was developed as a complete redesign of the compiler. As a result, Angular developers can:
- Get quicker build times
- Reduce your build sizes
- Activate new features such as lazy loading of components rather than modules.
Data-Binding
Angular uses two-way data bindings. As you alter an interface element, your model state instantly changes, thanks to two-way data binding.
React provides one-way data binding, which delays rendering changes to the interface model until the model state has been changed. And the model state remains unchanged no matter how you alter the UI elements.
Because of the unidirectional nature of one-way data binding, React developers have more flexibility and control over the mobile and online applications they create.
Mobile app solutions
You can utilize React Native to create genuinely native and cross-platform mobile applications by selecting React JS. While having slightly different syntax than React, React Native is still straightforward to grasp if you are already familiar with React. Components can be created with React Native and bound in Objective-C, Java, or Swift code.
In contrast, the Angular framework uses Ionic, another platform that enables developers to create high-performance cross-platform mobile applications utilizing a single codebase.
Applications created by Ionic can be utilized on any device or the web. This open-source framework offers powered services and user-friendly tools to developers. It also features a robust library and building blocks that simplify things for the developer.
If both programs are well-written, seeing the difference in performance will be challenging.
Learning Curve
React has a much lower learning curve than Angular because it is a lightweight UI library. You only need to learn a few things: JSX, a router library, and a state management library. Also, you must be familiar with handling props, managing the internal state, and writing components.
Angular is a full-featured MVC framework, not a library. As a result, there are a lot more things to understand than there were for React.js:
- TypeScript
- Components
- Decorators
- Dependency Injection
- Modules
- Pipes
- Services
- Templates
Popularity
Every single web technology or Javascript framework’s level of popularity might provide valuable information and insights. You can learn the answers to queries like these by looking at these statistics:
- Do you take this technology seriously?
- Is there a demand for this technology now and in the future?
- Will it be simple to locate and employ developers?
- How big is the neighborhood?
- What type of support can I anticipate from the community?
Websites like Github, Google Trends, Stack Overflow Trends, and Annual Survey have discovered how popular React and Angular are.
- Stack Overflow Trends
Compared to Angular, ReactJS is far more popular. Since 2019, fewer people have had queries about Angular, but React’s popularity has increased.
- Most loved web framework
React.js held the top spot in the popular vs. despised frameworks list until 2019. Svelte has been in the lead since 2021, but React remains in the first place. On the other hand, Angular remained in the middle.
(Source: Stack Overflow 2021 Survey)
- Angular Vs. React on GitHub
React JS on GitHub
Angular on GitHub
- Google Trends: Comparison between React JS vs. Angular in the last 12 months and five years
Templates
- HTML
Templates for the Angular framework are built using an HTML extension and Angular directives. Because of their advanced and complex syntax, such orders require additional learning from the ground up. - JSX
Contrarily, all you require to use React is a working knowledge of JavaScript. A JSX is a brilliant component created with JavaScript logic and markup in the same file. You can create your markup in JavaScript code using an XML-like language, which keeps everything in one place and improves code completion.
Testing
The Jasmine test framework is downloaded with all the necessary tools by the Angular CLI. Even though Angular has numerous characteristics, like isolation of the unit of code, and was designed with testability in mind, many Angular developers need help comprehending the output from Jasmine.
React vs. Angular FAQs
Which is quicker for app development, Angular or React?
There are two challenges with the answer.
First, there are too many variables, such as a developer’s talent, the team’s collective competencies, the level of communication, teamwork, etc.
Second, it will take much work even if you take the same skilled developer and place him in the same project with the same circumstances because the delivery time can be extremely close.
Scalability
Does React or Angular make scaling an application simpler?
Both Angular and React have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to scalability. Still, given that React performs better with larger projects, it may be preferable to consider it from the start if you intend to make your app significantly more extensive in the future.
How easy is it to start?
Is it simpler to launch a project using Angular or React?
If you take Angular, getting started is straightforward because it has many unique, ready-to-use tools and features.
Although React doesn’t have many ready-to-use options, it does have excellent, detailed documentation that may help you construct a project from the ground up. It also has a fantastic community that is always willing to assist.
Conclusion
React offers a few more benefits, though, and we decide to use it because we see projects with performance issues more frequently. Also, we are grateful for the opportunity to complete frontend independence.
