Svelte vs React: Which Framework is Better for You?

When talking about frameworks or libraries of JavaScript, you may know React, Vue.js, and Angular. They are all 3 well-known programming languages with large support communities. But have you once considered Svelte, a new framework to build web apps?

While React has a large and active community, Svelte is still a new face but has its strengths that may stand out among JavaScript frameworks. In this article, we will compare two frameworks on a number of factors, including performance, simplicity, ecosystem, learning curve, and developer experience. This article will help you decide which framework is right for you, based on your needs and preferences.

1. What is Svelte? 

1.1. History & Definition

Svelte is a modern JavaScript framework that is known for its performance and simplicity. This framework was created in 2016 by Rich Harris due to his frustration with the performance and complexity of other JavaScript frameworks and it is currently being maintained by Svelte core members. It is used by the following companies: The New York Times, Avast, Spotify, Semrush, etc. 

It is a compiler, not a library, which means that it converts your code into highly optimised Vanilla JavaScript at build time. This results in smaller, faster, and more efficient web applications.

Svelte is also very easy to learn and use. The syntax is concise and straightforward, and there are no virtual DOM or other abstractions to learn. This makes it a great choice for beginners as well as experienced developers.

1.2. Benefits

• Performance: Svelte apps are known for their high performance. This is because it does not use a virtual DOM, which can be a significant bottleneck in other frameworks.
• Simplicity: It is very easy to learn and use. The syntax is concise and straightforward, and there are no virtual DOM or other abstractions to learn.
• Small size: Svelte apps are typically much smaller than apps built with other frameworks. This is because it does not generate any unnecessary code at runtime.
• Efficiency: Svelte apps are very efficient. This is because it only renders the parts of the UI that need to be updated.

2. What is React?

2.1. Definition

React is a free and open-source JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is maintained by Meta and a community of individual developers and companies. This framework can be used to develop single-page, mobile, or server-rendered applications with frameworks like Next.js. React is trusted by many top companies, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Salesforce, Dropbox, GitHub, etc.

React is based on the concept of components, which are reusable pieces of code that can be combined to create complex user interfaces. Components are declarative, meaning that they describe what the UI should look like, rather than how to render it. This makes the code easier to read and maintain.

React also uses a virtual DOM, which is a lightweight representation of the real DOM. When a component’s state changes, it only updates the parts of the virtual DOM that need to be updated. This can improve performance by reducing the number of times the real DOM needs to be re-rendered.

2.2. Benefits

• Performance: React uses a virtual DOM to improve performance. This means that it only updates the parts of the UI that need to be updated, which can improve performance by reducing the number of times the real DOM needs to be re-rendered.
• Flexibility: This framework is a component-based framework, which makes it easy to create reusable code. This can help you reduce the amount of code you need to write, and it can also make your code easier to maintain.
• Extensible: It has a large and active community, which means that there are many third-party libraries and tools available. This can help you extend the functionality of React, and it can also help you to find solutions to problems that you may encounter.
• Popular: It is used by a wide range of companies, including Facebook, Instagram, and Netflix. This means that there is a lot of documentation and support available for React, and it also means that you are likely to find other developers who are familiar with React.
• SEO friendly: It is SEO friendly because it does not use any frameworks that are known to be harmful to SEO. It also uses a virtual DOM, which can help to improve the performance of your website.

3. Differences between Svelte and React

Svelte and React are two popular tools for building user interfaces, but their fundamental design philosophies set them apart. Svelte operates as a compiler that transforms code into optimized JavaScript at build time, removing the need for a virtual DOM. React, by contrast, is a library developed by Facebook that utilizes a virtual DOM to efficiently update the UI during runtime. This core difference influences many aspects of how applications are built and perform in each framework.

Released in 2016, Svelte is maintained by the open-source community and has been gaining traction due to its simplicity and performance. React, on the other hand, has been around since 2013 and benefits from Facebook’s ongoing support and a large, mature community. These differences in maturity and backing have shaped each framework’s adoption and ecosystem.

One of Svelte’s standout advantages is its small bundle size, typically just 1.6 KB, which leads to faster load times and better performance, particularly on low-resource devices or in areas with slow internet. React, including ReactDOM, is significantly larger at around 42.2 KB, though this size comes with the benefit of a robust set of features and integrations supported by its massive ecosystem.

In terms of development experience, Svelte uses vanilla JavaScript, which many developers find straightforward and intuitive. React introduces JSX, a syntax extension that combines JavaScript with HTML-like elements. While JSX offers power and flexibility, it adds a layer of abstraction that can be challenging for beginners. Both frameworks embrace a declarative style of building components, allowing developers to describe UI state and behavior in a readable and maintainable way.

Technically, Svelte bypasses the need for a virtual DOM entirely by compiling reactive updates into imperative JavaScript at build time. This can lead to better runtime performance. React’s virtual DOM is a sophisticated diffing algorithm that reduces direct DOM manipulation, offering a different kind of optimization and predictability in complex UIs.

Another practical advantage of Svelte is its reduced reliance on third-party tools. With built-in solutions for state management and routing, developers can often build complete applications without additional dependencies. React, by contrast, often requires libraries like Redux, React Router, or context APIs to handle common application needs, which can increase the size and complexity of the codebase.

Routing and testing are handled differently as well. Svelte provides built-in routing support, simplifying setup. React requires external libraries like React Router to manage navigation. In testing, Svelte has its lightweight testing tools, while React relies on established solutions like Jest and React Testing Library, offering a more extensive ecosystem but with a steeper learning curve.

Simplicity is one of Svelte’s core strengths. It’s easy to pick up, especially for developers already familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. React is also accessible to newcomers but tends to become more complex as application requirements grow. Documentation for Svelte is concise and beginner-friendly, while React’s documentation is comprehensive, covering many advanced use cases.

In terms of ecosystem and popularity, React remains the dominant choice for large-scale applications with a wide array of resources, community support, and third-party integrations. Svelte is emerging as a modern alternative, appreciated for its performance and developer experience, and is quickly building a loyal following as its ecosystem matures.

Read more: Flutter vs React Native: Which Is The Best Development Trend?

4.1. Satisfaction & Popularity in 2025

Over the past few years, Svelte has gained significant attention for its simplicity and performance. In the State of JS 2023, Svelte topped the developer satisfaction rankings with 91% of users saying they would use it again, beating out React, Solid, and Vue. This high satisfaction rate highlights Svelte’s lightweight and intuitive approach to frontend development.

On the other hand, React remains the most used frontend framework. According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023, React was used by 40.6% of professional developers, placing it far ahead of Svelte, which had 6.3% usage. While React may not be the most “loved” tool anymore, it continues to dominate in terms of adoption, job opportunities, and enterprise support.

When comparing NPM trends, the difference is even more pronounced. As of early 2025, React receives more than 12 million weekly downloads, while Svelte sits at around 500,000 per week (NPM Trends – React vs. Svelte). This reflects React’s maturity, strong community, and its adoption in large-scale production systems, while Svelte remains more common in side projects, startups, or performance-focused applications.

Regarding the developer community, React leads with a vast ecosystem. There are over 270,000 Stack Overflow questions tagged React, making it one of the most active developer communities online. In contrast, Svelte’s Stack Overflow presence is smaller but growing, now surpassing 2,500 questions. Svelte also maintains an active Discord community and continues to grow in contributions around SvelteKit, the official app framework for Svelte.

4.2. Performance

Svelte and React are both known for their good performance. Svelte is often said to be faster than React, but this depends on the specific application. 

Svelte does not use a virtual DOM, while React does. The virtual DOM is a lightweight representation of the real DOM that React uses to improve performance. However, Svelte’s compiler eliminates the need for a virtual DOM by optimising the code at build time. This can result in smaller code size and faster rendering speeds. Its smaller code size and faster rendering speeds can give it a performance advantage over React in some cases. 

In speed test, startup test, and memory test, Svelte is a winner. This is because of its lightweight size. When you develop a web app, it loads faster, the responsiveness is flawless, and the bandwidth costs are lowered.

In short, when compared to React, Svelte may be more reactive as it is a serverless-first framework, and it does most of its work within the compilation step that takes place during build time. But, realistically, React’s virtual DOM can be helpful when you need to update a large part of the UI, as it introduces an additional layer of abstraction. It has made significant advancements in optimising rendering and reconciliation processes.

4.3. Ease of learning

The learning curve of both technologies is considered fairly easy as they both require a knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Regarding Syntax, Svelte uses Vanilla JavaScript syntax, while React uses JSX, which is a syntax extension that allows you to write HTML-like code in JavaScript.

Svelte has fewer concepts to learn than React, which can make it easier to get started. It also has clear and concise documentation, which can help you learn the framework quickly. However, React has a larger and more active community than Svelte, which can help and support you a lot in learning React. 

If you are new to JavaScript, then Svelte is a good choice. If you are already familiar with JavaScript, then choose React. 

4.4. Libraries and tools

Svelte and React both have a large ecosystem of libraries and tools available. However, the React ecosystem is larger and more mature than the Svelte ecosystem. This means that there are more libraries and tools available for React, and they are more likely to be well-maintained.

Here is a table comparing the libraries and tools available for Svelte and React:

Feature	Svelte	React
State management libraries	Svelte Store, Svelteslate	Redux, MobX
Routing libraries	Svelte Router, Sapper	React Router
UI libraries	Svelte Material UI, SvelteKit	Material-UI, Bootstrap
Testing libraries	Svelte Testing Library, Jest	React Testing Library, Jest
Other tools	Svelte REPL, Svelte IDE	React Developer Tools, Create React App

React is a very lightweight library focused on the view layer only, which is why it requires third-party tools for state management and animations. However, Svelte has built-in effects, transitions, and animations that won’t need many libraries and tools. 

If you need a large selection of libraries and tools, then React is a good choice. If you are looking for a framework that is easy to learn and use, then Svelte is a good choice.

4.5. Code Maintainability

Svelte and React are both considered to be good choices for maintainable code. However, Svelte is generally considered to be easier to maintain than React. This framework uses Vanilla JavaScript syntax, which can make it easier to read and maintain. Its code is also smaller than React code, which can make it easier to understand and troubleshoot. React uses JSX, which can make code more complex and difficult to read. React code is also larger than Svelte code, which can make it more difficult to find and fix bugs.

Svelte is also more modular than React. This means that its code is divided into smaller, independent components, which can make it easier to maintain and update.

The React platform has itself organised coding patterns and components that make it easy to learn code, which will help increase code maintainability. The components of Svelte have a readable structure that helps define different app components. Different features of web apps will work together easily with this framework, also helping the developers maintain the code. 

Read more: Lean Software Development: Principles, Benefits, and Implementation in 2025

5. Choosing the right framework for your business

Choosing a better framework is challenging; both are practical and efficient tools for creating great UI. Considering your scenarios and preferences to choose one between them.

• The size and complexity of your project: If you are building a small project, then Svelte is a good choice. If you are building a large or complex project, then React may be a better choice.
• The type of your app: React’s versatility is suitable for developing cross-platform applications using frameworks like React Native, while Svelte’s small bundle size and efficient code execution make it ideal for building PWAs (Progressive Web Applications).
• Project size: React has a component-based architecture and virtual DOM, making it well-suited for developing large-scale applications with complex UI. Whereas, Svelte’s compilation feature can be appropriate for building lightweight applications that prioritise speed and efficiency.
• Your budget: Some libraries and tools are free, while others require a paid subscription. If you are on a budget, then Svelte may be a better choice.
• Your team’s experience: If your team is already familiar with React, then it may be easier to use React.
• Your personal preferences: The best framework for you will depend on your personal preferences. If you prefer a simpler and more concise syntax, then Svelte is a good choice. If you need a framework with a large ecosystem of libraries and tools, then React is a good choice.
• Your timeline: If you need to get your project up and running quickly, then Svelte may be a better choice. React can be more complex to learn and use, so it may take longer to get started.

Ultimately, the best framework for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. If you are looking for a framework that is fast, simple, and easy to learn, then Svelte is a good choice. If you are looking for a framework that is flexible, extensible, and has a large community, then React is a good choice.

Conclusion

To sum up, there is no doubt that the debate about Svelte and React will continue to happen as Svelte becomes more and more popular. Both frameworks have their strengths and weaknesses, so the best choice for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. The best way to choose the right framework is to try both of them and see which one you prefer. Be sure of your options before opting for a framework.

Whether you’re building with React, Svelte, or exploring other frontend frameworks, choosing the right technology is only one part of the journey. What truly drives success is having an experienced development team that understands how to turn ideas into scalable, maintainable, and high-performing software.

At AgileTech Vietnam, we specialize in end-to-end software development from product design and prototyping to full-cycle web and mobile app development. Our engineers stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices, including modern frontend frameworks like React, Svelte, Vue, and more.

With nearly a decade of experience and a proven record of delivering software solutions for startups, SMEs, and enterprises across the globe, we are here to help you build robust, future-ready digital products.