Are you about to start your next project with Javascript? Your decision about which JavaScript framework to utilize i.e. AngularJS vs ReactJS vs VueJs could make or break your project.
React is a library for building user interfaces, Angular can be termed as the full-fledged JavaScript framework, while VUE is a progressive framework that gained acceptance among developers for developing amazing user interfaces.
The three can be used in almost any front-end web app development project, but their features and functionality differ significantly. Therefore, it makes sense to compare Angular vs React vs JavaScript to discover their differences.
So, let’s begin by presenting you with a brief introduction to them.
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AngularJS or Angular is one of the most favored JavaScript frameworks built on TypeScript. Initially, it was launched by Google in the year 2010. Fast-forward to 2016, Google. A new version of AngularJS called Angular 2 was released by Google. It inherited the capabilities of RxJS and Zone.JS in addition to TypeScript.
According to BuiltWith, Angular powers more than 293,178 websites among which 126,619 are currently live.
ReactJS or React is a front-end JavaScript library that helps to bring an intuitive user interface into existence. Launched in the year 2013, it was an initiative of Facebook, the largest social media company of the time.
A ReactJS library is an open-source project maintained by Facebook with the collaboration of millions of developers and companies who use ReactJS. Most of Facebook’s products, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, employ ReactJS.
As per BuiltWith, ReactJS powers more than 9,677,665 live websites.
A progressive JavaScript framework for building user interfaces, VueJs was first released in 2014 by a former Google employee named Evan.
VueJS is steadily becoming more popular thanks to its features, smooth learning curve, and ability to create fast & efficient user interfaces.
According to BuiltWith, VueJS powers more than 2,911,886 among which 1,704,937 are currently live websites.
Now as you are familiar with the terms like Angular, React, and VueJS now it is time to move ahead to have a detailed comparison of these three to let you select the best one among them for your web app development project.
When it comes to development frameworks, size does matter a lot. Framework size directly affects the performance of the web application.
Before you begin with the development, as a setup process you will need to download the framework on your machine. Hence, it is recommended to use a lightweight framework to ease your development efforts.
So, let’s have a look at the size of the frameworks.
Winner: In terms of the framework size, VueJS is the clear winner.
Popularity is by far the most important concern to build the foundation of your web application.
By taking Statista into consideration, ReactJS is one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks for web application development with 40.14% votes. With 22.96%, AngularJS stands out as the second most favoured framework, and with 18.97% VueJs secures the third position.
Image source: Statista
Verdict: In terms of popularity, ReactJS stands out as the winner.
While developing frontend applications, performance is one of the major concerns of the developers. Therefore, it makes sense to compare AngularJS, ReactJS, and VueJS according to performance so that developers can choose the one that best serves their needs.
Document Object Model, or DOM, is a factor in determining performance. DOM is a generic term for representing pages, both on the web and in code. DOM is capable of handling any type of modification to web pages.
Let’s break down Angular, VueJs, and React on the basis of performance.
When building single-page web applications with occasional content updates, AngularJS is often the preferred choice.
Additionally, AngularJS uses two-way data binding to enable developers to replicate all updates in a secure, effective and intuitive manner.
Aslo Read: Top 5 AngularJS Web Alternatives: Modern Lightweight Web Frameworks
The ReactJS front-end library uses the virtual DOM to render web pages. The virtual DOM environment will provide a way to enhance the performance of applications that require periodic updates, such as Instagram. Facebook.
ReactJS uses a single-direction data flow and is included in the package to reduce the scope of errors and improve the performance of the web app development project.
Vue is the new entry into the market, however, its incredible features are providing great ease to web developers. It combines all the great features of Angular and React. Therefore, Vue helps developers deliver a high-quality bug-free experience.
Winner: In terms of performance ReactJS takes the lead.
Also Read: How Much Does It Cost to Build an App with ReactJS / React Native ?
Let’s compare these 3 frameworks: React vs Vue vs Angular on the basis of architecture.
An MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture is used by Angular.
It is an architecture that separates complex UIs into three views: Business Logic, UI Logic, and Input Logic. Here is how the model-view-controller architecture is being used in AngularJS web development.
MVC is built into Angular, so it’s super easy to modify and upgrade single views without having to rewrite the rest of the application.
Since React is a UI library, it doesn’t enforce any architectural pattern.
React components can either be simple central structures – such as labels and buttons – or more complex units, such as user profiles and registration forms. Basically, this is a view of the user interface of your web application.
React.js is a component-based framework. This basically means that the user interface of any web app powered by React is made up entirely of loosely bound React elements.
Visualisations in Vue.js rely on v-model directives, which allow two-way data binding. Vue.js’ compatibility with other libraries is exceptional since it focuses primarily on the View model.
A key characteristic of Vue.js is that it can be incrementally adopted.
Winner: Vue.js is the winner in terms of architecture due to its incrementally adopted nature.
The most recent versions of Angular are compatible with all major browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, Safari, iOS, and Android. On the other hand, Angular is only supported by Internet Explorer versions 9, 10, and 11. It is common for developers to encounter problems rendering applications when using IE8.
React is compatible with all popular browsers, including Internet Explorer 9 and above. Some polyfills, however, are required for older browsers, such as Internet Explorer 9 and Internet Explorer 10.
In comparison with other platforms, the market for web application development is new for Vue.js. Nevertheless, it has won a large number of fans, making the competition difficult for others.
VueJS JavaScript framework is pretty much cross-platform compatible. Nearly all major browsers supporting JavaScript support all the basic components of VueJS.
Winner: Both React and VueJS take the lead over AngularJS in terms of cross-platform browser support. So, it is a draw between them.
A decision between the three most popular JS frameworks, Angular, React and VueJS, is a really tough one for most web app developers.
By taking the above comparison into consideration, you can see that AngularJS stands nowhere in the competition in comparison to React and Vue. Both React and Vue take the lead at equal times 3 times each.
With regards to VueJs, it is the most lightweight JavaScript framework out there. Integration or migration of existing projects to Vue is faster and smoother due to its familiar templating syntax and use of components. In that sense, Vue.js is ideal for startup companies, but can also be used to develop large applications.
React, on the other hand, has been around since the JS era began. Having corporate support, an active community, and a huge ecosystem, React is a great choice for building complex enterprise applications.
Now, it’s up to you to decide which JS framework you will use in your next web application.
If you still find difficulties regarding the selection of these three JavaScript frameworks, you can consult with our veteran team of JavaScript web app developers. We would be grateful to ease your selection of the perfect JavaScript framework for your web development project.
