React is a JavaScript library maintained by Meta with a larger ecosystem and job market (73% of frontend developers use React vs 28% for Vue), while Vue is a progressive framework with a gentler learning curve and lower barrier to entry. React dominates enterprise applications; Vue excels for rapid prototyping and smaller teams.
React vs Vue — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
JavaScript library for building UIs with JSX and component-based architecture, maintained by Meta.
Progressive JavaScript framework with intuitive template syntax and gentle learning curve, community-maintained.
Market Adoption. Learning Curve. Job Market Demand (2026). Bundle Size (Hello World). Community Size. Performance (First Contentful Paint). Corporate Backing
Choose React if you're building enterprise applications, need maximum job market opportunities, or work in a team where JSX and component-driven architecture are priorities. Choose Vue if you're a solo developer, bootstrapping a startup, learning frontend development for the first time, or prioritize developer happiness and rapid iteration with a smaller, more collaborative community.
React: 2.5ms (React 19) | Vue: 1.8ms (Vue 3.6)
React: 1M+ third-party libraries | Vue: 50K+ specialized packages
React: Next.js 15, Remix mature | Vue: Nuxt 4.4, industry-leading
React: Comprehensive but scattered | Vue: Official, intuitive, unified
React: Hook-based with closure complexity | Vue: Proxy-based, transparent reactivity
React: Gold standard, Fortune 500 adoption | Vue: Mature and reliable, growing adoption
React: 35 (requires workarounds) | Vue: N/A
React: No (requires React Router) | Vue: N/A
React: No (requires separate backend) | Vue: N/A
React: None (requires Redux, Zustand) | Vue: N/A
React: Manual via useEffect dependency arrays | Vue: N/A
React: 1x baseline (virtual DOM diffing) | Vue: N/A
React: Largest frontend community with millions of tutorials | Vue: N/A
React: Yes—batch re-renders via virtual tree diffing | Vue: N/A
React: React 19 (2026) with server components and new hooks | Vue: N/A
React: Yes—standard JSX with hooks paradigm | Vue: N/A
React: 45% of job postings | Vue: 15% of job postings
React: 6/10 - moderate complexity | Vue: 4/10 - gentle progression
React: 7/10 - needs proper patterns | Vue: 6/10 - moderate capability
React: Baseline speed | Vue: 25% faster than React
React: 8/10 - excellent support | Vue: 9/10 - excellent support
React: 145k+ related packages | Vue: 28k+ related packages
React: 125k+ posts yearly | Vue: 35k+ posts yearly
React: 3/10 - backed by Meta, stable | Vue: 4/10 - community-driven but stable
React: UI library (not a full framework) | Vue: Progressive framework
React: Meta (open-source) | Vue: Community (Evan You / core team)
React: React 19 (2026) | Vue: Vue 3 (Composition API)
React: JavaScript / JSX | Vue: HTML templates +
React: Excellent (optional) | Vue: Excellent (optional)
React: Zustand / Redux / Context | Vue: Pinia (official)
React: React Router | Vue: Vue Router (official)
React: React Hook Form / Formik | Vue: VeeValidate / built-in
React: TanStack Query / SWR | Vue: TanStack Query / ofetch
React: Vite / CRA (deprecated) | Vue: Vite (default)
React: React Testing Library + Vitest | Vue: Vitest (official)
React: Routing, HTTP (via add-ons), state (via add-ons), testing (via add-ons) | Vue: N/A
React: Optional—can write pure JavaScript | Vue: N/A
React: 42.8 KB (minified+gzipped) | Vue: 34.5 KB (minified+gzipped)
React: 2.8M+ packages | Vue: 1.2M+ packages
React: 18,400+ active listings | Vue: 3,200+ active listings
React: 89% of top 500 | Vue: 12% of top 500
React: 82% developer satisfaction | Vue: 94% developer satisfaction
React: Excellent (first-class support, community-driven type definitions) | Vue: Very Good (strong built-in TypeScript support, official types)
React: Meta (Facebook) - dedicated engineering team | Vue: Community-driven open source
React: 45,000+ compatible packages | Vue: 12,000+ compatible packages
React: N/A | Vue: 100,000 components in 100ms
React: N/A | Vue: Core library only; routing/state via third-party packages
React: N/A | Vue: Growing adoption but smaller enterprise footprint
React: N/A | Vue: Growing community with strong support and plugins
React: N/A | Vue: Faster with minimal setup and flexible architecture
React: N/A | Vue: Vue 3.6+: ecosystem maturity, Vuetify 4.0 with MD3 design system
Time to First Contentful Paint (avg SPA)
React: N/A | Vue: No (requires Vue Router)
React vs Vue — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for React vs Vue. Contains 110 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
React vs Vue — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for React vs Vue.
Which should I learn first as a beginner?
Vue is better for beginners. Its HTML-like template syntax and reactive data binding are intuitive without requiring deep JavaScript knowledge. You can build functional components in 40-60 hours. React requires understanding JSX, hooks, and functional programming concepts, typically taking 80-120 hours. Start with Vue for confidence-building, then transition to React once comfortable with frontend fundamentals.
React dominates the job market with 12,500+ open positions versus Vue's 2,800+ in 2026. React skills are in demand at major tech companies (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix). Vue skills are primarily sought at startups and digital agencies. If career advancement is your priority, React offers 4.5x more opportunities and typically commands higher salaries ($120K-$180K vs $100K-$150K for Vue developers).
Vue edges out React on initial page load performance. Vue's smaller bundle size (33.5 KB vs 42.3 KB, 21% smaller) and optimized rendering result in a 0.95-second First Contentful Paint versus React's 1.2 seconds. However, both frameworks perform identically once loaded. For most applications, the difference is imperceptible. React's performance gap narrows with Next.js (Meta's React framework) which includes optimizations like server-side rendering.
Yes, but with effort. Vue and React teach different paradigms—Vue uses template syntax while React uses JSX. Core concepts like components, props, and state management transfer well, but you'll spend 2-4 weeks relearning syntax and mental models. Many developers successfully transition both directions. Learning Vue first actually helps you understand React's opinionated approach, making the transition smoother.
React wins for mobile development through React Native, which allows you to write iOS and Android apps using React skills. Vue has NativeScript and Weex, but both are less mature with smaller communities. If mobile-web code sharing is critical to your project, React + React Native is the superior choice with significantly more libraries, tutorials, and enterprise adoption.
Market Adoption: React has 73% of frontend developers, while Vue has 28% of frontend developers.
Learning Curve: React has Steeper (JSX, state management, hooks concepts), while Vue has Gentler (template syntax similar to HTML).
Job Market Demand (2026): React has 12,500+ open positions, while Vue has 2,800+ open positions.
Bundle Size (Hello World): React has 42.3 KB minified, while Vue has 33.5 KB minified.
Community Size: React has 2.3M weekly npm downloads, while Vue has 890K weekly npm downloads.
Consider: Performance (First Contentful Paint)
Performance (First Contentful Paint): React has 1.2 seconds average, while Vue has 0.95 seconds average.
Corporate Backing: React has Meta (Facebook) - massive resources, while Vue has Community-driven - limited corporate support.