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Comparison guide
Htmx vs React
HTMX is 14 KB with zero build step. React is 47 KB+ before adding a router. Compare bundle size, npm downloads, learning curve, and use cases with real data.
react
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
Downloads unavailable · 3.0 KB gzip · Health 67/100
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Choosing between Htmx and React? 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
Weekly download data is unavailable for Htmx. Weekly download data is unavailable for React. Missing data is not zero downloads. We cannot compare download activity until all counts are available.
Bundle Size
Htmx has the smallest gzipped bundle at 1.3 KB. React comes in at 3.0 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Health Score Comparison
React has an overall health score of 67/100 (good), with strong maintenance, security scores. Htmx has an overall health score of 43/100 (moderate), with strong security scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics. Download data is incomplete; these composite scores include a fallback popularity input and should not determine an overall winner.
When to Choose Each
Choose Htmx if you value minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record. Choose React if you value minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record.
Our Verdict
Download data is incomplete for this comparison of Htmx and React. We are not selecting an overall winner from incomplete metrics. Compare the available bundle, maintenance, and quality information against your project's requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is htmx better than react?
- It depends on your needs. Htmx has a health score of 43/100 while React scores 67/100. Weekly download data is incomplete, so no popularity ranking is available. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
- Which has a smaller bundle size, htmx or react?
- Htmx has the smaller gzipped bundle at 1.3 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
- How many developers use htmx vs react?
- Weekly download data is incomplete, so no popularity ranking is available. Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
- Which is better maintained, htmx or react?
- React has a maintenance score of 100/100. Htmx scores 20/100 and React scores 100/100 on maintenance.
HTMX vs React: Hypermedia vs Virtual DOM in 2026
HTMX and React represent two fundamentally different philosophies for building interactive web applications. React pioneered the component-based, virtual DOM approach — you write JavaScript that describes your UI, React diffs it against the previous state, and surgically updates the real DOM. HTMX takes the opposite approach: keep your application logic on the server, use HTML attributes to declare what should happen on user interactions, and let the server return HTML fragments that get swapped into the page.
The bundle size difference is stark: HTMX is roughly 14 KB gzipped with zero build step, zero transpilation, and zero runtime dependencies. A typical React application — React + ReactDOM + a router + state management — easily exceeds 80 KB before you write a single line of application code. For content-heavy sites, marketing pages, and server-rendered applications where most logic lives on the backend, HTMX delivers interactivity at a fraction of the JavaScript cost. React's larger bundle pays for itself in complex, highly interactive applications — dashboards, real-time collaboration tools, or anything with extensive client-side state management.
The right choice depends on your application type and team. HTMX shines when paired with server frameworks like Django, Rails, Flask, or Go — you get SPA-like UX without abandoning server-rendered architecture. React is the better choice for applications that genuinely need rich client-side interactivity: drag-and-drop interfaces, real-time data visualization, complex form workflows, or offline-capable PWAs. Many experienced developers are now using HTMX for their server-rendered pages and reaching for React only when the interaction complexity genuinely demands a client-side framework.
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The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet
One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.