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Comparison guide

@emotion/react vs React vs Styled-components

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

React

2.8 KB gzipped

Most Popular

React

134.4M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

@emotion/react

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

@emotion/react

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

React

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

@emotion/react icon

@emotion/react

Extremely Popular

Version 11.14.0

0
85
Excellent

> Simple styling in React.

Weekly Downloads
18.3M
16%
Bundle (gzip)
7.9 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
react icon

react

Extremely Popular

Version 19.2.7

0
85
Excellent

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

Weekly Downloads
134.4M
5%
Bundle (gzip)
2.8 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
styled-components icon

styled-components

Extremely Popular

Version 6.4.2

0
85
Excellent

Fast, expressive styling for React.

Weekly Downloads
10.8M
2%Stable
Bundle (gzip)
12.6 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between @emotion/react and React and Styled-components? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

React leads with 134.4M weekly downloads — roughly 7.3x more. @emotion/react has 18.3M weekly downloads. Styled-components has 10.8M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

React has the smallest gzipped bundle at 2.8 KB. @emotion/react comes in at 7.9 KB. Styled-components comes in at 12.6 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

@emotion/react has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. React has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Styled-components has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose @emotion/react if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose React if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Styled-components if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both @emotion/react and React and Styled-components are solid choices for JavaScript development. @emotion/react has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is @emotion/react better than react?
It depends on your needs. @emotion/react has a health score of 85/100 while React scores 85/100. React has more weekly downloads (134.4M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, @emotion/react or react?
React has the smaller gzipped bundle at 2.8 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use @emotion/react vs react?
Based on npm download statistics, @emotion/react has approximately 18.3M weekly downloads and React has approximately 134.4M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, @emotion/react or react?
@emotion/react currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. @emotion/react has a maintenance score of 100/100 and React scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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