Tech Comparison

React vs Vue.js vs Angular - Frontend Framework Comparison 2025

Overview

In 2025's frontend development landscape, React, Vue.js, and Angular remain the primary choices. Each framework has evolved uniquely, with React 19's Server Components, Vue 3.5's enhanced reactivity system, and Angular 20's Signals API offering innovative features. This article provides a detailed comparison of the latest updates, performance metrics, ecosystems, and developer experience to guide optimal framework selection for your projects.

Details

Latest Version Features in 2025

React 19.1 (March 2025)

• React Server Components (RSC) - New paradigm for server-side rendering
• Actions API - Simplified async state updates
• New Hooks - useActionState, useOptimistic, use API
• React Compiler - Automatic performance optimization
• Document Metadata - Automatic metadata management
• Resource Preloading APIs - preinit, preload, prefetchDNS

Vue 3.5 (September 2024)

• Reactivity Optimization - Version counting and doubly-linked list tracking
• New APIs - onEffectCleanup, getCurrentWatcher
• SSR Enhancement - Lazy hydration strategies and useId() support
• Custom Elements Extension - useHost(), useShadowRoot()
• Watch Options Extension - deep, pause, resume features

Angular 20 (May 2025)

• Signals API Stable - signal, effect, linkedSignal
• Zoneless Change Detection - Developer Preview
• Template HMR - Hot Module Reload stable
• Vitest Integration - Experimental support
• Incremental Hydration - SSR optimization

Performance Comparison

Benchmark Results (2025)

1. Initial Load Time

   • Vue.js: Fastest (31KB gzip)
   • React: Medium (32.5KB gzip)
   • Angular: Largest (due to comprehensive toolset)

2. Runtime Performance

   • Vue.js: Fastest with Proxy-based reactivity
   • React: Excellent UX with Concurrent Rendering
   • Angular: Significantly improved with Signals

3. Memory Usage

   • Vue.js: Most efficient
   • React: Moderate
   • Angular: Slightly higher (full framework)

Market Share and Adoption

2025 Statistics

• React: 34+ million live sites (dominant share)
• Vue: 3.7 million sites (particularly popular in Asia)
• Angular: 96,000 sites (enterprise-focused)

Job Market (US, 2025)

• React: 52,103 jobs (most but down from 2024)
• Angular: 23,070 jobs (stable demand)
• Vue: 2,031 jobs (significant decrease but high developer satisfaction)

Developer Experience (DX) Comparison

Learning Curve

1. Vue.js - Easiest, excellent documentation, beginner-friendly design
2. React - Moderate, requires understanding JSX and ecosystem
3. Angular - Steepest, requires mastering TypeScript and entire framework

TypeScript Support

• Angular: Native TypeScript, 100% type-safe
• Vue: Greatly improved in Vue 3, excellent type inference
• React: Good but some libraries need type definitions

Development Tools

• React: Create React App, Next.js, Remix, Vite
• Vue: Vite (officially recommended), Nuxt 3, Vue DevTools
• Angular: Angular CLI, comprehensive development environment

Pros and Cons

React

Pros

• Largest ecosystem and community
• High flexibility, supports various architectures
• Mobile development with React Native
• Rich job market
• Continuous investment by Meta (Facebook)

Cons

• Somewhat steep learning curve
• Ecosystem fragmentation (too many choices)
• Developer fatigue from frequent changes
• Library not framework (requires additional choices)

Vue.js

Pros

• Easiest to learn
• Excellent documentation and guides
• Progressive adoption possible
• Lightweight and fast
• Template-based and intuitive

Cons

• Relatively less enterprise adoption
• Smaller job market
• Fewer large-scale project examples
• Community-driven (limited corporate backing)

Angular

Pros

• Comprehensive framework (all-inclusive)
• Enterprise-grade features
• Excellent TypeScript support
• Long-term support by Google
• Structured for large teams

Cons

• Steepest learning curve
• Complex initial setup
• Large bundle size
• Overkill for small projects
• Relatively slower development speed

References

• React Official Documentation
• Vue.js Official Documentation
• Angular Official Documentation
• State of JS 2024
• Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024
• GitHub Octoverse 2024

Code Examples

Hello World Component

React

// App.jsx
import React from 'react';

function App() {
  const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Hello React!</h1>
      <p>Count: {count}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
        Increment
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Vue.js

<!-- App.vue -->
<template>
  <div>
    <h1>Hello Vue!</h1>
    <p>Count: {{ count }}</p>
    <button @click="increment">
      Increment
    </button>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue';

const count = ref(0);
const increment = () => {
  count.value++;
};
</script>

Angular

// app.component.ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-root',
  template: `
    <div>
      <h1>Hello Angular!</h1>
      <p>Count: {{ count }}</p>
      <button (click)="increment()">
        Increment
      </button>
    </div>
  `
})
export class AppComponent {
  count = 0;

  increment() {
    this.count++;
  }
}

Async Data Fetching

React (Actions API)

// React 19's new Actions API
import { useActionState } from 'react';

function UserProfile() {
  const [user, submitAction, isPending] = useActionState(
    async (previousState, formData) => {
      const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${formData.get('userId')}`);
      return response.json();
    },
    null
  );

  return (
    <form action={submitAction}>
      <input name="userId" />
      <button type="submit" disabled={isPending}>
        {isPending ? 'Loading...' : 'Load User'}
      </button>
      {user && <div>{user.name}</div>}
    </form>
  );
}

Vue.js (Composition API)

<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue';

const user = ref(null);
const loading = ref(false);

async function loadUser(userId) {
  loading.value = true;
  try {
    const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`);
    user.value = await response.json();
  } finally {
    loading.value = false;
  }
}
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <input v-model="userId" />
    <button @click="loadUser(userId)" :disabled="loading">
      {{ loading ? 'Loading...' : 'Load User' }}
    </button>
    <div v-if="user">{{ user.name }}</div>
  </div>
</template>

Angular (Signals)

// Angular 20's Signals API
import { Component, signal, effect } from '@angular/core';
import { HttpClient } from '@angular/common/http';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-user',
  template: `
    <input [(ngModel)]="userId" />
    <button (click)="loadUser()" [disabled]="loading()">
      {{ loading() ? 'Loading...' : 'Load User' }}
    </button>
    <div *ngIf="user()">{{ user().name }}</div>
  `
})
export class UserComponent {
  userId = '';
  user = signal(null);
  loading = signal(false);

  constructor(private http: HttpClient) {}

  async loadUser() {
    this.loading.set(true);
    try {
      const user = await this.http.get(`/api/users/${this.userId}`).toPromise();
      this.user.set(user);
    } finally {
      this.loading.set(false);
    }
  }
}

Component Communication

React (Context API)

// ThemeContext.js
import React from 'react';

const ThemeContext = React.createContext();

export function ThemeProvider({ children }) {
  const [theme, setTheme] = React.useState('light');

  return (
    <ThemeContext.Provider value={{ theme, setTheme }}>
      {children}
    </ThemeContext.Provider>
  );
}

export function useTheme() {
  return React.useContext(ThemeContext);
}

// Usage example
function ThemedButton() {
  const { theme, setTheme } = useTheme();
  
  return (
    <button 
      style={{ 
        background: theme === 'dark' ? '#333' : '#fff',
        color: theme === 'dark' ? '#fff' : '#333'
      }}
      onClick={() => setTheme(theme === 'dark' ? 'light' : 'dark')}
    >
      Toggle Theme
    </button>
  );
}

Vue.js (Provide/Inject)

<!-- ThemeProvider.vue -->
<script setup>
import { provide, ref } from 'vue';

const theme = ref('light');
const toggleTheme = () => {
  theme.value = theme.value === 'dark' ? 'light' : 'dark';
};

provide('theme', {
  theme,
  toggleTheme
});
</script>

<!-- ThemedButton.vue -->
<script setup>
import { inject } from 'vue';

const { theme, toggleTheme } = inject('theme');
</script>

<template>
  <button 
    :style="{
      background: theme === 'dark' ? '#333' : '#fff',
      color: theme === 'dark' ? '#fff' : '#333'
    }"
    @click="toggleTheme"
  >
    Toggle Theme
  </button>
</template>

Angular (Service)

// theme.service.ts
import { Injectable, signal } from '@angular/core';

@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class ThemeService {
  theme = signal('light');

  toggleTheme() {
    this.theme.update(t => t === 'dark' ? 'light' : 'dark');
  }
}

// themed-button.component.ts
@Component({
  selector: 'app-themed-button',
  template: `
    <button 
      [style.background]="theme() === 'dark' ? '#333' : '#fff'"
      [style.color]="theme() === 'dark' ? '#fff' : '#333'"
      (click)="toggleTheme()"
    >
      Toggle Theme
    </button>
  `
})
export class ThemedButtonComponent {
  theme = this.themeService.theme;

  constructor(private themeService: ThemeService) {}

  toggleTheme() {
    this.themeService.toggleTheme();
  }
}