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Comparing Vue and React in 2023: Pros and Cons

Pantelis Theodosiou on April 09, 2023

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unspash Vue and React are still two of the most popular JavaScript frameworks for building web apps in 2023. B...
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Aaron Reese

I think adoption is regional. Vue is much more significant in China/Asia compared to US/Europe.
If you like HTML in your js then go React. If you prefer js in HTML then Vue is for you 😁
Seriously though if you are happy using array map, array.reduce, object destucturing then you should be fine in react. I think Vue Options API is easier to learn; it lost some of its elegance and simplicity when going to Composition.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Hey Aaron,
You're absolutely right! Adoption of Vue and other technologies can vary regionally. Vue does have a strong presence in China and Asia, while React may be more prominent in the US and Europe.
And you've summed it up perfectly! React and Vue have different approaches when it comes to the HTML/JS interplay, with React favoring HTML in JS and Vue offering JS in HTML. Both frameworks have their strengths and are suitable for different preferences.
Regarding the APIs, Vue's Options API is often considered easier to learn, while the Composition API may require a bit more effort. It's great to have options that cater to different coding styles and preferences. Thanks for sharing your insights!

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Ross Coundon

Year on year, I keep seeing this kind of comment:

"Smaller Community: Vue's community is still smaller than React's, making it more difficult to find extensive resources and support."

In my experience it simply isn't difficult to find extensive Vue resources and support. The official documentation is incredible. There are so many tutorials and training both free and paid that are top notch.
The quality and availability of libraries is huge and the community of both users and maintainers are helpful.

This supposed negative really needs to die.

Additionally, plenty of enterprises have proven Vue works, Trivago, NASA, Adobe, heck, even Facebook. How many do we need before we stop using this as a negative too?

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Pantelis Theodosiou

I completely agree! Vue's community size doesn't hinder finding extensive resources and support. The official documentation is excellent, and there are abundant top-notch tutorials and training, both free and paid. The wide availability of high-quality libraries and the helpfulness of the Vue community, including users and maintainers, are commendable. Moreover, the successful adoption of Vue by enterprises like Adobe, and even Facebook speaks volumes about its reliability. It's time to let go of the misconception that Vue's community size is a negative, as it simply isn't true.

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Roman Vladimirov

"Backed by Facebook" - having big tech company as backed something it "strong" pro option. Vue.js also have good sponsors.

If you're working with complex forms (cards or whatever), Vue.js is a really brilliant, readable and easy way to do it.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Hello Roman! Yes, having a large tech company like Facebook back a project is definitely a plus. Vue.js has excellent sponsors as well and is a brilliant and readable framework for working with complex applications.

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Jack

I use both on a regular basis. React has the job opportunities (at least locally) but if I have a choice I'll always pick Vue.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Hi Jack,
The same thing happens here in Greece. ReactJS and Angular are the most used JavaScript frameworks. When there is no restriction to what should I use, I for sure go for Vue.

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Jorge Sánchez

Hi Pantelis,

Im learning vue (I come from React) for a new job, and I just fell in love!

Easy to use, less code to reach same results as React and better organized in general.
So for me, vuejs wins without a doubt!

Thanks for the post.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Hello Jorge,

Glad you're loving Vue! It's easy to use, concise, and well-organized compared to React. Enjoy exploring Vue in your new job!

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Rense Bakker • Edited

Doesn't the new Vue have JSX as well? Also React does have built in stage management. You can opt for adding more complicated state management libraries like Redux, but you're not required to. Vue has its own additional state management lib as well called Vuex.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Vue generally recommends using templates as the preferred approach for building applications. However, there may be situations where the full programmatic capabilities of JavaScript are needed, and in those cases, the render function and JSX can be used to provide more flexibility and control over the application's rendering process.

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Dawosch

I used Vue 3 in my last project together with Typescript.
And the typescript support is pretty shitty. I don’t know how such a framework can be so popular without typescript.
As example create a Vue component in composition style and define types for properties with default values.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

I understand your concern. Vue 3 does support TypeScript, but it's important to note that TypeScript support in Vue is still evolving. You can refer to the official Vue documentation and TypeScript documentation for the latest information and best practices on how to use TypeScript with Vue 3 effectively.

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webduvet

My feeling about react can be summarized as duct-taped. And I don't mean it in a bad way, moreover I believe it was somehow even the intention (library, not a framework) This was fine a while back, but gradually it became opinionated. It is still fine, but it lost a bit of that simple beauty and if I want strongly opinionated framework I would probably reach to Angular.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

On the basis of their design principles and features, Angular and React are excellent choices for various kinds of web applications. Angular is a comprehensive, opinionated framework that offers built-in solutions for state management, routing, and other issues. It is suitable for large-scale projects with complex requirements. Enterprise-level applications that need strict organization and in-depth documentation are a good fit for it. React, on the other hand, is a versatile, neutral library ideal for smaller, single-page applications or as a component of a bigger front-end ecosystem. Performance, flexibility, and customization are given top priority, making it the perfect choice for projects that call for a more agile development methodology. Make an informed decision when deciding between Angular and React by taking into account aspects like the size, complexity, team expertise, and preferred development approach.

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@NPMYoan

Vuejs beatifull

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Indeed, Vue rocks! 🚀

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Tony Costanzo

Great write-up! I've been focusing more on Vue lately purely because of less boilerplate and the composition API just feels like writing normal Javascript.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

Hi Tony,
Definitely! Writing Vue code feels like writing regular JavaScript because of how straightforward and minimal the composition API is. An intuitive and successful development experience is provided by this user-friendly framework

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dmaker3000

Options api is cleaner, more elegant. Dont really like the new composition api. Vue 3 should have used class-based design. It could have gotten more support from enterprise apps.

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Pantelis Theodosiou

IMO the Composition API promotes code reuse and offers flexibility. Although individual tastes may differ, many developers find it to be cleaner and more readable. It was decided to abandon a class-based design in order to conform to contemporary JavaScript patterns.
With its Composition API, Vue is still appropriate for enterprise applications and is growing in popularity. In the end, you are free to select the strategy that best meets the requirements of your project.