Angular, React, or Vue.Js: Which Frontend Framework is Best for My Web App?

I’m building a web app, and I want to use the best front-end framework out there to make it awesome! However, everyone seems to have their idea of what makes one framework better than another. I don’t think it’s good to trust novices in technical subjects.

So, I’ve decided to reach out to the experts in this area and put together an article on which front-end framework they think is best.

So that other people like me can benefit from the information. I found three leading contenders: Angular, React, and Vue with my research.

It’s tough to choose between two fantastic options, and here we have three excellent ones to go for. The table below gives a concise idea about when to choose one over the others:

Parameters of Comparison	Angular	React	Vue.Js
Framework or Library	It is a front-end framework.	It is a library.	It is a front-end framework.
Inversion of Control	It is a framework, so the control over the application flow gets significantly reduced.	It is a library, so you have higher control over the flow of the application.	It is a framework, so the control over the application flow gets significantly reduced.
Performance	It uses regular DOM, which negatively affects the web app’s performance.	It uses virtual DOM, which positively affects the web app’s performance.	It uses virtual DOM, which positively affects the web app’s performance.
Scalability	It has a modular architecture that offers substantial scalability.	It has a component-based architecture that offers good scalability.	It has a syntax-based architecture that fails to offer substantial scalability, especially when compared with the other two.
Learning Curve	It has a shallow learning curve	It has a simple learning curve.	Its learning curve is also simple.
Framework Size	Angular 2 + Rx has a size of 766K.	React 0.14.5 + React DOM + Redux has a size of 139K.	Vue 2.4.2 has a size of 58.8K.
Developers Community	Angular has a popularity of 26.5% among developers.	React is the winner, with a popularity of 36.8% among developers.	Vue.js falls behind with a popularity of just 17.8% among developers.
Global Brands Preferences	The following global brands use Angular: GooglePayPalUpwork	React is used by the following global brands: FacebookRedditAirbnb	The following global brands use Vue.js: XiaomiAlibabaGrammarly

I hope the table above offers you a clear idea about which one is a fantastic option for your project. However, it is not exhaustive. To understand the answer in detail, you need to learn, analyze, & focus on each of these frameworks with great detail.

Once you grasp each of them, it becomes easier to choose based on your project’s requirements.

So, let’s get started!

Angular- Ideal for Creating Single Page Application

Angular was developed under MIT license and released in 2010 as an open-source framework for web applications written in JavaScript and HTML. It is a front-end framework built on top of HTML at its core that allows you to extend your application’s behavior. 

Suppose you’re looking to build an application that uses a SPA (single page application) that is well-known, used, and supported by the developer community. In that case, connecting with an Angularjs development company is a good option for you.

Let’s explore the pros & cons of using Angular for your next project.

Pros of Using Angular as Your Front-end Framework

• Angular offers modular programming that lets you reuse code to speed up development. It is beneficial when building large applications with lots of moving parts. It’s also an excellent method to ensure that your application is consistent from start to finish.

• It’s easy to learn, has very few runtime requirements, and is flexible enough to use nearly any project. 

• If you’re new to web development, there’s no better way to get up-to-speed quickly than by learning about what a front-end framework does. 

• Angular has detailed documentation available on GitHub, and various tutorials found all over YouTube can help get you started right away on any skill level. 

• If you have an existing project to work with, it’s relatively easy to integrate Angular into an existing codebase without too much trouble. 

• It lets Angular developers use UI-building tools with web technologies rather than learning a whole new language for a platform like Objective-C or Swift.

Cons of using Angular as Your Front-end Framework

When using something like jQuery, you can use console.log to get a look at what’s going on in your JavaScript as it runs. With frameworks like Angular that compile into vanilla JavaScript, it can be tricky to see what’s happening. 

• Angular adds things like directives and dependency injection. It limits how you’re able to write your template. If you need a lot of DOM manipulation or third-party script dependencies, it might not be ideal. 

React- Offering Amazing Rendering Services

React has been one of the most renowned front-end libraries in recent years. It powers some of the most popular websites on the Internet, including Facebook, Netflix, Airbnb, and more. The concept behind React was to create reusable UI components for web applications. 

React allows developers to create, use, and modify web components applicable to other frameworks. It also simplifies DOM manipulation, handling of events, data fetching, and updating all that comes with it.

Moreover, it effectively reduces the amount of code you have to write while making your web app user-friendly. If you are looking for a convenient to manage yet robust framework, then React is your answer. It is helpful in app development projects where you want a quick result without much hassle like debugging & maintenance issues in the future.

However, there are also reasons why React is not ideal for every application out there. Let’s view both sides of the coin so you can determine whether or not it’s the right tool for your next project.

Pros of Using React as Your Front-end Framework

• React has been around for only a few years but continues to gain momentum as one of today’s fastest-growing JavaScript libraries.

• With React, you can avoid frameworks like HighCharts, ChartJS, or Google Charts. You’ll use only one library to create your app instead of including several. As you know, each library comes with its price.

• If you have earlier worked with Angular, you might have come across much boilerplate code that needs to be written in every controller or service. Using React, you don’t need to write boilerplate code again because it is already inside JSX tags. 

• As it is so simple, React developers are more comfortable taking risks in production. They’re more likely to try it and are less intimidated by learning how to use it than they would be with frameworks that have a longer learning curve. And because they aren’t afraid to take risks, they’re also more likely to find new and creative ways to use it!

• One of the most promising features of React is its flexibility. Since it’s not tied to any specific rendering engine, you can use just a tiny piece at a time to solve your problems. For example, you can use JSX with another framework like Angular or jQuery if you need exceptional functionality that isn’t in to react.

Cons of Using React as Your Front-end Framework

• React works with a single, render-tree style approach to rendering all your components, and it can sometimes be hard to figure out what is going on if things don’t look right. There are ways to go back and add in debug statements so you can track down what might be going wrong.

• One of React’s most touted features is its composable components. However, you have to code them in HTML before reusing them. That means you can write a reusable element in HTML but can’t use a module to implement it.

Vue.Js- Achieving Maximum Functionality

Vue.js is an open-source JavaScript framework that offers a lot of functionality out of the box and can be used to build all sorts of applications, including single-page applications (SPA). 

With its flexible and composable nature, it’s easy to see why this library has gained so much attention & traction in such a short amount of time, allowing it to become the fastest growing JS framework according to Google Trends.

But what makes Vue stand out? And what are some of the pros and cons of choosing it as your front-end framework? Let’s explore the answers in detail.

Pros of Using Vue.js as your Front-end Framework

• Vue.js has a highly shallow learning curve. 

It allows you to create less code while still achieving maximum functionality.

• Vue.js supports server-side rendering so that content appears fast when users load a page.

• Google loves it so much that they recently added support for Vue.Js in their search engine. 

• Vue is lightweight and is an open-source project. So, anyone can contribute to its development.

• The developer’s community of Vue.js is friendly.

• It has a large online community with Stack Overflow, IRC channels, Vue development companies, etc.

Cons of Using Vue.js as your Front-end Framework

• There is currently no virtual DOM implementation in Vue. You need to switch to another framework or library if you want to use it.

• Unlike React, Vue doesn’t provide its renderer by default. It means integration with server-side rendering engines like preact. It makes it possible to get SSR working fast. It will probably be more complex than what we see in other JS libraries, which provide their renderers by default.

Having collected concise knowledge about the three frontend tools, let’s explore the detailed comparison on which one is the best to go for your project.

Remember: There are no magic bullets when it comes to software frameworks. Each has its strengths & weaknesses, so choose wisely!

Angular v/s React v/s Vue.Js.

Performance: Focussing on the UX of the software 

Frameworks have an impact on application performance. Consider how robust your project will likely be or whether it will simply run as a one-off implementation of new functionality. Do your users want just basic functionality, or do they need advanced features like high accessibility, incredible speed, etc. 

Angular uses Regular DOM, which is highly undesirable as it adversely affects the project’s speed, performance, and development time. It is specifically true for the  On the other hand, React & Vue.js uses Virtual DOM, which effectively trims the development time and enhances the speed performance of the web app. 

Both are built on their own virtual DOMs (Document Object Model), meaning they require only a fraction of computing power while managing highly complex data. 

Scalability: To ensure an expressive performance with a growing audience

When considering frameworks, look at how many simultaneous users your website will be able to handle. If you know your site is likely going to grow, make sure you go with one that can drive growth, too.

Angular offers substantial scalability with its modular structure. On the other hand, React is not far behind its component-based architecture. However, Vue fails to be an outstanding choice here owing to its poor syntax-based architecture. 

Learning Curve: Analyzing the easiest one to use for your web app

The learning curve associated with any given framework can vary widely depending on what you’re familiar with already. For example, if you’re already a JavaScript developer, AngularJS will be much easier to learn than Vue.js.

Conversely, suppose no single language is your home turf, and you have experience with several languages or frameworks. In that case, it may make it logical to pick something like React, which has general knowledge requirements.

Vue.js is also a good option when you need support for both server-side rendering (SSR) along with client-side rendering. So the winner under this category largely depends upon your expertise in programming languages.

Framework Size: Choose the lightest to create a lighter web-app

Frameworks are meant for use with other code, so their size (the number of lines in all of their code) helps you decide. Smaller is better. As you read through frameworks’ documentation, look for comments about the size. It gives you insights into how well organized their code is.

Name of the Framework or Library	Size
Angular 2	566K
Angular 2 + Rx	766K
Angular 1.4.5	143K
Preact 7.2.0	16K
React 0.14.5 + React DOM	133K
React 0.14.5 + React DOM + Redux	139K
React 16.2.0 + React DOM	97.5K
Vue 2.4.2	58.8K

Today’s web applications are highly complex. You need to build and maintain your application, test it, support it, and find bugs. With a strong community of users behind you, you can quickly get help when things go wrong or require new features.

The availability of a mature community of developers ensures a smooth project development at an affordable budget. Many new startups lose out on business due to issues with support and maintenance from their developer, which can add a hefty amount of work for other staff members.

A strong community can fix your issues before they arise, so you have time for more critical tasks, like selling! Not only that, but you’ll have access to free tools and modules developed by people just like you who found solutions for everyday problems in your industry.

The infographic below depicts developers liking when choosing front-end frameworks:

Source: Stack Overflow Developers Survey

React (36.8%) & Angular (26.5%) are the winners under this category as Vue.js falls behind with a popularity of just 17.8%

Usage in Global Brands: Highlighting the popularity of your choice

Popularity makes for easier adoption among developers and designers alike. Once you know a community around your framework of choice, it will be easy to find designers willing to implement designs in that framework.

Additionally, if other companies have already chosen the framework you trust, it is because they recognize its quality and popularity. Another plus: Popular frameworks are more likely to maintain their popularity.

The following global brands use Angular: 

• Google
• PayPal
• Upwork

React is used by the following global brands: 

• Facebook
• Reddit
• Airbnb

The following global brands use Vue.js: 

• Xiaomi
• Alibaba
• Grammarly

Final Takeaways

• Compared with the other two, React offers you higher control over the flow of the application.
• React & Vue.js uses Virtual DOM, which is better than Angular.
• Angular & React are better options when creating scalable applications.
• Vue.js has the smallest size as a framework compared to the other two.
• React has the highest popularity among developers, which Angular and Vue.js follow.

The above list is undoubtedly by no means comprehensive; there are many other reasons you should choose Angular, React, or Vue. But these are the most compelling arguments that I’ve found across forums and articles. 

There’s no correct answer. As JavaScript frameworks, Angular, React, and Vue all represent solid options.

The right choice is the one that covers most of the needs of your project at an affordable budget. You can hire an angularjs developers team of PixelCrayons today.