React vs. Vue: Which Can Serve You Better in 2025? The Ultimate Comparison of Front-End Titans

Selecting front-end technologies is extremely influential because the right decision will let you build and scale engaging user experiences within reasonable budget limits. 

React software development seems to be the top choice in the front end, while React has dominated the market for many years in a row. However, many contenders strive to repeat its success by offering solutions for React’s drawbacks.

In 2024, the main consideration is Vue vs. React. Vue takes the second position in front-end rankings, and Vue development is the key option for developers unhappy or overwhelmed with React. But should you opt for it?

Let’s compare and find similarities, differences, pros, cons, and deciding factors regarding when to use Vue vs. React.

Selecting between Vue vs. React is a strategic decision, as both tools can be implemented for building fast, flexible, and scalable web app interfaces. 

However, while the goals are similar, development teams rely on different development experiences, best-case scenarios, and benefits by using one tool or another.

React is a JavaScript library for building dynamic user interfaces of a SPA (single-page application). It enables developers to create UI components that quickly respond to data changes without updating the entire page.

The virtual DOM allows fast app performance and one-way data binding, ensuring that UI changes do not affect other app components and optimizing the time developers spend on app updates and maintenance.

Source: edureka!

Now, let’s check React pros and cons and use cases.

As of August 2024:

React works great for web projects relying on classic technologies, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, when the team wants to update the user interface quickly and without affecting app logic. 

What is React good for?

Some web app types benefitting from React include:

Please note that the list is incomplete, and you can use React to build an app for your domain, when it meets your requirements.

Here are some of many recognized companies using React:

React’s story started when Facebook created an internal library for managing interactive components and decided to make it available for wide use. Meta continues using React to improve the interfaces of Facebook and Instagram and its internal systems.

BBC uses React to enhance its website’s responsiveness and accessibility, especially for users with disabilities. It helps increase control over content playback and reach alternative content formats.

Cloudflare migrated its website and many of its external and internal services to React, enabling the company to improve the scalability and maintenance of interactive services.

Skyscanner is a leading flight search engine with 100+M active monthly users and 1,200 partners worldwide. The company has prepared its “Backpack” design system using React, which enabled it to decrease the engineering team’s workload.

Shopping.com is a popular price aggregator that allows users to hunt for the best deals and discounts. React enables exceptional website performance when users search for different products.

One of the biggest reasons for React popularity is that it is equally great for building both MVPs and high-load projects with billions of daily users. 

Here is what React offers on a project:

UI components created with React can be reused across different parts of an app, enhancing UI/UX consistency and decreasing development time.

Virtual DOM enables developers to minimize the number of required updates of UI elements and improve rendering performance, which results in fast apps.

One-way data binding enables developers to manipulate the UI without rechecking app logic each time they update the interface. 

There is no need to invest extra in a promotional website. Web crawlers can access and scan the content of React apps and display them in search results afterward.

React is a simple library requiring minimum time from front-end developers knowing JavaScript to start using it on a project. 

Many web technologies can be coupled seamlessly with React, including Node.js, Symfony, .NET Core, TypeScript, and more.

The modular structure of React is well-suited for microservices architecture and the development of scalable applications.

Developers use React to deliver responsive apps. They can also implement React Native to transfer source code to mobile platforms.

React can become a bottleneck when used improperly and without keeping its limits in mind. Developers can face the following React challenges on a project:

React is only for the UI layer, and developers need expertise in handling additional tools and libraries like Redux or Zustand to deliver the entire app front end.

Inefficient component design is quite possible and can appear in two forms: tightly coupled components and over-fragmentation. Both lead to complex code that is difficult to navigate and manage.

Irrelevant parent-child implementation can result in excessive rendering even if a child component has the same values, decreasing app performance. Also, large component trees slow down rendering.

Integrating React into existing codebase can be difficult and may require significant refactoring work in system architecture. 

Flexibility can be dangerous for inexperienced teams as it can lead to overcomplication on a project or irregularities due to different programming approaches inside a development team.

Vue is a progressive JavaScript framework that covers most of the needs in modern front-end development. It can be used as a stand-alone script file, embedded web components, building single-page applications, server-side rendering, and more.

Apart from web solutions, developers can use Vue for desktop apps, hybrid mobile apps (with the help of Composer/Ionic Vue), 3D WebGL, and even in apps for terminals. 

Now let’s move to Vue pros and cons, and use cases.

As of August 2024:

Vue popularity lies in its ability to deliver simple and mid-complexity web apps while requiring minimal optimization. Vue can be implemented on large projects too, as it offers enhanced scalability.

What is Vue used for?

Developers can integrate Vue into the following project types:

Of course, you can consider Vue outside of the above domains when you feel it meets your needs and requirements.

Let’s check some well-known companies that have selected Vue for their digital solutions:

PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited) is a professional services network. PwC’s website covers many topics across different industries and locations and provides engaging visualizations.

NASA uses Vue for its Open Mission Control Technologies (Open MCT) project. This open-source plugin can be integrated into a ground control system or a non-space app to analyze, visualize, and operate spacecraft missions.

The website of La Poste, the major French postal service company, is built using Vue, enabling customers to manipulate dynamic content, e.g., type track numbers or check letters’/parcels’ statuses.

Gitlab started using Vue in 2016 to improve its website, and it is still part of the project. Gitlab developers love Vue’s simplicity and ease of use, which allows them to produce less code.

Zoom developers use Vue for the UI of the company’s highly interactive website. They have also launched Zoom Video SDK, simplifying Zoom embedding into Vue-based web apps.

Vue is growing in popularity because it offers powerful and easy-to-use tools that enable developers to develop SPAs quickly. Maintenance and expansion are also simple. 

Here are the main benefits of introducing Vue when considering Vue vs. React:

The total Vue runtime size is about 27kb when it includes all essential features and 16kb when using the bare minimum.

Vue can be used in many ways, including stand-alone scripts that replace jQuery, SPA, desktop and mobile apps, terminal apps, and more.

The framework maintainers claim Vue is one of the top-performing mainstream frameworks, which is possible because it implements automated optimization.

Modular structure and Composition API allow developers to organize, optimize, and reuse complex logic, allowing them to scale apps efficiently. 

Vue can work well together with many front- and back-end technologies. It can be useful for both development from scratch and enhancing existing apps.

Because Vue has low entry barriers for novices, feature-rich tools, and a straightforward approach to coding, developers can migrate to it within the minimum time.

When combined with Nuxt.js, Vue can pre-render the web page in a React way, allowing users and search engines to see the content immediately, which improves both UX and SEO.

Vue provides developers with a great toolbox that they can use to save time writing unit tests, managing app states, and more.

Vue has weak points that can limit its benefits on a certain project. Here are the most important ones that can hinder Vue from taking the lead in Vue vs. React popularity:

Vue has a smaller ecosystem of plugins and extensions compared to React or Angular.

Vue and its ecosystem are evolving rapidly, making developers track changes and allocate time to updating their skills and app source code.

Vue 3 does not support legacy browsers, and while Vue 2 does, it has reached the end of the life cycle, creating potential challenges for app modernization.

There are fewer Vue enterprise-level projects compared to React and accumulated troubleshooting experiences.

The global community of Vue developers is represented unevenly around the world. The biggest is in China/Asia, using its local languages, which can make solution search difficult for English speakers. However, this problem becomes less significant as long as the global community continues to grow.

Both technologies look and work similarly, for which there is an explanation.

First, Vue was launched after React and Angular, absorbing best ideas and practices from both. Second, teams working on React and Vue continue to inspire each other, incorporating the rival’s fruitful ideas and approaches into their products.

Let’s check the key similarities of Vue vs. React:

The main use case for both React and Vue is building and managing dynamic components of web interfaces. Both can be used to build responsive interfaces that work fast under high user load without affecting app logic.

Both use virtual DOM to render web app elements, which optimizes performance under frequently changing data. When rendering, Virtual DOM acts as a middle layer between the app and a browser that increases efficiency by calculating which elements require an update and then updating them in the real DOM in the browser.

React vs. Vue are both a great choice for building modular, cloud-native apps. They encourage developers to reuse source code and manage complex UI components as independent entities, increasing app scalability.

Both tools rely on JavaScript as the primary programming language. Also, developers can integrate Typescript to increase productivity. Moreover, developers can add a JSX/TSX extension to Vue when they want to work in the “React” way.

Generally, learning time is similar for experienced developers. They can easily understand and learn the basic concepts of both tools by reading documentation and tutorials and starting to practice with them.

Developers can effectively couple both React and Vue with many web technologies. For example, Vue and React can replace Angular as the front-end framework within the MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node.js) stack, which becomes MEVN or MERN respectively.

There are differences between Vue and React in approaches to app development, best implementation practices, and available third-party solutions. All these factors can limit one project and boost another. 

Now let’s examine Vue vs.React, how they could satisfy various project requirements, and what differences come to the foreground.

Opinion: In terms of development experience, Vue provides a competitive edge on small projects. Both can be a good option for midsize and large projects.

Vue vs. React, which is easier to use? Both tools simplify source code development and management but in rather different ways. 

Because React is a library, it provides maximum flexibility when creating custom UI components. Developers are free to add anything they want. They can select and modify UI structures to best meet project needs. 

In contrast, Vue is a progressive framework and provides a structure. However, it can be adopted incrementally, allowing developers to avoid redundancy and integrate more elements only when UI complexity increases.

The development team must rely on third-party services to enrich the functionality of a React app. However, those are available in abundance (s. ecosystem below.) Also, React provides an SDK to simplify the integration of third-party services.

Opinion: Either architecture supports projects of all sizes while both tools promote component-based approach, consistency, and code reuse.

React allows developers to break down the app interface into reusable components that encapsulate their own logic and state. Also, developers can integrate an additional library, Redux, that enables efficient app state management, helping them handle projects that grow in complexity effectively. 

In turn, Vue 3 catches up with React’s efficiency by providing a Composition API that lets developers organize and reuse logic across different UI components. Vue’s reactivity system tracks data changes and updates UI automatically, letting developers focus on app logic rather than learning how to optimize rendering. 

Also, Vue’s Single-File Components allow developers to encapsulate template, script, and style blocks within one file, which can be useful when building a SPA, generating a static website, or creating a unique front end.

Opinion: React’s one-way data binding helps maintain clarity on complex projects, while Vue’s two-way data binding can be profitable when building small and midsize apps quickly.

React supports the View part of the MVC (Model View Controller) pattern and updates the UI only when the model state changes. One-way, downward data flow helps developers control changes in app source code, ensuring UI updates have no side effects on business logic.

Source: Medium

Vue is used within the MVVM (Model View ViewModel) pattern, where it connects View and Model parts, updating the UI when the model state changes. It also updates the model part when view state changes. 

The MVVM approach reduces the amount of boilerplate code and lets developers focus on data flow management. However, control over flow can become difficult for complex data structures.

Source: Geeksforgeeks

Opinion: There is no clear winner between React vs. Vue because both enable developers to build interactive and engaging UX; however, the difference can lie in performance and developers’ own experiences.

Large React apps perform better when developers build and optimize them properly. However, developing and updating multiple UX components when there are many of them on a complex project can be simpler with Vue.

Also, the difference between React and Vue lies in syntax. React provides JSX extension as a killer feature that enables JavaScript developers to create dynamic components and SEO-friendly web apps. 

However, developers often prefer Vue because they do not like JSX or have no time to learn its intricacies. The SSR feature lets Vue developers decrease initial load time and create SEO-friendly apps similar to React.

To encourage React developers to give Vue a chance, a JSX plugin is available for Vue to ensure familiar experiences, but it is not available by default.

Opinion: Although both provide great optimization capabilities, Vue has a slight advantage over React. 

Vue vs. React is a tie in supporting cutting-edge techniques for app size and performance optimization. Both provide:

Vue apps tend to be smaller under the same conditions because of the efficiency of the Vue core library, which uses minification and brotli compression. Also, Vue helps developers manage components automatically. 

In contrast, React developers must manually perform size and performance optimization, which requires skills and expertise.

It is worth noting that the app size largely depends on the number of optional features and third-party libraries developers integrate into an app. Although Vue’s automation is helpful, the developer’s optimization expertise is crucial.

Opinion: React has the upper hand, providing a large ecosystem of third-party solutions and a wide international community of project contributors. Still, Vue can boast well-thought-out built-in features and plugins. 

A vast and mature ecosystem of tools and libraries that can meet (almost) any project needs is one of the top reasons for choosing React. Developers enjoy powerful external tools for routing, state management, styling, form handling, and much more. 

However, such a wide variety of tools can lead to fragmentation, and Vue can be an alternative for developers who are overwhelmed with React’s options and want to focus on a fast project setup.

To make this happen, the Vue core team offers a robust collection of original plugins, e.g., Vuex for state management and Vue Router, that enable developers to add extra functionality or handle application state efficiently.

Opinion: React provides a faster development speed, but there is a high chance of messing up the project. Vue can be a better option for inexperienced developers when deciding on Vue vs. React unless they bump into an uncommon issue.

React’s high flexibility and vast ecosystem can help developers build and manage a project faster than Vue, especially a complex one. Also, a large community can advise with discovered project problems. 

On the flip side, new developers can struggle with React’s flexibility and choosing relevant third-party utilities, which can lead to long development time, difficult scaling, or inability to optimize code without extensive refactoring. 

Is Vue easier than React? Yes, Vue offers intuitive syntax and a structured approach to the app front end, making the development process smooth and clear for novices. However, scaling large projects can be less efficient than with React. 

Also, Vue has a smaller community and ecosystem. This is why developers may spend much time on building a solution for an encountered issue or waiting long for community help.

Opinion: A large React ecosystem and wide adoption among corporations make It the top choice in the Vue vs. React discussion, but Vue has advantages for legacy projects, too. 

On one hand, React is a tried-and-tested technology for enterprise applications. It scales well, supports corporate requirements, and allows gradual upgrades. 

On the other hand, Vue architecture simplifies integration into existing projects without a complete rewrite. Custom elements with Vue could be a game changer because developers can prepare front-end components that can be used with any framework or even as stand-alone elements and could help with gradual migration.   

Also, Vue 3 APIs meet the challenges of large-scale app development, but they need real-world testing to precipitate adoption. Things can probably change in the near future.

Opinion: There is no winner for Vue vs. React; both are prone to similar types of attacks. The security of a launched app depends on developers’ expertise and proactive steps toward security enhancement.

React is vulnerable to multiple threats, including cross-site scripting, server-side rendering, and SQL injections. The ecosystem is also a point of concern because integrated third-party solutions can contain malicious code. 

Vue provides developers with tools for sanitizing HTML code and protecting against cross-site scripting, but developers must integrate security tools on their own as they are not included in the bundle for the sake of its size. 

As a result, keeping apps safe and secure requires expertise in implementing tools and best practices on how to protect the app from executing malicious code.

Opinion: Although both provide solid testing tools in the React vs. Vue comparison, Vue is rather beginner-friendly, and React better meets the needs of experienced engineers looking for flexible tools. 

React does not provide testing tools on its own. However, developers can easily write, customize, and maintain various tests (unit, integration, performance, and so on) by using third-party frameworks and libraries. Still, combining several tools for the best possible test coverage requires knowledge and experience. 

In turn, Vue provides official testing and debugging tools that can be used in many ways with minimum setup: as browser plugins, stand-alone apps, or via APIs. Vue testing is a straightforward experience and can be helpful on small projects but lacks flexibility on large ones.

Still, while Vue’s testing flexibility is lower compared to React’s, it can improve with time while the community grows.

Opinion: In the Vue vs. React comparison, React is a better option for large apps and experienced developers. However, the Vue team has done decent work to narrow the gap. 

Definitely, app updates and maintenance are easier with React because it has a larger ecosystem, a bigger community, and a longer track record of solutions for startup and enterprise challenges. 

However, Vue is not far behind after the transition to Vue 3 and the improvements this transition provides. As a downside, compatibility problems with third-party libraries can emerge when migrating from Vue 2 to Vue 3.

It is worth noting that maintenance is critical for every project. Every framework will eventually reach the end of its life cycle, and the development team must update technologies to the latest version to evade app obsolesce.

Opinion: Developers often prefer React to other front-end frameworks because React Native lets them reuse web app code for cross-platform mobile app development. Vue offers Capacitor for mobile app development.

Apart from delivering responsive SPAs and PWAs (progressive web apps), both can be used to build real mobile apps.

React Native has contributed significantly to React’s popularity. It allows developers to launch mobile apps with a native-like look, feel, and performance while reusing substantial parts of source code and logic, saving costs and time. 

To meet developers’ needs, Vue 3 provides Capacitor, Ionic’s official runtime for building mobile apps with web technologies. Capacitor can be particularly helpful for engineers with experience in Cordova and hybrid development.

React outcompetes other front-end technologies by:

If the above points are crucial for you, React is your choice. Still, expertise remains a concern. When in inexperienced hands, React can turn your project into a disaster. 

Why use Vue? Vue provides a viable alternative through:

Is Vue better than React?

If you need a structured project and want to launch fast, Vue can be better than React. This framework is less demanding for development expertise. However, running an enterprise project with Vue can be unchartered waters. 

IT Craft has proven expertise in choosing and using front-end technologies, including Vue vs. React, that best meet your unique business challenges. 

We can help you decide on single technologies, implement the right tech stack, and keep your software up to date by providing you with such services as:

Peakfactor is a modular platform that enables companies to build secure intranet systems for improved collaboration. A special solution, anyRMboards, supports the needs of pharmaceutical and medical organizations.

The client initially wanted to build an MVP to enhance management inside pharmaceutical companies. The system grew extensively and became a complex platform covering the communication needs of many businesses.

IT Craft developers took over the client project and delivered the MVP within the promised timeline. They further expanded the system in tight cooperation with the client’s internal team. The IT Craft team added Vue as part of regular source code enhancements to simplify updates and maintenance of the software front end.

Predira is a secure builder for professional traders that lets users create a branded trading platform within minutes.

The client wanted to turn their decade-long expertise of creating and managing trading platforms into a solution that every trader could use to start trading any products online for minimum investment.

IT Craft developers worked on the client’s other trading solution and used the acquired expertise to create a flexible, configurable product, ensuring optimal output for the client’s allocated budget.

Vue vs React: which is better? Both are a solid, proven technology. 

React outcompetes Vue on large, enterprise-level projects, and either can be used for small and midsize apps.

Both React and Vue are a solid choice providing enormous benefits, such as quick project delivery, simplified maintenance, high quality of source code, and streamlined conversion of web apps to mobile. 

If you still have doubts about whether to choose React or Vue, the best thing to do is consult software development experts.