React vs Angular: Which JavaScript Framework You Should Opt For?

Comparison between React and Angular is a famous topic in the world of technology. Both of these are modern and greatly acknowledged JavaScript (JS) technologies used to build interactive single-page applications (SPAs). Today, we will compare React vs Angular.

Both Angular or React are used by many industries in the USA, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Australia, among other countries. AngularJS Development Tools have made a name for themselves in the last few years as well.

In this article, you will go through many insights and information to decide which one of these is suitable for your requirements. You will understand how both use different philosophies to tackle similar front-end issues.

What is React?

Facebook created the JS library, React that helps you in developing UI components. It makes the process of creating interactive user interfaces better and simpler.

When developers use React, it makes the code easier to understand and launch.  React JS framework utilises server-side rendering to offer an adaptable and performance-oriented solution.

What is Angular?

Angular is a structural framework used in creating dynamic web applications. It lets the developers use HTML as a template language and lets HTML’s syntax to express the application’s components concisely and clearly.

Also, it assists the MVC programming structure. It is a fully-featured JS framework that supports in creating dynamic, single-page web applications.

Features of React

• Lets you use third-party libraries
• Saves time
• Simple and composable
• Gets full support by Facebook
• Quicker development
• Fast performance and better user experience
• Code stability with one-directional data binding
• Has React components

Features of Angular

• Built-in support for HTTP, AJAX, and Observables
• Great community support
• Consistent with technology
• Neat and crisp coding
• Typescript offers efficiency
• Upgraded support for error handling
• Seamless updates using Angular CLI
• Forms and validation
• Shadow DOM/Local CSS
• UI and Business Logic Separation

History of React

• Jordan Walke, a software engineer from Facebook, created React in 2011.
• Released as open-source in May 2013.
• Facebook and Instagram released React 16.0 in September 2017.
• React 16.3.0 was released on March 29, 2018.
• The latest version 16.3.1 was released on March 19, 2020.

History of Angular

• Angular was released by Google in 2010.
• Angular 2.0 was released in September 2016.
• Angular 4 was released on March 23, 2017.
• Angular 5 was released on November 1, 2017.
• Angular 6 was released on May 4, 2018.
• Angular 7 was released on October 18, 2018.
• Angular 8 was released on May 28, 2019.
• Angular 9 was released on February 6, 2020.

React Benefits: Why Use React?

• It’s simple design makes it easier to learn.
• The HTML-like syntax provides templating and greatly detailed documentation.
• Developers can effectively utilise more time in writing modern JS, and invest less time in bothering about the framework-specific code.
• A strong framework for content-focused applications due to its advanced support for server-side rendering.
• Developers can migrate between versions.
• Facebook provides a ‘codemod’ feature to automate a large part of the process.
• Developers can apply the skills learned in React to Native development.
• When collated with ES6/7, React becomes ideal for handling heavy loads with relative ease.

Angular Benefits: Why Use Angular?

• Offers neat code development
• Greater performance
• Material Design-like interface
• Handles routing brilliantly that makes the movement of one view from another easy
• Seamless updates using Angular CLI

Drawbacks of React

• The complicated configuration is necessary when integrating React in the traditional framework like Rail.
• Developers who use React should have thorough knowledge about the integration of user interface into the MVC framework.

Drawbacks of Angular

• Beginners could get confused with Angular’s features
• Lack of a clear manual and detailed, all-inclusive documentation
• Steep learning curve
• Scopes are difficult to debug limited routing
• Sometimes gets slow with pages embedding interactive elements
• Difficult third-party integration
• Developers face hurdles when switching from the older versions to the newer versions

Angular JS vs React JS: Summary Table

Angular JS vs React JS: A Parameter-Based Comparison

Criterion #1: Universality

React

It is a framework implemented in both, web and mobile development. Though, for mobile development, it is required to be integrated with Cordova. In addition, for mobile development, there is an additional framework – React Native.

Developers can use React for building single-page and multiple-page web applications.

Angular

It is apt for both web and mobile development. In mobile development, Ionic handles a large portion of work. Like React, Angular also has an extra mobile development framework. The equivalent of React Native is NativeScript.

Angular can also be utilised for the creation of both, single- and multiple-page web apps.

So, in the race of Angular vs React for universality, both are on level terms.

Criterion #2: Self Sufficiency

React

For UI development the React framework is used, hence, apps written with React require extra libraries. Redux, React Router, or Helmet optimise the processes of state management, routing, and interaction with the API.

Functions such as data binding, component-based routing, project generation, form validation, or dependency injection need installation of supplemental modules or libraries.

Angular

It is a complete framework for software development that generally does not need installation of extra libraries.

All the functions mentioned above: data binding, component-based routing, project generation, form validation, or dependency injection, could be implemented within the Angular package.

Criterion #3: Learning Curve

React

This framework is easy to understand if you are already well-aware of JavaScript. React is minimalistic, it has no dependency injection, no classic frameworks, and no excessively complex features.

However, developers might spend some time learning how to set up a project as there is no predefined project structure.

For example, the Redux library is implemented in many React applications for state management. The regular framework updates also need extra effort. Developers need to learn the best practices that will help them in many things.

Angular

Angular is a massive library, and studying the important concepts will require more time than React. It is more complicated to comprehend, component management is complex, and it comes with plenty of needless syntaxes.

However, TypeScript is quite similar to JavaScript but that also requires time to learn. Developers need to strive as the framework is regularly updated.

Criterion #4: Community

React

One of the well-acknowledged JS frameworks, React has great community support and development.

Developers need to continuously learn while working with React as the framework gets regular updates. Though the community puts its efforts in maintaining the latest documentation, sometimes there could be a miss.

However, if there is an issue, it usually gets answered by the community support on thematic forums.

Angular

Compared to React, Angular is less popular and many developers doubt it, partly because Angular 1.0 was unpopular.

As the framework needed developers to spend a good amount of time in learning, it was considered as excessively complex. However, Google has created this framework so it makes Angular’s reputation stronger.

Google offers continuous updates and long-term support for the framework. The updates being so quick can make it difficult to maintain the documentation.

So, in the race of Angular vs React for community, Angular is slightly ahead.

Criterion #5: Performance

React

The introduction of the virtual DOM has played a major role in enhancing React’s performance. The load on the browser decreases as all virtual DOM trees are lightweight and created on the server.

As the data-binding process is unidirectional, watchers are not assigned to bindings as in the case of Angular. Respectively, no extra workload gets created.

Angular

Angular performance is not satisfactory in the case of dynamic and complicated web apps. Bidirectional data-binding negatively impacts Angular apps’ performance.

For every binding, there is a watcher to track changes, and every loop continues till all the watchers and associated values are checked.

Due to this, the number of watchers increases as the number of bindings increase, making the process convoluted.

However, the latest Angular’s update betters its performance and makes it compete with React. The size of an Angular application is a little smaller than the size of a React app.

So, in the battle of React vs Angular Performance, Angular wins here.

Criterion #6: Language

React

It is based on JS ES6+ merged with JSX script. JSX is an extension for syntax and it makes a JS code similar to that written in HTML.

Due to this, developers easily find typos and the code becomes simpler to understand. When the JSX code needs to be compiled in a browser, React is supplemented with Babel, a code translation tool.

Angular

It can use JS or TypeScript, a superset of JS particularly created for bigger projects. TypeScript is briefer than JS. Developers can effortlessly find typos and smoothly go through the code. This makes the code refactoring process also easier and quicker.

Criterion #7: App Structure

React

With React’s structure, the developers have the freedom of choice. For React, there is not just one right structure.

Although, the prerequisite to designing the app structure right at the start of the project could make it difficult and take more time to begin the process.

React provides only the View layer and with the usage of other libraries, Model and Controller are included.

A React app’s architecture is component-based. React components form the code that is rendered with React DOM library and directed in two ways: functional (with a function that returns JSX) and class-based (with ES6 classes).

Functional:

function Hello(props){

return <div>Hello {props.name}</div>

}

Class-based:

class Hello extends React.Component {

render() {

return <h1>Hello, {this.props.name}</h1>;

}

Angular

For experienced developers, the structure of Angular is apt as it is predetermined and complex. It is based on three layers: Model, Controller, and View. An object accountable for the Model is initialised by the Controller and is shown with the View.

The app code has various Angular components, every component is written in four different files: an HTML file to define the View, a TypeScript to implement the component, a CSS file to define the stylistic features, and a particular file for testing purposes.

The app directive, where the links to these files are written, displays the app’s structural logic. Angular components can be reused.

import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({

selector: 'my-app',

templateUrl: './app.component.html',

styleUrls: ['./app.component.css']

})

export class AppComponent { }

Criterion #8: UI Components

React

The React community has created the UI tools for React. Developers can access many free and paid UI components on the React portal.

If developers want to use Material Design components in React, they would have to install an extra library – Material-UI library and dependencies.

Angular

It comes with a built-in Material toolset that provides numerous pre-built Material Design components. Developers get different buttons, indicators, pop-ups, layouts, and form controls. This makes the UI configuration quicker and simpler.

So, in the race of Angular vs React, Angular has more options in terms of UI.

Criterion #9: Directives

React

In React, templates and logic are described at the end of the component. For a reader, it becomes easier to understand the meaning of the code even if they do not know the syntax.

Angular

In Angular, every template comes with an attribute, that is a directive on how to set the object. The readers need to be experienced and aware about this technology as Angular directives are complex and advanced. So, both Angular or React have different perceptions.

Criterion #10: State Management

React

In React, every component has its own state. To maintain the state of the full application or a specific part of it, a React developer can build special components.

The drawback is that the global state has to be stored in numerous parts of the app with data being manually passed around different component tree levels.

class Clock extends React.Component {

constructor(props) {

super(props);

this.state = {date: new Date()};

}

render() {

return (

<div>

<h1>Hello world!</h1>

<h2>Now is {this.state.date.toLocaleTimeString()}.</h2>

</div>

);

}

}

Redux, a special state management library, can solve this issue. MobX is another state management library that can be helpful.

Angular

In Angular, the component data is stored in component properties. Through the children components, parent components pass the data.

In some parts, state changes can be recognised and recalculated. In a large app, it can lead to a multi-directional tree series of updates that are hard to track.

With the assistance of state management libraries like NgRx or RxJS, the above-mentioned features could become better as the state management libraries ensure a unidirectional data flow.

export class HeroListComponent implements OnInit {

heroes: Hero[];

selectedHero: Hero;

constructor(private service: HeroService) { }

ngOnInit() {

this.heroes = this.service.getHeroes();

}

selectHero(hero: Hero) { this.selectedHero = hero; }

}

Criterion #11: Dependency Injection

React

React does not completely follow the concept of functional programming and data immutability, hence, it does not completely support dependency injection. In place of that, it has a global state for all components.

Angular

Angular supports dependency injection, this gives it an edge over React. It allows having different life cycles for different stores.

import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';

import { HEROES } from './mock-heroes';

@Injectable({

// we declare that this service should be created

// by the root application injector.

providedIn: 'root',

})

export class HeroService {

getHeroes() { return HEROES; }

}

Criterion #12: Data Binding

React

Data binding means the data synchronisation process between Model and View. React is supplemented with Redux, which lets the developers work with immutable data and makes the data move unidirectionally. Unidirectional binding is anticipated, this eases up the debugging process.

Angular

It operates with bidirectional data-binding and mutable data. This makes it simpler for the developers to operate with bidirectional data binding instead of working with the unidirectional approach.

Bidirectional data-binding has a negative impact on the performance as Angular by itself creates a watcher for every binding.

The ways of data-binding in Angular:

{{expression}}   Interpolation

[target]="expression"    Property

bind-target="expression"    Attribute

(target)="statement" Event

on-target="statement" Event

[(target)]="expression" Two-way

bindon-target="expression" Two-way

So, in the terms of React vs Angular, both have different perspectives.

Criterion #13: Change Rendering

React

It utilises a virtual Document Object Model (DOM), which allows simple implementation of minor data changes in one element without updating the structure of the entire tree.

The framework builds an in-memory cache of data structure, calculates the changes, and effectively updates the DOP shown in the browser.

The React team is putting continuous efforts in improving Fiber, a mechanism that focuses on boosting the productivity of change rendering.

Angular

It utilises a real DOM. It updates the complete tree structure even when the changes have appeared in just one element. Compared to the virtual DOM, the real DOM is slower and less effective.

To overcome this disadvantage, Angular uses change detection to find components that need to be adjusted. Thus, the real DOM gives similar performance as the virtual DOM on React.

So, for DOM, the battle of React vs Angular goes to React for speed.

Criterion #14: Tools

React

Various code editors support React. For example, the code in React can be edited with Sublime Text, Visual Studio, and Atom. If the developer needs to bootstrap a project, they can use the Create React App (CLI) tool. With the Next.js framework, the server-side rendering is finished.

To verify the complete app written in React, multiple tools are required. For example, Enzyme is used for component testing, Jest for testing JS code, and React-unit for unit testing, among others.

A browser extension, React Dev Tools, can be used to debug the app in the development phase.React 360, a library can be used for creating AR and VR applications.

Angular

Just like React, Angular also has numerous code editing tools such as Aptana, Sublime Text, and Visual Studio. With Angular CLI, a project can be quickly set up. With the assistance of Angular Universal, server-side rendering could be finished.

A single tool can completely test an app written with Angular. Jasmine, Protractor, and Karma are used for end-to-end testing. A browser extension, Augury, debugs the app in the development phase.

So, knowing about ReactJS vs AngularJS in terms of tools is essential.

Criterion #15: Maturity

React

Facebook created React and also maintains it. Facebook uses React in its own products, which include Instagram and WhatsApp. React has been in the business for almost seven years. It is one of the most accepted projects on GitHub, with almost 150k stars.

Angular

Maintained by Google, Angular has been around for almost 10 years. It is used in more than 600 applications in Google such as Google Analytics, Google Cloud Platform, Google Express, and Firebase Console among others.

So, in terms of maturity, Angular wins the ReactJS vs Angular race.

Criterion #16: Ecosystem

React

The well-known tools and libraries associated with React are:

Create React App, React Native, Material UI, Next.js, Gatsby, React 360, and React Developer Tools

Angular

The well-known tools and libraries associated with Angular are:

Angular CLI, Ionic Framework, Angular Material. Angular Universal, and Augury

So, knowing this aspect is critical for a feature-based comparison of React JS vs Angular.

Criterion #17: Componentization

React

React provides a straightforward method of creating component trees. The library already has functional programming in which the component definitions are declarative.

React codes are readable and logically structured. They do not require the developers to write code in a particular manner.

Angular

It has an exceptionally rigid and complicated structure as it is based on three layers: Model, View, and Controller.

With Angular, the developers need to decide the app’s code in various files. This way, they can reuse templates or the component in various parts of the application.

Angular vs React JS has been an ongoing battle and this adds another chapter in that.

Criterion #18: Popularity

Both technologies have their own community and a fair share of popularity. According to Google Trends, Reach is searched more than Angular. On a different note, Angular has many ready-made solutions which makes it equally popular.

Criterion #19: Architecture

React

It has component-based architecture, meaning it is connected, reusable, and has modular components. React architecture uses JS for development.

Angular

It also has component-based architecture. The difference between Angular and React is in their tech stack. Angular uses TypeScript for web development which is more compact and has no errors. So, this is the key Difference Between React and Angular.

Criterion #20: Development Speed

React

With React, the development speed and productivity gets impacted as third-party libraries are involved. The developers need to decide the right architecture when choosing the tools.

Also, the toolkit of React mobile apps is different in different projects. This means when new developers start handling the app updates, they need to invest more time and effort.

Angular

It offers a great development experience. This happens because CLI enables the creation of a workspace and designs functioning apps smoothly.

It also creates components and services with one-line commands, built-in processes to solve detailed issues, and cleans code, a feature of TypeScript.

Criterion #21: Flexibility

React

When developers use React, they have the freedom to select the tools, libraries, and architecture for app development. With this freedom, they can build a highly-customised app only with the features and tech stack they need.

Angular

It comes with restricted freedom and flexibility. Developers have limitations in using Angular components in frameworks.

Criterion #22: DOM

React

It uses virtual DOM. Due to this, developers can track and make changes and this would not impact other parts of the tree. Virtual DOM is also faster.

Angular

It uses real DOM. Due to this, even if the developers make a single change, the whole tree data structure gets updated.

Criterion #23: Mobile Solutions

React

It offers a real native UI experience that empowers the developers to make their components and bind them to native code written in Java, Kotlin, and Objective-C.

Angular

It offers an Ionic framework for mobile development. It comes with a Cordova container and an appealing UI component library. When the developed application is viewed on any device, it seems like a web inside a native web app container.

Criterion #24: Testing

React

In React, a group of tools is needed to perform different types of testing. For example, Jest is required for code testing, Enzyme and Unexpected-React are required for component testing.

Skin-deep is required for Render testing utils, and React-unit for unit testing, among others. Due to this, developers need to spend more time and effort into the testing process.

Angular

For testing and debugging a full project in Angular, individual tools like Jasmine, Protractor, and Karma are required. A single tool saves developers’ time and energy spent on testing.

Criterion #25: Ease Of Update

React

Developers get the benefit of effortlessly transitioning between two versions. The front-end development library depends on the external libraries, this makes updating and migrating to the third-party components feasible.

The developers need to continuously check if the already in place third-party libraries are compatible with the latest versions of the JS framework or not. This entire process consumes time.

Angular

Its updated CLI consists of commands like ng_update that makes the process of upgrading the app to the latest Angular version possible. As a large part of the updating process is automated, the Angular app development becomes easier.

So, in the battle of Angular JS vs React JS, angular wins the race here.

Criterion #26: Documentation

React

The React framework gets many regular updates but the information from the earlier versions is still helpful and holds value.

Angular

The Angular framework’s documentation is lagging due to its continuous development process. Most of the documentation and tutorials are still AngularJS, it does not hold value for developers in present.

Criterion #27: Templates

React

It uses JSX and an XML-language that lets the developers write markup directly in their JS code. JSX is very helpful in development as everything is in one place, and code completion and compile-times checks work better. In React, developers need to only know JS.

Angular

It uses templates that are enhanced HTML with Angular directives (“ng-if” or “ng-for”).

Criterion #28: Routing

Component-based routing lets components handle their sub-routes rather than having one nig global router configuration. This approach is in react-router in version 4.

Criterion #29: Form Validation

Form validations are an important and commonly used feature. Both Angular and React support this feature with all the facilities being included.

Criterion #30: Links and Imperative Navigation

React

React has a more straightforward composability.

import * as style from './app.css'

// …

<h1>Shoutboard Application</h1>

<div>

<NavLink to='/home' activeClassName={style.active}>Home</NavLink>

<NavLink to='/posts' activeClassName={style.active}>Posts</NavLink>

</div>

<div>

{this.props.children}

</div>

React Router can also set the class of active link with activeClassName.

Here, developers cannot give the class name directly, because it’s been made unique by CSS modules compiler, and they need to use the style helper

Inside an <App> element, the react router uses the <Switch> element. As the <Switch> element just wraps and mounts the current route, it means that sub-routes of the current components are just this.props.children. So that’s composable too.

Angular

Angular is more intuitive.

<h1> Shoutboard Application </h1>

<nav>

<a routerLink="/home" routerLinkActive="active">Home</a>

<a routerLink="/posts" routerLinkActive="active">Posts</a>

</nav>

<router-outlet></router-outlet>

Angular Router automatically finds the active routerLink, and places the right routerLinkActive class on it, so that it can be styled.

The router uses the special <router-outlet> element to render what the present path states. It’s possible to have many <router-outlet>s, as developers get more involved in the application’s sub-components.

@Injectable()

export class FormService {

constructor(private router: Router) { }

goBack() {

this.router.navigate(['/posts'])

}

}

The router module can be injected into any service. After that, the private declaration stores it on the instance without the need for an explicit assignment.

Famous Brands Using React and Angular

React

• Instagram
• Facebook
• WhatsApp
• Airbnb
• Uber
• Netflix
• Dropbox

Angular

• Google
• General Motors
• HBO
• Upwork
• Nike
• Forbes
• Sony

When to Use React?

• Your team members are proficient in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Your app needs to be highly customised.
• You need a plethora of components with different and often variable states in the development process. For example, dynamic inputs, buttons enabled/disabled, a user’s login and access permissions, and active/inactive navigation items, among others.
• As the app project develops, the components need to be shared across multiple applications.
• You want to invest time in pre-development preparation.

When to Use Angular?

• Your team has a thorough understanding of Java, C#, and older versions of Angular.
• App complexity is between low and medium level.
• You admire ready-to-use solutions and require more productivity.
• You are in favour of Bundle Budgets in the CLI option. It notifies the developers when the app’s bundle size surpasses the re-decided app bundle size. This helps you in maintaining the app size.
• You are looking for a large-scale feature-rich application.

Read also: Why Choose AngularJS For Web Development Project?

What Is the Future of React and Angular?

These two frameworks are highly admired by developers and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Is React Better Than Angular – this also a question that needs to be answered.

React is coming up with great changes regularly. These changes are giving more power to the React developers to easily give feedback on new features, experimental APIs, and JS syntax developments. Angular is growing in terms of the usage rate.

Vue.js, a mobile app development framework, is emerging as a competitor and has started to challenge these two frameworks.

Both frameworks, React and Angular, come up with regular updates to stay the most relevant to their loyal community.

The framework which will suit your requirements the best will depend on your app’s requirements, flexibility, complexity, and the proficiency of the team working on the project.

Conclusion

React or Angular have been one of the prime javascript frameworks of recent times. Both have their specialities and both are doing extremely well in the IT industry.

Here, we have provided you with a Parameter-based comparison of Angular vs React which will help you to solve all your doubts and provide you with a different perspective.

We hope you had a great time reading this article and it proves to be a great value for any React or AngularJS Development Company. Thank You.!