$mol wins 4 of 6 categories, React 2, none tiedEdge cases join the count once you run the live tests below. They are measured in your browser, not stored here.
Edge cases
Not run yetFour everyday situations running side by side in your browser. Press Run on a case and read what happens; nothing here is recorded in advance.Stale response overwrites fresh oneClick through a list faster than the server answers.RunWaiting for all three frames to finish loading.$mol○Not run yetThe panel value is computed from the selected id, so a response for an earlier id is never assigned. Nothing is written by hand here.React○Not run yetThe effect calls setState with whatever the request returns, with no cancellation. Ignoring a response that is no longer current takes a cancel flag or an AbortController inside the effect.Show the code10,000 rows of irregular heightScroll a long list where every row has a different height.RunWaiting for all three frames to finish loading.$mol○Not run yetThe list keeps only the rows inside the viewport in the DOM and measures their heights as it scrolls. Nothing is written by hand here.React○Not run yetEvery row is rendered by a plain .map() over the data. Rendering only the rows on screen takes a virtualization library and a way to measure each row, since the heights differ.Show the codeSubscriptions after 100 mount cyclesMount and unmount a subscribed component a hundred times.RunWaiting for all three frames to finish loading.$mol○Not run yetThe subscription belongs to the component's own reactive cell and is released together with the component. Nothing is written by hand here.React○Not run yetThe effect subscribes and returns nothing. Releasing the subscription takes a cleanup function returned from every effect that subscribes.Show the codeOne broken item takes down the treePut malformed data into one card out of twenty.RunWaiting for all three frames to finish loading.$mol○Not run yetA view that throws renders the error message in its own place and the rest of the tree keeps rendering. Nothing is written by hand here.React○Not run yetWith no ErrorBoundary above it, a throw during render takes the whole tree down. Keeping the rest of the list on screen takes an ErrorBoundary component around every part that may throw.Show the code
Code
$mol 4 of 5, React 1 of 5 · $mol aheadHow much there is to read, and how much of it belongs to somebody else.$molReactLines of code (TodoMVC)194312$mol is 38% below ReactFewer lines to read when someone else picks the project up. Counts the code you write and maintain yourself, not a stylesheet you installed from npm.Official TodoMVC implementation from github.com/tastejs/todomvc, plus the $mol one from the todomvc-compare repository. Every line of every source file under `src/`, tests, build config and the HTML shell excluded. Styles are excluded for every framework, because TodoMVC renders one fixed layout and its CSS is the same work regardless of framework: the tastejs examples install that stylesheet as the `todomvc-app-css` package and keep a small override sheet, while the $mol implementation writes its own. Counting styles would compare that packaging choice rather than the frameworks. The counting rule is the one published in todomvc-compare and reproduces its $mol figure to the line.$molgithub.com/…/mol2026-08-13Reactgithub.com/…/react2026-08-13npm packages shipped03$mol has none, React has 3How many npm packages end up inside the bundle the browser downloads. This is code your users execute, not code your build machine reads.Distinct `node_modules/<package>` paths in the `sources` of the production build sourcemaps. Scaffolded on 2026-08-13 with each framework's own getting-started command: react `npm create vite@latest app -- --template react-ts`; vue `npm create vue@latest app -- --default`; svelte `npx sv create app --template minimal --types ts --no-add-ons --install npm`; solid `npm create solid@latest app -- --vanilla --ts --template basic`; angular `npx @angular/cli@21 new app --defaults --skip-git --package-manager=npm`; $mol `git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hyoo-ru/mam.git app && npm install`. For $mol, the sourcemap of the deployed todomvc.hyoo.ru bundle.$moltodomvc.hyoo.ru/web.js.map2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/build-a-react-app-from-scratch2026-08-13Dev dependencies declared39$mol is 67% below ReactPackages the starter project names in its own package.json. Build-time tooling included: this is the list your development environment inherits, not what reaches the browser.Entries in `dependencies` plus `devDependencies` of a fresh starter project. Scaffolded on 2026-08-13 with each framework's own getting-started command: react `npm create vite@latest app -- --template react-ts`; vue `npm create vue@latest app -- --default`; svelte `npx sv create app --template minimal --types ts --no-add-ons --install npm`; solid `npm create solid@latest app -- --vanilla --ts --template basic`; angular `npx @angular/cli@21 new app --defaults --skip-git --package-manager=npm`; $mol `git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hyoo-ru/mam.git app && npm install`.$molgithub.com/hyoo-ru/mam2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/build-a-react-app-from-scratch2026-08-13Dev packages installed13335React is 74% below $molHow many separate packages npm resolves into node_modules on a clean checkout. Each one is an author your build trusts, and every CI run downloads all of them.Distinct name+version pairs in `npm ls --all` after scaffolding and installing the starter project. Scaffolded on 2026-08-13 with each framework's own getting-started command: react `npm create vite@latest app -- --template react-ts`; vue `npm create vue@latest app -- --default`; svelte `npx sv create app --template minimal --types ts --no-add-ons --install npm`; solid `npm create solid@latest app -- --vanilla --ts --template basic`; angular `npx @angular/cli@21 new app --defaults --skip-git --package-manager=npm`; $mol `git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hyoo-ru/mam.git app && npm install`.$molgithub.com/hyoo-ru/mam2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/build-a-react-app-from-scratch2026-08-13node_modules size62 MB80.9 MB$mol is 23% below ReactDisk footprint of a fresh checkout. None of it ships to the browser, but all of it is downloaded by every CI run and every new machine on the team.`du -sk node_modules` after scaffolding and installing the starter project. Scaffolded on 2026-08-13 with each framework's own getting-started command: react `npm create vite@latest app -- --template react-ts`; vue `npm create vue@latest app -- --default`; svelte `npx sv create app --template minimal --types ts --no-add-ons --install npm`; solid `npm create solid@latest app -- --vanilla --ts --template basic`; angular `npx @angular/cli@21 new app --defaults --skip-git --package-manager=npm`; $mol `git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hyoo-ru/mam.git app && npm install`.$molgithub.com/hyoo-ru/mam2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/build-a-react-app-from-scratch2026-08-13
Weight and loading
$mol 2 of 2, React 0 of 2 · $mol aheadWhat the browser downloads, and how long it waits before the page reacts.$molReactTodoMVC bundle, gzip36 KB75.7 KB$mol is 52% below ReactWhat the browser actually downloads for a small but complete application, compressed the way a server would send it.Every JavaScript and CSS asset referenced by the production `index.html`, gzipped at level 9 and summed. Unlike the line count, styling is included everywhere and is comparable: the shared `todomvc-app-css` is compiled into each tastejs example’s shipped CSS, and $mol compiles its styles into the JavaScript bundle, leaving its `web.css` a 38-byte comment. The `base.js` page furniture from `todomvc-common` is excluded everywhere, including its Angular equivalent. Built artifacts come from the tastejs repository; the $mol bundle from the deployed todomvc.hyoo.ru.$moltodomvc.hyoo.ru2026-08-13Reactgithub.com/…/react2026-08-13Startup transfer128 KB274 KB$mol is 53% below ReactBytes pulled over the network before the benchmark application is usable. Same application in every column, so the difference is the framework.Lighthouse total byte weight for the js-framework-benchmark application, reported as benchmark 34_startup-totalbytes. Transfer size, not gzip specifically.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05
Speed
$mol 5 of 7, React 2 of 7 · $mol aheadHow long changes take to reach the screen, and how much memory is held while they do.$molReactCreate 1,000 rows55.1 ms224 ms$mol is 75% below ReactTime to put a thousand fresh rows on the screen. This is the wait after hitting a filter or opening a list.js-framework-benchmark 01_run1k, arithmetic mean of 10 runs.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Partial update316 ms1,263 ms$mol is 75% below ReactTouching every tenth row of a thousand, sixteen times. This is where a framework either finds the changed rows or re-checks everything.js-framework-benchmark 03_update10th1k_x16, arithmetic mean of 10 runs.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Swap two rows46.3 ms1,505 ms$mol is 97% below ReactTwo rows trade places out of a thousand. The ideal answer is two DOM moves, and the gap here shows who gets close to it.js-framework-benchmark 05_swap1k, arithmetic mean of 10 runs.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Remove one row26.9 ms37.2 ms$mol is 28% below ReactDeleting a single row out of a thousand. The smallest possible change, so it measures the fixed cost of reacting at all.js-framework-benchmark 06_remove-one-1k, arithmetic mean of 10 runs.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Memory after load1.54 MB1.44 MBReact is 6.5% below $molHeap the framework occupies with nothing on the page yet.js-framework-benchmark 21_ready-memory, single run.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Memory with 1,000 rows1.94 MB4.24 MB$mol is 54% below ReactHeap once a thousand rows are on screen. On a phone this is the difference between staying alive in the background and being killed.js-framework-benchmark 22_run-memory, single run.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Startup blocking time244 ms102 msReact is 58% below $molHow long the main thread is busy during startup, so taps and scrolls do nothing.js-framework-benchmark 32_startup-bt (Lighthouse total blocking time), arithmetic mean of 4 runs.$molnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05Reactnin-jin.github.io/…/table.html2022-02-05
Built in
$mol 6 of 10, React 1 of 10 · $mol aheadWhether the framework ships it, or you reach for a library.$molReactRouterYesNo$mol yes, React noWhether URLs and navigation come from the framework project itself, or you go pick a library and own that choice forever.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project publishes and documents a routing solution of its own. No when its own docs send you to a third-party project instead.$molgithub.com/…/arg2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/creating-a-react-app2026-08-13LocalizationYesNo$mol yes, React noTranslating an application is rarely planned at the start and always arrives later.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project publishes and documents localization of its own. An official CLI add-on that wires up somebody else’s i18n library is a no, because the library is still somebody else’s.$molgithub.com/…/locale2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/reference/react2026-08-14ThemingYesNo$mol yes, React noDark mode and brand colours without inventing your own CSS variable convention.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project publishes and documents a theming mechanism of its own. No when the word does not appear in its official API reference, which is the page linked, so the absence can be checked directly.$molgithub.com/…/lights2026-08-14Reactreact.dev/reference/react2026-08-13List virtualizationYesNo$mol yes, React noLong lists stay smooth because off-screen rows are never rendered. Without it, someone eventually bolts a library onto a list that already shipped.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project publishes and documents lazy or virtual rendering of long lists. No when no such component appears in its API reference.$molgithub.com/…/list2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/reference/react2026-08-14Offline supportYesNo$mol yes, React noA service worker set up by the framework rather than copied from a blog post.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project ships the service worker integration: a module it builds and registers for you. No when the docs only show where to drop your own sw.js and how to register it with the browser API, because that is the browser’s feature rather than the framework’s.$molgithub.com/…/offline2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/reference/react2026-08-14Server renderingNoYesReact yes, $mol noRendering to HTML on the server, for search engines and for the first paint.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project publishes and documents a server rendering API of its own. No when its published module list contains no such module.$molgithub.com/hyoo-ru/mam_mol2026-08-14Reactreact.dev/…/server2026-08-13Tests without a DOMYesNo$mol yes, React noComponents testable as plain objects, with no browser and no jsdom to boot up first.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when a component can be instantiated and asserted on with no document in play — the test never reaches for one. No when a DOM has to exist before a component can render at all, which is what every official testing guide here prescribes when it tells you to install jsdom, happy-dom or a browser. The question is whether a DOM is required, not whether the runtime happens to have one available: a runtime that provides a document nobody asks for does not make the test a DOM test.$molgithub.com/…/pair.test.ts2026-08-14Reactreact.dev/warnings/react-test-renderer2026-08-13Dependency injectionYesYesBoth have itSwapping a real service for a fake one in a test without touching the component that uses it.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project documents a way to hand a component a value from outside it and replace that value later, in a test or in another host. Context APIs count: the bar is a documented mechanism, not a particular shape of container.$molgithub.com/…/ambient2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/passing-data-deeply-with-context2026-08-14FormsYesYesBoth have itValidation, dirty state and submission handled by the framework instead of a fourth form library per team.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when that project documents a form API that goes past binding one input to one variable, covering at least submission handling or validation state. Two-way binding on its own is a no.$molgithub.com/…/form2026-08-14Reactreact.dev/…/form2026-08-14Typed templatesYesYesBoth have itA typo in a template is caught by the compiler, not by a user.Built in means the framework project ships it itself: its own package, or one the same team maintains and publishes as official. A library from anyone else counts as no, however popular or de-facto standard it has become, which is why routing is a yes for Angular and a no for React. The same cut is applied to all six frameworks, and every value links to the official page it was read from. Yes when the framework’s official TypeScript documentation covers type checking of its template or view layer.$molgithub.com/…/view2026-08-14Reactreact.dev/learn/typescript2026-08-13
Ecosystem and market
$mol 0 of 4, React 4 of 4 · React aheadHow easy it is to hire for it, to search for it, and to find a ready-made part.$molReactGitHub stars743247,218React is 332.7× $molA popularity signal, and nothing more. It says how many people bookmarked the repository, not how many shipped with it.`stargazers_count` from the GitHub API for the repository that holds the framework's current source.$molgithub.com/hyoo-ru/mam_mol2026-08-13Reactgithub.com/react/react2026-08-13npm downloads3,327 per week163,083,190 per weekReact is 49018.1× $molThe closest thing to a usage count. Inflated by CI runs, but inflated the same way for everyone.npm registry downloads for the last full week, for the package you install to use the framework.$molapi.npmjs.org/…/mam2026-08-13Reactapi.npmjs.org/…/react2026-08-13Stack Overflow questions0473,925$mol has none, React has 473,925How likely it is that your problem was already asked and answered by someone else.Question count of the framework's Stack Overflow tag, via the Stack Exchange API.$molapi.stackexchange.com/2.3/tags2026-08-13Reactstackoverflow.com/…/reactjs2026-08-13npm maintainers12React is 2× $molHow many people can publish a release. A low number is a bus factor.Length of the `maintainers` array in the npm registry metadata of the framework's primary package.$molregistry.npmjs.org/mam2026-08-13Reactregistry.npmjs.org/react2026-08-13
Cost of ownership
$mol 0 of 2, React 1 of 2 · React aheadWhat the dependency tree and the release history ask for over the years.$molReactAdvisories in shipped packages00Both report the same valueKnown vulnerabilities in the packages that reach the browser. These execute on your users’ machines, which makes them a different class of risk from anything in the build toolchain.Each shipped package, at its installed version, queried against the OSV database. Counts packages carrying at least one advisory.$moltodomvc.hyoo.ru/web.js.map2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/build-a-react-app-from-scratch2026-08-13Advisories in the dev tree30React has none, $mol has 3Known vulnerabilities in the packages a fresh checkout installs. These run on developer and CI machines rather than in the browser, but somebody still has to triage every one.Total reported by `npm audit` on the starter project, straight after scaffolding it. Scaffolded on 2026-08-13 with each framework's own getting-started command: react `npm create vite@latest app -- --template react-ts`; vue `npm create vue@latest app -- --default`; svelte `npx sv create app --template minimal --types ts --no-add-ons --install npm`; solid `npm create solid@latest app -- --vanilla --ts --template basic`; angular `npx @angular/cli@21 new app --defaults --skip-git --package-manager=npm`; $mol `git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hyoo-ru/mam.git app && npm install`.$molgithub.com/hyoo-ru/mam2026-08-13Reactreact.dev/learn/build-a-react-app-from-scratch2026-08-13Breaking releases in 3 years——Not counted: no data for $molMajor versions shipped since 2023. Every one of them is a migration someone on the team pays for.
How this is measured
Every value here comes from a measurement or from an outside source, and carries the link and the date it was taken with it. A metric counts towards a category only when both frameworks report it: otherwise the one with the fuller table would win on how complete its data is rather than on what the numbers say. Where nobody has measured yet, the row says so instead of guessing.Methodology and sources on GitHub
Suggest a framework
Missing one? Name it and open an issue. Adding a framework means a data file with its measurements, and, for the live tests, a runner page — both live in the repository next to the ones already here.Open an issueType to search the documentation.
