React vs Angular – The Best Choice for Mobile App Development

Introduction

The trend of mobile app development has picked significant relevance in recent years with multiple platforms emerging with considerable potency. Although the market is filled with numerous viable choices, Angular vs React still appear as the most relied upon frameworks.

Several factors play a role in making them the best front end development frameworks, but you cannot integrate both of them subsequently. That is why the age-old question of React vs Angular, what is better arises.

Before delving into the extensive details, you should first get some standard knowledge on the subject. The given chart will help you assess their basic qualities:

While ReactJS is one of the best open-source libraries on the web, Angular leads the open-source frontend development market. Both carry the imprint of prestigious ventures with the former being developed by Facebook, whereas the latter developed by Google.

Both frameworks have garnered an unmatched stature on the web as numerous reputed firms utilize them. However, it still does not answer the question, which is better. So let us dive into more details about both of them:

Benefits of Using ReactJS

Enhanced UX

With the utilization of a Virtual DOM, React helps the developers to make any modifications without interrupting other app interfaces easily. This helps establish a dynamic UI alongside a scalable user experience.

Saves Time

As React facilitates the reuse of codes at different levels, a distinction is established in the infrastructure. This results in easy handling of the apps, eventually leading to a time-saving app development process.

Faster Development

React allows you to reuse any existing codes to speed up your development process. Using tried and tested codes facilitates speed while also keeping the efficiency maximum.

Quick Testing

The use of Redux throughout React cuts down the hassles of managing and storing large applications. So the developers are free to add apps within one object while empowering other apps’ states.

Stabilized Codes

React lets developers directly interact with every component and instil data binding downwards for the assurance of the parent component’s stability. This increases stabilization and facilitates future development, as well.

Benefits of Using Angular

Clean Coding

As Angular utilizes TypeScript language, it easily integrates JavaScript while simplifying the threat detection and elimination process. With this, developers can prepare bug-free and clean codes, ensuring premium quality.

Improved Efficiency

With a classified injection of dependency, Angular performs more efficiently than standard AngularJS. This results in higher productivity from every app delivered through Angular.

Material Designs

In Angular, you can get built-in material designs ranging from pop-ups, controls, data tables, and layouts. With this, you get the benefit of designing more of a digital product helpful in the future.

Improved Error Resolution

As Angular gets updated, its error fixing properties enhance as well. This helps the framework to identify and eradicate any error occurring in the process quickly.

Quick Update Integration

Angular Command Line Interface (CLI) is simple-to-use and install, newbie-friendly proposes innovation while keeping everything simple and compatible. All these qualities allow developers to implement updates without having to depend on any third-party.

React vs Angular : Which is a better Frontend Development Framework

Componentization

AngularJS is based on an intricately articulated structure mainly consisting of three layers named, Controller, View, and Model. This allows developers to divide the codes into distinct files facilitating reusability of templates and components for the app’s different aspects.

React utilizes a simpler approach with its functional programming, where the definition of components is more declarative.

As the React codes are easily readable and structured logically, they don’t require developers to build codes specifically.

Management State

States are used at several stages in an app development process. Components explain the app’s UI at every point, and when there is a data change, the UI components are re-rendered. The process ensures that the app data has been updated.

With Redux, React stands out as the winner here as Angular does not possess such technology.

Languages

React uses JavaScript ES6+ language which stays integrated with JSX script. As JSX is also a syntax extension, it resembles codes written within HTML.

On the other hand, Angular utilizes JavaScript or TypeScript. As these are more compact, they help Angular wins this round.

UI Components

With React’s UI tools developed by its main community, you get numerous options, both free and paid. Angular proposes in-built Material tech stack offering multiple material designs. This makes the UI integration and configuration simple.

Directives

Every template and logic within React is explained while templates in Angular are complex. This quality makes understanding Angular difficult for a newbie, so React takes this round.

Tools

React comprises tools like Atom, Visual Studio, and Sublime Text alongside CLI (Creative React App) to bootstrap any project. Similarly, Angular also utilizes different tools like Aptana, Visual Studio, and Sublime Text.

However, Angular is compatible to be tested via one tool, allowing the framework to win this round.

Popularity

Both the platforms have an unmatched reputation on the web, with Facebook and Google claiming to garner more popularity. However, there is no concrete evidence to establish which one is more popular, so the round is a tie.

Framework

Both React and Angular possess architectures bases on components, meaning they are reusable, modular, and cohesive. However, Angular utilizes TypeScipt development approach, which wins the round for Angular.

Learning Curve

Angular’s learning curve is steeper than React, offering several fixes to one problem with its sophisticated management structure. As its database is constantly updating, you need to keep up with numerous things at once.

Contrarily, React’s learning curve is simpler and newbie-friendly. With the framework facilitating simplicity, it becomes the primary choice for developers.

Speed and Productivity

As Angular possesses CLI, it is able to provide improved development experience. React third-party libraries majorly hinder’s development speed. Due to this, Angular wins the round with relative ease.

Flexibility

With React, you can choose your library, architecture, and tools for creating the app. Angular has a relatively restricted flexibility, stopping the framework from winning this round.

Document Object Model (DOM)

Angular utilizes Real DOM to get updates whenever a section is altered even a bit. On the other hand, React utilizes Virtual DOM that allows making modifications without altering any other section.

As Virtual excels in speed than Real, the round is won by React.

Data Binding

React makes use of one-way binding while Angular’s approach is two-way. Angular might appear simpler on the surface, but it is React that is more refined. Therefore, React takes this round as well.

App Performance

Both the frameworks possess best-in-class elements and features, with both standing their guard firmly. Since both of them trade equally, the round is deemed a tie.

Mobile Solutions

Angular proposes an Ionic framework along with an efficient UI and Cordova container. React’s library is native, making it compatible with codes in Kotlin, Java, and Objective C.

Testing

The testing of Angular can be done via one tool, but the case differs when it comes to React, which requires multiple tools. As the testing time is higher in React, Angular wins the round.

Update Ease

Once again, Angular’s CLI approach makes it easier to implement new updates. Although React’s approach is somewhat similar, it relies substantially on third-party’s libraries. Therefore, albeit both of them possess an akin approach, Angular wins the round.

Documentation

The concurring development process in Angular slows down its documentation process. This changes with React, as despite its regular updates, its previous insights still stay relevant.

Community Support

React’s community support is much wider on GitLab and GitHub. However, the developers working on the platform are close. Therefore, the round ends up being a tie.

Wrapping Up

Now that you have basic insight on the platforms alongside a base for comparison, it would become easy for you to choose between them. We have simplified the process more with our analysis, deeming that React should be used when:

1. You have proficiency in CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
2. You require a personalized app.
3. The components involved in the development process is high.
4. You expect the components to be shared through several apps.
5. When the pre-development process will take time.

On the other hand, you should choose Angular when:

1. You have proficiency in C#, Java, and older Angular versions.
2. If your apps are low-medium level complex.
3. You require high productivity with readymade solutions.
4. You want to use options like Bundle Budgets in CLI.
5. The app would be a huge-scale function-rich one.

Now, simply go through the points and decide which platform suits your need better.