Angular, React, and Vue are the most popular JavaScript frameworks for building web applications. These three frameworks can be used interchangeably to create frontend apps - but they are not identical. Only a few years ago, developers were arguing over whether Angular or React was a better choice, but now Vue has become a respectful competitor to both, bringing benefits of the two without the downsides. Can Vue actually replace React and Angular or does it have its own set of drawbacks, too? Let’s talk about the strengths of each framework and the most common use cases.

React

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces that was originally developed by Facebook. React is known for easy code reusability, its virtual DOM and JSX.

Advantages

JSX

JSX is simplified JavaScript that can be used for templating. Although you can also use traditional JavaScript, JSX makes the process faster and simpler.

Virtual Document Object Model

Virtual DOM accelerates the development process by instantly showing the changes made to the code. Instead of rendering the whole page, you can utilize the virtual DOM, which significantly boosts performance.

Testability

React applications test easily as the framework offers an inbuilt React Testing Library. It is simple to use and assists in developing good testing practices.

Use Cases

Dashboards

Dashboards are used to visualize data in an easy to understand format. React is a good framework to use for creating these types of data visualization tools, as it provides ready-made templates for dashboards that anyone can use for their projects.

Prototyping and MVP

If you need to build a prototype in a short time period and without going over budget, React can be a clever choice. This framework allows for rapid development, is easy to use, and is versatile - which is exactly what you need for effortless prototype creation.

Why React?

React is mature and has large support from the community which is why you will not have any problems finding seasoned developers for your project. React is the perfect choice for startups that require simplicity and flexibility.

Angular

Angular is the slightly older offering of the bunch and was created by Google employees as a tool for building applications faster. With Angular, developers have the option to use JavaScript’s superset called TypeScript and the framework itself is a popular choice in building SPAs (Single-Page Applications).

Advantages

Two-Way Data Binding

Two-way data binding is what Angular is famous for. This feature allows for cost-efficient app development by adopting changes in real-time. When a coder makes a change in the code, the view within a Model-View-Controller architecture shows these changes right away.

Angular CLI

Angular provides a command-line interface (CLI) that simplifies and streamlines a coder's job by providing a variety of special coding tools. You can further extend Angular with third-party coding and testing libraries to solve complex issues.

Google Support

The Google team created this framework for internal use but it turned out to be so helpful that developers released it to the world. The development team continues to launch updates and new versions to make sure Angular stays up-to-date and relevant.

Use Cases

Large-scale applications

Angular is the go-to framework to create large enterprise applications like CRM or ERP tools. The framework is ideal for large-scale apps rather than for covering specific needs.

Single-page applications (SPA)

Angular is also a popular choice for building SPAs, dynamic pages with real-time page reload. The data exchange occurs like in every other app but users do not need to reload the page to receive an update.

Why Angular?

Angular makes the perfect tool for creating high-performance and user-friendly applications such as SPAs, large-scale enterprise systems, as well as cross-platform mobile apps.

Vue

Vue is our third JavaScript framework, created in 2014 which makes it the youngest out of the pack. Vue was built to solve problems inherent in React and Angular and is used to help create of fast and reliable applications.

Advantages

Small size

Vue is extremely lightweight, which can be a great competitive advantage over React or Angular.

Simple integration

Since Vue was built on JS, it is easily integrated with JS-based applications. As a result, you can adopt Vue at any time and start using it without making any changes to your system.

Inherited the best bits from Angular and React

Vue takes the best from Angular and React and addresses some of their shortcomings. For example, Vue has React’s virtual DOM and Angular’s two-way data binding. Vue’s developers have smartly borrowed the best from both tools and made a great technology.

Use Cases

User interfaces

Much like React, Vue is a tool used for building simple user interfaces. Vue is fast, easy to use, and enables rapid development of UIs.

Single-page applications

Vue was also inspired by Angular which is why it can be used for creating SPAs, dynamic apps with automatic reload.

Why Vue?

Vue is a prominent and ever-growing framework that offers the best from two popular tools, React and Angular. Vue is fast, simple, and delivers high-performance applications.

The Verdict

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to the question of which of these three frameworks is the better choice. Your technology choice depends on multiple factors like aim, budget, timeline, complexity, number of features, business goals, performance constraints, etc. If you want to learn more or even create a new web app, contact CodeFirst. We are a software development house that can help give you all the answers and build beautiful applications, turning your bright ideas into reality.