Frontend Frameworks Comparison 2025

Written by Manoj Satishkumar

Choosing the right frontend framework in 2025 can be overwhelming. This comprehensive guide compares React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, AMP, and Preact to help you make an informed decision.

#React #Vue #Svelte #Solid #AMP #Preact #JavaScript

📊 Framework Overview

Framework Created By First Release Latest Version GitHub Stars Primary Use Case
React Meta (Facebook) 2013 18.2.0 220k+ Large-scale applications
Vue Evan You 2014 3.4.0 210k+ Progressive enhancement
Svelte Rich Harris 2016 4.2.0 75k+ Performance-critical apps
Solid Ryan Carniato 2018 1.8.0 30k+ Fine-grained reactivity
AMP Google 2015 2.0 15k+ Mobile-first content
Preact Jason Miller 2015 10.19.0 35k+ Lightweight React alternative

⚛️ React: The Industry Standard

React remains the most popular frontend framework in 2025, known for its:

  • Virtual DOM for efficient updates
  • Rich ecosystem and community
  • Component-based architecture
  • Strong TypeScript support
  • Server Components for improved performance
  • Extensive third-party library support
  • Strong enterprise adoption

Key Features:

  • Hooks: Functional components with state and lifecycle
  • Context API: Global state management without external libraries
  • Suspense: Better handling of async operations
  • Concurrent Mode: Improved rendering performance
  • Server Components: Reduced client-side JavaScript

Example: React Component

import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

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

  useEffect(() => {
    document.title = `Count: ${count}`;
  }, [count]);

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

When to Choose React:

  • Large-scale applications
  • Teams with React experience
  • Need for extensive third-party libraries
  • Enterprise applications

🖖 Vue: The Progressive Framework

Vue's gentle learning curve and flexibility make it a favorite for many developers:

  • Progressive framework
  • Single File Components
  • Reactive data system
  • Detailed documentation
  • Built-in state management
  • Excellent TypeScript support
  • Strong community in Asia

Key Features:

  • Composition API: Better code organization and reuse
  • Reactivity System: Automatic dependency tracking
  • SFCs: HTML, CSS, and JS in one file
  • Directives: Special HTML attributes for DOM manipulation
  • Pinia: Modern state management solution

Example: Vue Component

<template>
  <div class="counter">
    <p>Count: {{ count }}</p>
    <button @click="increment">Increment</button>
  </div>
</template>

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

const count = ref(0);

watch(count, (newValue) => {
  document.title = `Count: ${newValue}`;
});

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

When to Choose Vue:

  • Small to medium-sized projects
  • Teams new to frontend frameworks
  • Need for quick prototyping
  • Progressive enhancement

⚡ Svelte: The Disappearing Framework

Svelte's unique approach compiles components to vanilla JavaScript:

  • No virtual DOM
  • Smaller bundle sizes
  • Less boilerplate code
  • Built-in animations
  • Reactive assignments
  • Scoped CSS by default
  • Excellent performance

Key Features:

  • Reactive Statements: Automatic updates with $: syntax
  • Stores: Simple state management
  • Actions: Reusable DOM event handlers
  • Transitions: Built-in animation system
  • SvelteKit: Full-stack framework

Example: Svelte Component

<script>
  let count = 0;
  
  $: document.title = `Count: ${count}`;
  
  function increment() {
    count += 1;
  }
</script>

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

When to Choose Svelte:

  • Performance-critical applications
  • Small to medium projects
  • Need for minimal bundle size
  • Interactive animations

💎 Solid: The Reactive Framework

Solid combines the best of React and Svelte:

  • Fine-grained reactivity
  • JSX syntax
  • No virtual DOM
  • Small bundle size
  • Predictable updates
  • Strong TypeScript support
  • Growing ecosystem

Key Features:

  • Signals: Reactive primitives
  • Effects: Side effect management
  • Memos: Computed values
  • Context: Dependency injection
  • SolidStart: Full-stack framework

Example: Solid Component

import { createSignal, createEffect } from 'solid-js';

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

  createEffect(() => {
    document.title = `Count: ${count()}`;
  });

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

When to Choose Solid:

  • High-performance applications
  • React-like syntax preference
  • Need for fine-grained reactivity
  • Small to medium projects

🚀 AMP: Google's Mobile-First Framework

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is Google's framework for creating fast-loading mobile web pages:

  • Lightning-fast page loads
  • Mobile-first approach
  • Built-in performance optimizations
  • SEO benefits
  • Strict HTML requirements
  • Limited JavaScript
  • Google Search integration

Key Features:

  • AMP HTML: Custom HTML elements for common patterns
  • AMP Cache: Google's CDN for instant loading
  • AMP Components: Pre-built UI elements
  • AMP Validator: Ensures compliance
  • AMP Stories: Visual storytelling format

Example: AMP Page

<!doctype html>
<html amp>
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <script async src="https://cdn.ampproject.org/v0.js"></script>
    <title>Hello AMP World</title>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1">
    <style amp-boilerplate>body{-webkit-animation:-amp-start 8s steps(1,end) 0s 1 normal both;-moz-animation:-amp-start 8s steps(1,end) 0s 1 normal both;-ms-animation:-amp-start 8s steps(1,end) 0s 1 normal both;animation:-amp-start 8s steps(1,end) 0s 1 normal both}@-webkit-keyframes -amp-start{from{visibility:hidden}to{visibility:visible}}@-moz-keyframes -amp-start{from{visibility:hidden}to{visibility:visible}}@-ms-keyframes -amp-start{from{visibility:hidden}to{visibility:visible}}@-o-keyframes -amp-start{from{visibility:hidden}to{visibility:visible}}@keyframes -amp-start{from{visibility:hidden}to{visibility:visible}}</style>
    <noscript><style amp-boilerplate>body{-webkit-animation:none;-moz-animation:none;-ms-animation:none;animation:none}</style></noscript>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Hello AMP World</h1>
    <amp-img src="https://example.com/image.jpg" width="600" height="400" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
  </body>
</html>

When to Choose AMP:

  • Content-heavy websites
  • News and media sites
  • E-commerce product pages
  • SEO-focused projects
  • Mobile-first experiences

⚡ Preact: The Lightweight React Alternative

Preact is a fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API:

  • React-compatible API
  • Tiny bundle size
  • Excellent performance
  • Easy migration from React
  • Strong TypeScript support
  • Active community
  • Browser extension support

Key Features:

  • Hooks: Same API as React
  • Preact Signals: Fast state management
  • Preact CLI: Zero-config tooling
  • Preact Router: Lightweight routing
  • Preact X: Modern features

Example: Preact Component

import { h, render } from 'preact';
import { useState } from 'preact/hooks';

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

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

render(<Counter />, document.body);

When to Choose Preact:

  • Performance-critical applications
  • Browser extensions
  • Progressive web apps
  • Projects with size constraints
  • React migration projects

🎯 Framework Selection Guide

Choose React if:

  • Building large-scale applications
  • Need extensive third-party libraries
  • Team has React experience
  • Enterprise support is important

Choose Vue if:

  • Starting a new project
  • Team is new to frameworks
  • Need quick prototyping
  • Want progressive enhancement

Choose Svelte if:

  • Performance is critical
  • Small bundle size is important
  • Want minimal boilerplate
  • Need built-in animations

Choose Solid if:

  • Want React-like syntax
  • Need fine-grained reactivity
  • Performance is important
  • Prefer smaller bundle size

Choose AMP if:

  • Building content-heavy websites
  • Need instant page loads
  • SEO is a priority
  • Targeting mobile users

Choose Preact if:

  • Need React features with smaller size
  • Building browser extensions
  • Performance is critical
  • Want easy React migration

🔮 Future Trends

The frontend landscape continues to evolve in 2025:

  • Server Components becoming mainstream
  • AI-powered development tools
  • WebAssembly integration
  • Improved build tools and bundlers
  • Better TypeScript support across frameworks

🎓 Learning Resources

💡 Final Thoughts

Choosing a frontend framework in 2025 depends on your specific needs:

  • For large teams and enterprise: React
  • For progressive enhancement: Vue
  • For performance and simplicity: Svelte
  • For fine-grained reactivity: Solid
  • For mobile-first content: AMP
  • For lightweight React alternative: Preact

Remember, the best framework is the one that helps you and your team build great products efficiently. Don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for your specific use case!

📊 Performance Comparison

Metric React Vue Svelte Solid AMP Preact
Bundle Size (min+gzip) ~45KB ~33KB ~1.6KB ~7KB ~0KB* ~3KB
First Contentful Paint Medium Fast Very Fast Very Fast Instant Very Fast
Memory Usage High Medium Low Low Minimal Low
Learning Curve Steep Gentle Easy Medium Easy Easy

* AMP uses Google's CDN, so the framework size is not included in your bundle