Svelte vs React: Both Svelte and React are tough competitors when discussing the JavaScript frameworks. While React is an old player, Svelte is a new joiner. It is said that React will shape the future, but it seems Svelte is the future. So, to end this debate, let’s look at the basics of both frameworks and decide which framework suits your requirements the best, React or Svelte?
Svelte vs. React: Quick Comparision Table
| Svelte | React |
| Low learning curve, simple syntax | Steeper learning curve, JSX syntax |
| Excellent performance | Good performance requires optimization |
| Smaller bundle size | Larger bundle size, but tree shaking helps |
| Built-in state management | Requires external libraries like Redux |
| Compact syntax with less boilerplate | JSsyntax with more explicit markup |
| Smaller ecosystem | Larger ecosystem, extensive community support |
| Fewer debugging tools | Robust developer tools with React DevTools |
| Easy component reusability | Components can be reused but may require more setup |
| Growing in popularity | The most popular library for building UIs |
What is Svelte
Svelte is an open-source, front-end JavaScript framework used to develop interactive web pages and web apps. Svelte was created by Rich Harris with an initial release in November 2016. Svelte closely resembles React, Vue, and more when it comes to framework and web app development, but it is more.
Svelte features
Svelte is a young and growing framework slowly racing up to be one of the most popular ones. Now that you know what does Svelte mean actually, here are some of the main features that make Svelte so efficient.
Less code
The Svelte framework is known for having fewer lines of code and simple syntax. As there are comparatively fewer lines of code, developers can save time, avoid errors, bugs, etc. and increase ease of reliability as well. Moreover, Svelte allows the users to create multiple top-level elements and allows easy updation of the local state of the variables. And this feature shapes the future of Svelte in the market.
Truly Reactive
In the Svelte framework, users can build the application according to their requirements without worrying about any unnecessary overhead. The DOM is updated only at the time of build in Svelte. To achieve more ease in coding, Svelte components have effectively incorporated React into the language. Svelte reduces the lines of codes as compared to React or Vue.
No virtual DOM
As Svelte is a compiler, the .js file is directly loaded on the page to render the app, and it does not require loading the entire library onto the browser to run the code of Svelte. Also, the overhead generated by virtual DOM is reduced in Svelte as all the objects are updated at the compile-time only.
Svelte pros and cons
With the gaining popularity of Svelte and the rapid increase in the number of developers adopting it, it is now time to see the various Svelte pros and cons that account for its choice.
Pros of Svelte
Some of the significant features that have led various giants to choose Svelte for the development of their business solutions are,
- Easily usable
Svelte is relatively easy to use as it has easier syntaxes and codes for development. The code can be written into a .html or .svelte file without using “this” in the code blocks. So, it becomes easier for developers to use Svelte for web application development. - Reduces overhead
The overhead of the JavaScript framework that you are using is reduced by Svelte. Code readability and reusability are improved by compiling Svelte into vanilla JavaScript. All this accounts for the faster development of web applications. - Compilation without virtual DOM
In Svelte, the number of digital layers between the application and the browser is reduced resulting in faster work and is highly optimized. This fact is the key selling point and is also visible in the performance of Svelte. - Automatic updates
Svelte automatically updates your data with the help of the declared variables. In order to elevate the user experience, you no longer need to wait for the changes to be reflected in the application.
Cons of Svelte
Along with lots of features that make Svelte the choice of various businesses, there are a few factors that hold it back in some areas. Let’s have a look at them,
- Smaller community
It is obvious that it takes time for any framework to develop and expand its community. The same thing goes with Svelte, it will take time to build a strong and huge community. Open-source contributors are necessary for building a community and Svelte is in need of it. - No cross-platform development
When you are using Svelte, you have to completely forget about cross-platform applications. If you are developing an app with Svelte, you have to rewrite the code for the mobile app entirely or choose hardwired NativeScript instead. - Less Svelte development tools
As Svelte is relatively young, you cannot find many Svelte development tools in the market. It is a rapidly growing ecosystem and demands contribution from the community for support in case of the availability of development tools. - Limited support of IDE compatibility
IDE support is not as good as the contemporary frameworks. This is the demand of today’s world as for every minor issue the internet cannot be surfed. No doubt, you can get good online resources to solve some of the issues, still, a robust IDE is required.
Top companies using Svelte
Svelte being a young and powerful player in the race of development frameworks has earned quite a few big names in its kitty already. Let’s have a look at some of the successful companies that have used Svelte for the development of their business solution. So the Svelte examples are,
Avast
Avast, the antivirus giant that has gained popularity among thousands of users has embraced Svelte for getting its mobile app developed. Avast chose Svelte for the availability of numerous simple and convenient solutions that clearly defined its idea of the mobile application that it wanted to develop.
Philips
Many developers believe that Svelte is comparatively faster than other frameworks. This belief has led to Phillips choosing Svelte for its mobile application development. Phillips chose Svelte for its stability and a wide range of features that could elevate the mobile experience to another level.
Decathlon
One of the most famous sports equipment stores, Decathlon also believed that Svelte was a perfect choice for the development of their smart mobile application. This Decathlon’s Svelte app allows you to buy, return or exchange products and even collect points. Decathlon chose Svelte for code splitting, customization, etc.
The New York Times
An application for The New York Times was created using Svelte. This small and efficient framework was used for the development of the application that is complex and provides users easy referencing and an interactive experience as well as connection.
Chess.com
Svelte was used to develop the Chess.com application that is an online chess platform as well as the house of millions of chess guides, lessons, etc. Svelte was chosen by Chess.com for its perfect compatibility with IoT devices, quick implementation, and code reusability.
What is React
React is a JavaScript-based UI development library run and developed by Meta(formerly known as Facebook) and a vast community of developers in May 2013. Currently, React is the most commonly used front-end library for web development and offers various extensions to give support to the application architecture such as React Native, Flux, etc.
React features
React is the first choice of many giants, and there are multiple reasons accounting for it. So, here are a few reasons to choose React for your next project.
Virtual DOM
A virtual DOM is simply the representation of the original DOM. You can say that it is similar to one-way data binding. Thus, whenever any changes are made in the app, the entire UI is first rendered in the virtual DOM making the process faster without any wastage of money.
Declarative UI
With a declarative user interface, the code of React is simpler, easily readable, and allows quick and easy bug solving. Thus, React becomes the first and best choice when it comes to the development of intuitive, interactive, and engaging web and mobile applications.
Component-based architecture
React has a component-based architecture, which means that the application’s user interface is made up of several components and each component has a different logic that is written in JavaScript. Due to this architecture, the developers can move the data across the app without causing any changes to the DOM.
React pros and cons
Any technology or framework is not perfect, and it goes the same for React as well. So, let’s have a look at some of the major pros and cons of React to know this framework better,
Pros of React
React is widely used by many big names in the market, and obviously, multiple factors prove it. So, here are some of the reasons to choose React,
- Virtual DOM
Virtual Document Object Model accounts largely in elevating the user experience. Also, with DOM, React is able to make the entire web development process faster. The main advantage of virtual DOM is its ability to update even the minutest change in real time without causing any hindrance to the interface. - One-way data flow
React has a one-way data flow to eliminate the possibility of unstable code due to changes in child data affecting the parent data as well. Well, in React, any changes that the child data undergoes, do not affect the parent data. This gives developers an upper hand in case of complex projects giving them complete control over the data. - Component reusability
As changes to one component do not affect the other components in React, the code components can be effectively reused in the case of large projects. In React, all the components are isolated, allowing developers to save time by reusing the code. - SEO-friendly
Search engine rankings play an important role in taking your business to the next level or dropping it down. With React, you get a lightweight JavaScript that is easily readable by all the search engines such as Google.
Cons of React
Apart from the amazing features and advantages of React, you might also like to see some of the drawbacks that can be helpful in making your decision,
- Development speed
Due to the fast pace of development of React, there are mixed views amongst the developers. Some find it easy with the more rapid evolution of React, while others find it a pain to keep relearning it again and again. - Documentation
React is a rapidly evolving technology, and due to this, lots of new tools, patterns, etc. are adding up. This makes it a really tough task for the community to keep the documentation updated with the latest resources and required assistance. - JSX
For the creation of JavaScript objects with HTML syntax, React uses the JSX syntax extension largely. But, JSX extensions can be complicated sometimes and developers can take time to understand them. As JSX is a combined form of JavaScript and HTML, it becomes confusing for the developers to understand the syntax. - Toolset is incomplete
When you are choosing React, you need to be familiar with the fact that it can be used only to develop the UI of the application. So, when you choose React for the development of your business solution, you will have to select some other technologies as well for completing the development.
Top companies using React
Being one of the most loved web development frameworks, React is loved, liked, and used by many giants for getting their perfect business solution developed with all the desired features. So, here are the top companies using React for their apps developed,
Facebook needs no introduction, right? Who doesn’t know Facebook or who isn’t on Facebook? Well, Facebook is the pioneer of React and so it is obvious that it uses React for web page development. Using the features of React in the best possible way, Facebook is elevating the user experience with each passing day.
The most used app on everyone’s phone, WhatsApp has sought after React for its stable performance and security. The user interfaces of WhatsApp are designed using React. Also, the web versions of WhatsApp use React and leverage its best features to enhance the user experience.
Salesforce
The world’s largest CRM organization, Salesforce is considered the best amongst its contemporaries. To render highly complicated Visualforce pages quickly but efficiently, Salesforce decided to leverage the power of React. With React, Salesforce is able to render pages swiftly and create pages inside Visualforce.
Dropbox
Dropbox is an on-demand file hosting service that uses the cloud computing model. It allows the users to store, share and manage files. Dropbox has adopted React for developing its application due to its small file size, Virtual DOM, community support, etc.
GitHub
GitHub, one of the largest software development platforms that house a huge community of developers to help them in software design and development. GitHub chose React for the development of its own development framework as they trusted its potential and goodness.
Svelte vs React: Differences
After going through the basics of both Svelte and React, it’s now time to compare these two frameworks to see who is the clear winner now. So, we are going to compare Svelte and React on various parameters such as user experience, performance, code maintainability, development speed, application size, etc.
User experience
When you compare the user experience, React has an ultra-fast loading speed that allows faster loading of web pages making the user experience better. Thus, React provides a win-win situation for the developers due to faster speed and elevating the user experience as well. When it comes to Svelte, it follows a component-based UI design that makes the applications relatively lighter in weight. This increases the page speed, in turn decreasing the response time that will obviously enhance the user experience.
Performance
Svelte vs. React performance evaluation is quite simple. React allows developers to reuse the components to make performance better which also reduces the code clutter. In order to gain code consistency and app development lifecycle consistency, React deploys the best coding practices that enhance the performance of the app. On the other hand, Svelte is known for reducing the runtime overload to fuel faster navigation. The flexibility provided by Svelte enables the developers to produce high-quality codes that are necessary for getting high performance.
Code maintainability
When it comes to code maintainability, React and Svelte both win with flying colors. Well, in the case of React, it has a component-based architecture that uses individual code snippets for developing and customizing the user interface. These individual code snippets enhance the efficiency and productivity of the developers allowing them to maintain the code effectively and the new developers can understand the code easily. When it comes to Svelte, it uses a transparent and readable structure to define the various app components differently. This helps the Svelte developer in maintaining the code and synergizing the different components easily.
Development speed
When it comes to development speed, React is a tad faster as compared to Svelte. React is known to be the fastest framework and if the developers are thorough with the basics of JavaScript then the development speed increases even more. For Svelte, there is a clear bifurcation of front-end control and functionality, so it becomes easy for the developers to quickly develop advanced features. Also, the app structure is completely separate from the design HTML making the process comparatively faster.
Application size
The application size for both React and Svelte is smaller and lightweight. With the new version of React development, the developers are able to reduce the app size by 30%. As React is a complete front-end framework, complex and large applications can be developed easily. Well, Svelte is known for the development of small-sized applications. So, in the matter of app size, both Svelte and React have passed with flying colors.
Svelte vs React: Final Takeaway
Now that you are aware of both Svelte and React, it might be somewhat easy for you to decide which one will be the best partner for your project. In this war between virtual DOM and real one, there is no winner as both Svelte and React have their own features for enhancing web application development. So, if you are still confused about the choice, OpenXcell has a technical team to steer you out. Just share your requirements, and our techies will help you with all the support.