Why I Chose Vue Over React in 2025 (Or: How I Survived 15+ Years of Frontend Without Losing My Mind)

I’ve been writing frontend for more than 15 years.
Yes, I was there before it was cool.
Before the hype.
Before performance budgets.
Before every job interview opened with the terrifying question:

"So… what do you know about the rules of hooks?"

Let’s just say this:
If I had one dollar for every time an interviewer asked me about useEffect dependencies, I’d be writing this article from a vineyard in Burgundy.

I Started Back When jQuery, Backbone and Angular.js Ruled the Earth

I’ve worked with the first versions of Angular, early React builds, and even Backbone
(yes, I was there from the beginning, when dinosaurs still roamed the DOM).

I watched these frameworks grow, evolve, mutate and sometimes…
get tangled in their own abstractions.

For many years, React was my favorite.
It was clean. It was minimal. It made sense.
You had render, you had props, you had state — and life was good.

And then… Hooks arrived.

Hooks: The Moment React Started Feeling Less Like React

Look, I’m not saying hooks are bad.
They’re powerful, flexible and elegant when used correctly.

But let’s be honest:

With hooks, React stopped being the small, friendly library I loved
and turned into something more like a university course in lifecycle philosophy.

Suddenly you need to understand:

• why you can’t call hooks inside an if
• why the dependency array includes things you don’t even use
• why missing one dependency triggers a warning longer than your CV
• why your component renders 3 times before saying hello
• and... why writing a simple effect feels like disarming a bomb

React stayed great - but it definitely stopped being simple.

Still, I’ll give React the credit it deserves:
If your project includes mobile, React Native is a monster of an ecosystem.
In that scenario, React still wins.

But then something happened.

A New Project: No Mobile, No SSR Drama, Just Lots of UI and Fast Iterations

I got a project with no mobile requirements.
Just a lot of UI work, many interactions, rapid iteration, and a client who loves changing requirements every two days.

The priorities were:

• velocity
• simplicity
• flexibility

and a codebase that wouldn't fight back.

So I decided to revisit something I hadn’t touched for a while.

And that’s how I rediscovered Vue.

People Say Vue Has a Low Learning Curve.

Honestly?
If you’ve used Angular and React for years, the learning curve of Vue is not low.

It’s nonexistent.

You open a file, write:

<template>
  <button @click="increment">Clicked: {{ counter }}</button>
</template>

<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue'

const counter = ref(0)
const increment = () => counter.value++
</script>

And everything works.
No rules of hooks.
No dependency arrays.
No guessing games.
Just… reactivity.

And that’s the funny part:

Vue is truly reactive.

React, despite its name, is basically a smart re-rendering engine
that we wrapped with conventions and patterns over the years.

Vue’s approach is simpler:

you update a ref,

Vue updates the DOM,

and you move on with your life.

Try explaining this to someone who spent years debugging useEffect loops.

Vue in a Client Project: This Is Where the Magic Happened

My project required a lot:

dashboards,

canvas interactions,

real time-ish UI updates,

changing specs from the founders,

demo after demo after demo.

Vue made it ridiculously easy to:

ship features fast,

react to last-minute changes,

keep code readable,

avoid pointless abstractions,

and maintain a clean mental model.

One example: working with the element.

In React, you often need:

useRef,

useEffect,

cleanup functions,

conditional renders,

and you must pray that the timing is right.

In Vue:

<template>
  <canvas ref="canvas"></canvas>
</template>
<script setup>
import { onMounted, ref } from 'vue'

const canvas = ref(null)

onMounted(() => {
  const ctx = canvas.value.getContext('2d')
  ctx.fillStyle = 'purple'
  ctx.fillRect(20, 20, 100, 100)
})
</script>

Done.
No lifecycle puzzles.
No cryptic hook behavior.
Just drawing.

My clients loved the speed.
I loved the sanity.
Everyone won.

So Why Did Vue Win for Me in 2025?
1) Because I want to write real code, not fight the framework

Vue gives me that.

2) Because true reactivity beats hook gymnastics

No dependency arrays.
No "why did this effect run again?" moments.

3) Because working with clients demands velocity

Vue is insanely fast for development.

4) Because when mobile isn't involved, React loses its main strategic advantage

No React Native?
Then Vue shines.

5) Because Vue feels like a modern framework built for humans

It has strong opinions, but not too many.
It has magic, but not too much.
It feels natural.

After 15+ years of frontend across Backbone, Angular, React and everything in between,
Vue in 2025 feels like the tool I always wanted but only recently discovered.

React will always have a place in my toolbox.
But in projects focused on UI interactions, speed and clarity,
Vue is my choice moving forward