React vs. Svelte: which framework to use in 2022?
Tags: reactvsvelte, react, svelte
Published: 2022-11-25 05:59:09

The field of **web application development** technologies is constantly evolving with the proliferation of time. With the evolution, there has been a constant struggle between two big platforms to prove who is better in performance comparison. And the story of Svelte Vs. React is no different.
 
As JavaScript frameworks, React and Svelte both have their advantages. 
 
In recent years, [ReactJS](reactjs.org) has been the authority on JavaScript libraries. But over the past few months, Svelte js has established itself as an effective alternative and caught the tech world's attention. Although [Sveltejs](https://svelte.dev) is similar to React, it has a different approach to managing web pages in its development phase.
 
So, in this article, we will **compare Svelte and React** on different metrics, and we will understand which one is better. We will also look at some of the salient features of both frameworks.
 
 

## Contents:
**

> What is React?
> What is Svelte?
> React vs. Svelte: technical comparison
> When to use React and when to use Svelte?
> React vs. Svelte: Verdict
**
 
 
 

## What is React?

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6nwgpcswhwmayl574zyy.png)
Long story short, React is a well-established JavaScript library created by Facebook in 2011.
 
The library was made open-source in 2013 and quickly rose to the top of the popularity charts. Widely hailed as the most popular library for building complex yet lightweight single-page applications and radical interactive user interfaces, React has managed to capture millions of developers' hearts worldwide. And for a good reason.
 
Its main advantages include a relatively flat learning curve, great flexibility, and ease of SEO thanks to fast rendering. The most important is the one that allows you to reduce development costs.

## Is React well for business?
With React, you get a stable, rock-solid platform that won't suddenly go away one day. The longer answer is a bit more complicated.
 
First of all, as mentioned above, React is here to stay. It has been around for a decade, and its demand continues to grow. Not only is it constantly evolving, but it is still one of the most popular frameworks.
 
With React, you don't have to worry about switching frameworks and rehiring or retraining specialists every two years, making it a stable choice for the future.
 
Other than that, React also lets you create a product that works on any device and is super SEO-friendly, making it easier for you to generate more organic traffic.
 
Finally, React specialists are just a lot easier to find, and the demand for them seems to be growing.
 
Additionally, [React developers](https://arhamtechnosoft.com/services/reactjs-development/) are exceptionally happy with this framework, which means it's easier to find employees who are more likely to enjoy what they do. 
 
So, if you plan it correctly, you can save a lot of time and money by scaling your product and adapting it to the needs of your users.
 
 
What is particularly important is that React offers many ready-to-use components that can be used to build the most complex applications using simple blocks of code. Members are further divisible into smaller sub-components which can also be transferred between projects, saving a lot of time and effort.

Since components and subcomponents are only responsible for a tiny part of the application, you can build your applications by mixing and reusing them endlessly.

No wonder it remains the most regularly used JavaScript framework.
If you want to know more about the business side of things, we've created a comprehensive FAQ that should answer all your questions in more detail.

Now let's move on to Svelte.

## What is Svelte?

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/dic466gzs2hol3v6eko8.png)
It is a free, open-source, component-based front-end framework that works like a compiler. It sprung up in response to more traditional frameworks, like React, which do most of their magic in a browser.

Svelte is unlike anything we've seen, which has pros and cons. but rest assured, it's mostly pros!

## Is Svelte good for business?

Considering that Svelte has been around for 7 years, it would be unfair to say it's a new platform.

**How does Svelte improve development costs?**

Svelte is fast and outperforms all other frameworks, including Angular, Vue, and React.
 
A key distinction between React and Svelte is that Svelte works more like a compiler, while React is more of a regular JavaScript library.
 
Unlike React, which leverages a virtual DOM to decompose application code at runtime, Svelte does most of its work during the compilation stage that takes place during the build.
Svelte demonstrated that exceptional performance could be achieved without the virtual DOM and decided to eliminate it. A bold decision that paid off in terms of performance.
 
What does this mean for development costs? Well, you get a more capable platform that, used correctly, can deliver faster results.
 
By hiring a Svelte engineer, you will experience a dramatic reduction in time to market without losing much, if any, in quality.

Svelte plays in its backyard when it comes to building high-quality, responsive websites in record time.
 
The small size of the entire framework makes sites more responsive, resulting in a smooth end product that will satisfy even the most demanding customer.

## React vs. Svelte: technical comparison

**React vs. Svelte: Performance**
With Svelte, you can easily compile and turn all your UI components into super-clean code that will directly update the DOM.
 
Unlike more traditional JS frameworks, like React or Vue, which break down application code at runtime using a virtual DOM, Svelte does most of its work during the compilation stage, which takes place during construction.
 
In short, Svelte can save money, which makes it extremely fast and responsive. 
 
But, realistically, is React that far behind? As you already know, React is a library that uses the virtual DOM, while Svelte acts as a compiler. But first, let's step back for a moment and quickly recap what DOM and VDOM are.

**What is DOM?**

DOM, or Document Object Model, is a standardized programming interface that connects JavaScript to HTML. It represents the entire HTML, XML, or XHTML document in a tree structure where each node represents an HTML element.

In classic [web development](https://arhamtechnosoft.com/services/web-development/), each node can be manipulated directly using document methods, such as Document.getElementById().
 
The web browser workflow should go through parsing the HTML to produce a DOM tree structure using a rendering engine like Mozilla's Gecko or Apple's Webkit. Then it has to parse the CSS and apply the CSS to the HTML to render the tree and paint it on the browser.
 
But we all know this method is not optimal and takes too much time. And that's exactly where VDOM comes in.

**What is VDOM?**

If you were using the real DOM, every change you made would trigger an update, slowing down app performance.
Virtual DOM solves this problem, resulting in faster rendering time and improved performance.
 
VDOM is a virtual representation of the DOM and acts as a temporary memory for all user interface changes. Instead of updating and slowing you down every time you make a change, it delays the update process until it finds the most efficient way to edit and make the DOM real (also known as reconciliation or diffusion process).
 
In essence, the virtual DOM is a lightweight representation of the DOM. It's never rendered because it's just a Javascript tree data structure, making it much faster.

## How is Svelte able to work even faster?

It simply ignores the VDOM and does not use any virtual DOM differentiation. In more technical terms, it works like a compiler. 

With React, developers only have to declare the result, and it takes care of the rest. It is unnecessary to describe each step of the process, which is convenient. React works on a schedule, updating components at the most optimal time.
 
Svelte may not use a VDOM, but it seems to work similarly. It updates the DOM whenever a component's step is changed, but only if an assignment triggers the change. In Svelte, DOM rendering is done through reactive programming, which makes it faster than VDOM.

**React vs. Svelte:** Is one system more responsive than another?
Compared to React, Svelte can be considered more responsive because it is a serverless-first framework.
 
Both have advantages, but Svelte is a bit ahead in responsiveness.
 
Svelte is a compiler that turns it into JavaScript code when it builds an application. 
 
That means it doesn't need to add any extra code to run in the browser when your app updates the DOM, making the whole process nice and smooth.

## React vs. Svelte: Bundle Size

Another interesting aspect of Svelte is that its bundle size is much smaller than React, which is key in loading time and UI rendering time.
 
The GZIP version of Svelte is 1.6 KB, while the GZIP version of React is 42.2 KB (with ReactDOM included).

## React vs. Svelte: Testing

With Svelte, you can use the Svelte test library to perform unit tests. The library has much less complex calculations and is smaller than React, so if you're looking for cleaner, less bloated, and over-engineered code, Svelte will give you that.
 
With React, you can test an entire application in a realistic browser environment (so-called end-to-end testing), which can significantly reduce time to market and increase the overall value of the application.

## React vs. Svelte: Code maintainability

Svelte's code is more readable and easier to maintain than React's. When talking about Svelte, its structure is much more fluid, which is very useful when you have to define hundreds of components.
 
React is incredibly convenient for using different parts of code in separate projects, which can greatly improve teamwork and code sharing. When you [hire new React developers](https://arhamtechnosoft.com/services/react-native-app-development/), you can count on them getting up to speed with the code very quickly, saving the whole team a lot of time and effort.

## React vs. Svelte: Ease of Use

Svelte has done a good job of simplifying and clearing up the mess that some frameworks can overwhelm us. Most of what we see in Svelte is reminiscent of classic [web development](https://arhamtechnosoft.com/blog/web-development-strategies) patterns, simply using JS, HTML, and CSS.
 
React requires more advanced programming knowledge, like JSX and CSS-in-JS, to create the simplest interfaces.

## When to use React and when to use Svelte?

ReactJS remains a must-have library.
Svelte has a shorter learning curve than React. It also has cleaner code and is more intuitive. Svelte, which offers improved loading and rendering times, is the best choice for creating simple websites and applications.
 
Plus, styling on Svelte is a snap and the apps you create run smoothly. On the one hand, Svelte is more suitable for beginners, as it is easier to learn and understand. On the other hand, React is a much more popular and well-established platform and almost unlimited resources. Svelte's Reddit community is comparatively small, but its members are active and always ready to help.
 
It's also much easier to find experienced React developers, as there are so many of them.

**Use React whenever you want:**

- Have access to the community ready for brainstorming
- Use different parts of code in separate projects
- Find developers more easily
- have more stability
- Use Svelte whenever you want
- Get a project with a smaller bundle size
- Have a code that is easier to maintain
- Achieve exceptional performance without the virtual DOM
- Prepare a website faster
 

## React vs. Svelte: Verdict

Some believe that Svelte is the future, but this claim is bold, given the gap between it and cutting-edge JavaScript libraries like React.
  
Svelte is truly a one-of-a-kind platform that continues to grow in popularity daily. Many experienced developers find it revolutionary and migrate to it after years of using other, more established platforms, such as React, Angular, or jQuery.
 
For an experienced JS developer, Svelte could be a great place to experiment, find inspiration, and maybe learn something new.
On the other hand, React is incredibly flexible and can be used to develop applications or other interfaces on many different platforms. Despite Svelte's easier learning curve, beginners should probably take React's "learn once, write anywhere" slogan to heart and start there.
 
React is a safer bet for anyone looking for a well-established framework with a rich community behind it. Svelte is a wonderful option for those with experience and leeway looking for a platform to help them optimize their work even more.