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React vs Vue

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

React leads across all categories in this comparison. Check the detailed metrics below to see how each package performs for your specific needs.

react icon

react

Extremely Popular

Version 19.2.4

0
85
Excellent

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

Weekly Downloads
118.8M
31%
Bundle (gzip)
2.8 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
vue icon

vue

Extremely Popular

Version 3.5.32

0
85
Excellent

The progressive JavaScript framework for building modern web UI.

Weekly Downloads
11.0M
24%
Bundle (gzip)
726.6 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between React and Vue? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

React leads with 118.8M weekly downloads — roughly 10.8x more. Vue has 11.0M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

React has the smallest gzipped bundle at 2.8 KB. Vue comes in at 726.6 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

React has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Vue has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose React if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Vue if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both React and Vue are solid choices for JavaScript development. React has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is react better than vue?
It depends on your needs. React has a health score of 85/100 while Vue scores 85/100. React has more weekly downloads (118.8M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, react or vue?
React has the smaller gzipped bundle at 2.8 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use react vs vue?
Based on npm download statistics, React has approximately 118.8M weekly downloads and Vue has approximately 11.0M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, react or vue?
React currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. React has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Vue scores 100/100 on maintenance.

React vs Vue: Flexibility vs Convention

React and Vue represent two fundamentally different philosophies in frontend development. React gives you a minimal view layer and lets you choose your own routing, state management, and build tooling — which means more flexibility but also more decisions upfront. Vue takes an opinionated, batteries-included approach with official solutions for routing (Vue Router), state management (Pinia), and build tooling (Vite), making it faster to be productive without researching third-party options.

In practice, React's larger ecosystem means more job opportunities, more third-party libraries, and more community answers when you're stuck. Vue's smaller but passionate community produces exceptionally well-documented tools, and Vue's single-file components — combining template, script, and styles in one file — feel more intuitive to developers coming from HTML/CSS backgrounds. For startups that need to hire React developers quickly, React is the safer bet. For solo developers or small teams that value clean conventions and a gentle learning curve, Vue will get you to production faster with less tooling fatigue.

For large enterprise applications, both frameworks scale well, but React's dominance in the enterprise market means better long-term hiring prospects. Vue excels in progressive adoption — you can drop it into an existing server-rendered app one page at a time, whereas React typically requires a more complete architectural commitment.

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The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet

One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.