The 2024 Front-End Framework Face-Off: React vs. Svelte vs. SolidJS

Majd Muhtaseb06/26/20257 minutes

The 2024 Front-End Framework Face-Off: React vs. Svelte vs. SolidJS

Choosing the right front-end framework can make or break a project. In 2024, React, Svelte, and SolidJS continue to be strong contenders. Let's compare them head-to-head, focusing on key aspects.

Component Syntax

React (JSX):

function MyComponent() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Hello, React!</h1>
    </div>
  );
}

Svelte:

<script>
  let name = 'Svelte';
</script>

<div>
  <h1>Hello, {name}!</h1>
</div>

SolidJS (JSX):

import { createSignal } from 'solid-js';

function MyComponent() {
  const [name, setName] = createSignal('SolidJS');

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Hello, {name()}!</h1>
    </div>
  );
}

State Management

React (useState):

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Count: {count}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Svelte:

<script>
  let count = 0;

  function increment() {
    count++;
  }
</script>

<div>
  <p>Count: {count}</p>
  <button on:click={increment}>Increment</button>
</div>

SolidJS (Signals):

import { createSignal } from 'solid-js';

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = createSignal(0);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Count: {count()}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count() + 1)}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Performance

React: Uses a virtual DOM and reconciliation process. Performance can be optimized with techniques like memoization.
Svelte: A compiler that transforms your code into highly efficient vanilla JavaScript during build time, resulting in smaller bundle sizes and faster runtime performance.
SolidJS: Uses fine-grained reactivity, updating only the parts of the DOM that need to change. Known for excellent performance and minimal overhead.

Community & Ecosystem

React: Massive community, extensive documentation, and a vast ecosystem of libraries and tools.
Svelte: Growing community, good documentation, and a developing ecosystem.
SolidJS: Smaller but passionate community, good documentation, and a growing ecosystem.

Conclusion

Choose React if: You need a mature framework with a large community and extensive resources.
Choose Svelte if: You want a lightweight framework with excellent performance and a simpler syntax.
Choose SolidJS if: Performance is your top priority and you prefer fine-grained reactivity.

The best choice depends on your project's specific requirements and your team's experience. Consider building small prototypes with each framework to see which one best suits your needs.