React Vs Angular: An In-depth Comparison Between Two Robust Frameworks in 2021

What should I choose, React or Angular? Both of these frameworks have a lot to offer but the question is how you get to know which one is the best for your upcoming project. 

You might be a programming newbie trying to get started with a trending JavaScript development platform, a freelance developer choosing the reliable framework to accomplish the task within time or an enterprise owner or planner figuring out the best strategy to develop the best solutions for clients. If you’re one of them, this article is for you describing everything about React and Angular. 

Where To Start Choosing The Best One? 

Before you start, you have to be focused on what to opt for and where to start to choose the best tool to develop a project. First, you need to ask yourself that the selected tool is good enough to proceed with or not. And most importantly, will it work well to accomplish your use cases? Besides, you can raise questions like:

• How robust is it and who’s behind the framework?
• What types of features does it have?
• What architecture, patterns and development paradigms does it employ?
• What’s the ecosystem around it?

The list can be extended with many more questions as per project requirements and personal understanding. The questions might also include “Is Angular better than React?” or “Which is better Angular or React?” The questions will help you assess the functionality of the right tool you have to work with. 

Being a front-end web developer, you may get puzzled between React or Angular, so to guide you with the right decision. We are going to discuss Reactjs vs Angular having data about all the features and applications that make them the best front-runner in the race of top Javascript frameworks/libraries. Also, you’ll be able to get an insight about “What is the difference between angular and react?”. 

Here is a short overview of React JS and Angular in the tabular form:

React Vs Angular: Full Comparison 

Let's get into the details of the Javascript library and frameworks and know “Is React better than AngularJS?”

What Is React JS and Why To Use It? 

React is a JavaScript library that was released at the beginning of 2013 and is now managed by one of the largest social media platforms, Facebook. Developers can proceed reactive programming with it to create dynamic user interface (UI) for mobile apps and websites.

Facebook itself uses several React components on many of its pages but not as a SPA (Single Page Application). It was even stated by Chris Cordle, a known software engineer, that 'Facebook uses React much more than Google uses Angular.'

You might want to know how does React work? React significant feature is the Virtual-DOM which results in one-way data binding. As React is more dependent on components, the homepage consists of small parts, which in turn blends to complete the view. 

Notable features of React: 

• Versatility: React JS can be embraced with much ease due to its short list of life cycle approaches, which is further easy to understand. Thanks to ES2015 and ES2016, the functional programming has become more mainstream and makes it effortless for the React JS to adhere to a user-friendly programming style. 
• JSX Benefits: Many of the developers still miss the HTML that’s not of Java anymore, and after considering this fact, JSX was introduced in React JS, which significantly eases the reasoning of a module. 
• Free and Open Source: Being a free and open-source software has its benefits and React JS is no different. Backed by Facebook, the React JS user get the chance to lay their hands on the complex codes developed by the top developers of the company. 
• ECMAScript: ECMAScript 6 and 7 is a major addition to the React JS library, as the top libraries are extensively utilizing its features. The developer only needs an ES transpiler, and he’s good to go for its stunning features. 
• ES7 Decorators: React JS is well complemented by the decorator's feature, which lets the developer enhance a function’s behavior by wrapping it in various other function.
• Flux Library: It’s a well-known fact that React JS is a library made of Java scripts and to compliment such an excellent library, there is a Flux, which allows the developers to manage data across apps.

Take a look what companies use React JS:

What Is AngularJS? 

AngularJS is also referred to as Angular 2, ng2, or even Angular 2+ and is an efficient tool that is based on TypeScript and was developed at the end of the year 2010 and is maintained by Google. The tech giant often describes it as a 'Superheroic JavaScript MVW Framework.'

Being one of the best frameworks of the modern day, AngularJS is deployed mostly for crafting Single Page apps that are again known as Progressive Web Application. Due to the immense support from Google and its developers’ community, the framework remains the top pick among the developers. 

In plain text, we can say that AngularJS does the same work what HTML does for the mobile apps, but AngularJS outshine HTML by creating new HTML constructs and lessen the impedance mismatch between the app and HTML. AngularJS directs the browser by the new syntax, which is commonly known as directives. 

Notable features of AngularJS: 

• RxJS: It is an exclusive Reactive library that enables the more flexible and customized handling of the operations. RxJS can be taken as the perfect blend of observer and iterator pattern along with the functional programming. With its help, you can treat anything as the continuous stream of values to perform distinctive operations like mapping, filtering and much more. 
• TypeScript: It’s an enhanced version of Javascript ES2015 that comes with more features inherited from the new language. The typing system in this language is robust, and it analyzes the codes with the help of various annotations and type inference. 
• MVC: AngularJS is built on the concept of MVC, which is Model-View-Controller and is used in all modern web apps. Basically, it splits the business logic layer, the presentation layer, and the data layer into different sections. It helps the developer to manage all the sections efficiently. 
• Data Model Binding: AngularJS binds the data to the HTML controls by adding a few snippets of code. It relieves the developers from writing special codes and thus saves time. 
• Less code For DOM Manipulation: In comparison to JavaScript, AngularJS requires very less amount of coding for DOM manipulation. 
• Unit Testing: While developing the Angular app development framework, the developers at Google also came out with a testing framework called "Karma." It was designed to aid the unit tests designing for AngularJS apps.

Take a look what companies use Angular JS:

React JS Advantages 

React JS framework was introduced about five years ago and considered as the oldest JS library for the new generation. It is built and maintained by Facebook. The social media giant uses React in its products like WhatsApp and Instagram social media channels. 

Most often people stand with a burgeoning question that Is react front-end or back-end? However, React isn't precisely an MVC framework, instead it is an open source library for viewing UI only. The UIs built with the help of React is highly responsive and loads immediately. 

Following are some React JS advantages: 

• User Experience: Due to the implementation of Virtual DOM, the app developers find it easier to manage changes made up by the users. It all culminates into a dynamic UI which further result in creating an exquisite user experience. 
• Saves Time: The developer can reuse the codes of the React at any point of time and being distant from one another, the alteration made in a particular code doesn’t affect the other set of codes. Due to it, the developer has the ease to manage the updates with efficiency. 
• Faster Development Speed: With the existing code, React JS allows the developer to apply hot reloading which results in the overall improvement of the app. 
• Quick Testing: React JS engages Redux that saves the developer from storing the component states and complex apps. It further leads to the addition of app state into a single object and allows the developer to access any component of the app without involving the child components. On the whole, the testing time is reduced considerably. 
• Code Stability: As already discussed that React JS uses downward data binding which doesn’t let the parent components to get affected by any change done on the child entities, so it makes the code more stable.  

AngularJS Advantages 

Angular is one of the widely used javascript frameworks that is supported by Google. It is the successor of Angular JS which was turned down by Google after it was found to have unnecessary complexity. Also, AngularJS uses a few use-cases that make it the best front-end framework to be used for web app development. 

So, the company took care of everything in the second version of Angular JS that is also used in Google Adwords and Google Fiber. It certainly clears how significant and essential Angular is for Google. Besides, Angular has some beneficial features like native app support; Angular supports testing for unit testing & integration testing, and much more. 

Following are some AngularJS advantages: 

• Two-Way Binding: With the data and presentation layer in sync by default, there is no need to write an additional JavaScript code to secure the data in the HTML code. The developer only needs to point out which control is bound for which part of the model.
• Easy Routing: Moving the components from one view to another is quite easy with the AngularJS. Being a single page app; the developer can move to different functionalities on the web-based app and still stay on the same page. 
• MVVM Advantage: Leaving the MVC implementation aside, AngularJS moves closer to the MVVM (Model-View-Model) architecture which in turn provides a robust app framework for layout and development. 
• Dependency Injection: AngularJS comes with an in-built dependency injection subsystem that cuts down the hassle of unit testing, as it quickly recognizes the requirements and offers the services accordingly

Current Trends About Angular and React 

We have gone through a recent study by Stack Overflow that Angular and React are the two best Frameworks that have been widely used by software developers in conjunction with the other programming languages. 

By going through the below stats, you’ll see how AngularJS gets so much compatible with C#, PHP and Java platforms whereas React JS is more admired by Node.js, Ruby On Rails and Python development professionals. 

Have a look at the graphical stats:

As React is on the top of the chart, here a question arises “Is React better than Angular?”. No! It’s nothing like if React is placed in the first position it will be the frameworks that won. Both are the best and have been tremendously considered by the developers using the above-mentioned programming languages. 

Job Demands For React And Angular 

Learning or working with the platform which doesn’t have any scope in the future doesn’t make sense. What’s important is to keep track of the languages and frameworks that are in big trends and ready to hit the market with their existence. 

Tough we are discussing the facts about Reactjs vs Angular both of these are on the same platform and well-known as the reliable JS frameworks. Being the top frameworks in the market, these are offering a variety of opportunities to the web and mobile app developers. Both of these platforms are the best and offer skilled developers with attractive salary packages. 

Look at the stats to have proof: 

React Vs Angular: Top Factors To Consider 

Angular is a complete JS framework embedded with enormous features compared to React, which is just a UI component library. It won't be fair to compare Angular with React and to take the fight on the common ground. All we could consider is that React is connected to the other libraries that are commonly used only with it. 

• Maturity 

Maturity is the scale to measure the popularity and success of any tool to date. So, before opting for a tool, you must know how long it has been on the market. A tool is said to be mature if it has been used many application developers and showed no signs of any problem. 

The maturity of any tool could be due to many factors like being unstable or having some bugs, maybe abandoned by the vendor, or perhaps not being backed up by a large community for support. 

• Type of Features 

The second most important thing you should look for is the kind of features the tool offers. You need to compare them with others. By doing this, you will know about the variety of tools you have in your hand. Further, you must inspect if those features are suitable according to the demands of your project or not. 

Technical Comparison: Angular vs React JS 

Here is the technical comparison of React and AngularJS concerning various components including MVC (Model View Controller), Templating, Data Binding, License, and Rendering. 

1. MVC (Model-View-Controller) 

Breaking the entire data of the project or application into the smaller and readable component, i.e., Model, View, and Controller helps the developers to write shorter codes for a better quality product. The MVC pattern allows the programmer to do quality work with the required assistance.

So, the MVC model along with the Model View Presenter and Model View-ViewModel is still preferred by the developers. Angular is entirely based on MVC architecture, however, React supports only the View part of the MVC pattern. 

2. Global Acceptance 

We already know that the industry’s top leaders are backing both Angular and React. Facebook uses React app development library for WhatsApp and Instagram, whereas Google has implemented React in several projects including Adwords UI with Angular & Dart. 

According to the Google Trends stats, React JS has clocked more searches than AngularJS. Interestingly, on the other hand, developers put up more interest in AngularJS due to the availability of ready-made solutions. 

3. Templating 

Templating is one the most important feature that no developer wants to miss while working on a web application. While using an effective framework, you can't afford to skip on the templating options. Angular offers many templating options using Typescript files and React uses JSX files for creating UI. 

React does not offer any division between the directives, the template logic, and templates. Also, the template logic should be written in the template itself. But in Angular, the user can make their directives that will be inserted into the templates later. The template in angular must have an element with the user's directive written as an attribute. 

4. Data Binding 

The data binding is one of the most essential steps for building a web app, as it establishes a relation between UI and the business logic of the app. To carry out the whole app’s process, it requires the data binding in frameworks. 

Angular uses the two-way data binding approach in which it connects the DOM to Model data using Controller. However, the bilateral approach hampers the performance as every binding has a watcher to spot the changes in DOM. 

On the other hand, React uses one-way data approach for the data binding. In it, the data flows only in one direction that makes the work easier. With the one way approach, it is easier for the developers to debug the process having large applications. 

5. Architecture 

Thanks to the component-based architecture, both AngularJS and React JS provides cohesive, reusable and modular components, which indeed saves time and efforts of the developer. But the main difference lies in the tech stack. React make use of JavaScript, a well-known programming language, whereas AngularJS uses Typescript, an ideal web development which is more compact and error-free. 

6. License 

The libraries and frameworks are divided into different categories using the license, where some of them are flexible and allows the developers to adjust according to the requirements. The flexible ones are known as the open-source products while others don't let to make the commercial apps or change the content. 

Both React and Angular are the open source frameworks, that means you can make the changes accordingly. Also, there is no restriction on commercial apps and usage. Angular comes under the MIT license and React falls under the 3-clause BSD. 

7. Rendering 

Rendering in Javascript is known as fetching data to make the app work efficiently. There are basically two ways of rendering in the frameworks; it is either client-side rendering or server-side rendering. The client-side rendering affects negatively to the app as it slows down the page loading. 

Now, both Angular and React has server-side rendering process. Another thing to note here is that the JS frameworks render the pages on the client side, which can badly influence the overall user experience, search engine optimization (SEO), and also the perceived performance. For the React framework, we have the next.js library whereas, for Angular, there is the Angular Universal library. 

8. Adaptability 

The developers are often on the lookout for better flexibility while developing an app. If we consider React JS, it offers more freedom to the developer to pick the libraries, tools, and architectures. With an expert team, you can get build a highly-customized app. 

For AngularJS, the flexibility in choosing the required tools are a little less. For instance, Angular 7, one of the best versions of Angular IO allows the developer to deploy Angular components in other frameworks and employ codes in only HTML based apps. 

9. Feature Update 

React JS enable seamless transitions between two versions. However, the front-end development library is more dependent on the external libraries which makes it easier for the developer to update. But on the downside, with the third-party components, the developers have to check the compatibility as well, which can sometimes escalate the efforts. 

On the other hand, with an improved command-line interface, AngularJS incorporate commands like ng_update, which makes it easier to update the app with the latest angular version. 

10. Community Support 

Considering the popularity of GitHub, React has broader community support than Angular on GitHub. However, according to the StackOverflow Developer Survey 2018, the number of developers using AngularJS is higher than that of React JS. 

On common ground, both React JS and AngularJS enjoy almost the same community support.

Which Platform To Choose: Angular or React 

For the battle between Angular vs ReactJS, you need to consider all the parameters and project requirements while choosing the most suitable development framework. Once you select the most prominent tech stack for the project, you will be tempted to use it in all upcoming projects. 

However, you don't need to blindly follow the same approach every time, although keeping the consistency is good, but before every project, take your time and then decide. 

When To Engage With React JS? 

Consider these points of React JS when: 

• The developer has expertise in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. 
• Requires a customized specific app solution. 
• When variable like dynamic inputs, active/inactive navigation items, buttons enabled/disabled, etc. are involved in the development. 
• To share the components across multiple apps. 
• While working on the pre-development phase. 

When to Engage With AngularJS? 

Consider these points of AngularJS when: 

• The developer has expertise in Java, C# and earlier versions of Angular. 
• App complexity is up to the medium level. 
• Wish to have higher productivity and need ready-to-use solutions. 
• When t to regulate app size. 
• For a feature-rich app.

Bottom Line:

Let’s not end up the topic with a debatable Angular Vs React JS comparison rather, consider it an amazing detailed guide explaining each aspect related to React and Angular. 

To be honest, we can’t decide which one is the best framework, neither the articles posted across the web surrounding this debate can help you. Both React and Angular hold different positions and help the programmers in their way. It all depends upon you, what you exactly wish to extract from the platform. 

For any more query on the Angular vs React JS, you can drop your comment below, and we at ‘MobileAppDaily’ will assist you with the same.