Mobile application development has been garnering more interest from modern businesses that were previously solely available on the web or were not digitized at all.
The app development technology landscape is continuously flooded with arguments between experts and the developer community, and there doesn’t seem to be a right or a wrong answer. However, for a business that is just starting out with getting an app developed, this discussion can be very overwhelming.
Choosing the right framework for app development is a critical decision because changing it later can cause developmental delays as well as added costs. For businesses and technical decision-makers who are confused between two of the most popular app development frameworks, we’ve listed a comparison that can help make the right decision.
Overview of AngularJS and ReactJS
Both AngularJS and ReactJS are used by several Fortune 500 companies offering some of the most popular mobile apps in the market, including Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Netflix.
AngularJS is an open-source web development framework conceptualized by Google and is known for its strong foothold in creating single-page applications. It was originally developed in the year 2009.
ReactJS, on the other hand, was developed in 2013 by Facebook and the associated developer community.
Both AngularJS and ReactJS have evolved since their inception, and there’s a surge in popularity of both, of course, for different reasons.
Let us see when to choose which for your mobile app development.
Choose AngularJS for app development when:
You don’t want to install additional libraries
AngularJS is known to be self-sufficient and has the functionality of data binding, component-based routing, project generation, form validation, and dependency injection. Chances are, most of the libraries you need for your app development are already present in AngularJS. Hence, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of adding new libraries, AngularJS is the way to go.
You want an app smaller in size
Not all apps are made for similar use cases, and some apps need to be small in size to ensure ease of download. Essential apps such as maps or health apps for contact tracing, for example, need to be smaller in size for them to be accessible for all. ReactJS makes use of Redux- a special state management library that results in large app size and when compared to AngularJS, making the ReactJS apps bulky. If you want your app size to be small, AngularJS is the way to go.
You want a simpler code and simple testing
AngularJS is written using the TypeScript, which is more compact than Javascript. It makes the code more readable, the typos can be easily spotted, and the code can be easily navigated. Typescript is known for efficiency and clean and crisp coding. So, if you want simpler development, choose AngularJS. AngularJS comes loaded with in-built testing functionalities, and integrating third-party tools for end-to-end testing is easier than in ReactJS.
You want better UI configuration
According to a study, 21% of mobile apps are used only once after download. This explains the importance of user experience for apps. If the users do not have a good first impression, they are most likely to quit the app. In AngularJS, the data binding is done with HTML, and it offers UI and business logic separation. AngularJS has in-built common UI elements for navigation, form controls, layout, pop-ups and modules, and data tables. If UX and UI is your priority, do not look beyond AngularJS.
You want seamless updates
AngularJS is a Google offering and like any other Google product or service, it is constantly updated. While this means that the developer documentation also needs to be updated continuously, the use of Real DOM ensures that any changes to the single data structure prompt the entire tree to update. AngularJS thus ensures seamless updates using Angular CLI, and that’s one less thing for the developers to worry about.
Choose ReactJS for app development when:
You want a short learning curve
ReactJS is one of the most minimalist web development frameworks and does not have complicated features or classic templates. ReactJS is not recognized as a set of libraries full-fledged development framework and offers MVC (Model-View-Controller) or MVVM (Model-View-View-Model) app development architecture. Any developer with a reasonable knowledge of JavaScript can easily pick up ReactJS and, hence, if your priority is to ship a usable app with existing JavaScript experts in minimum turnaround time, go for ReactJS.
You want easy templating
ReactJS makes use of HTML syntax, which makes templating simpler and also paves the way for improved documentation. It offers augmented support for server-side rendering, and if your app is content-focused, this can be a plus point. Templates and the subsequent logic are readily available in ReactJS at the end of the component, making it easy for the developers to understand the code irrespective of its syntax.
You are looking for quick development
The app market is highly competitive. An average American user has more than 100 apps installed on their phones, which means that if you don’t make it fast, you don’t make it at all. Although ReactJS takes longer to set up, the app development is faster. A short learning curve and easy templating and code reusability enable quick app development. If you want to ship an app quickly, go for ReactJS.
You want high performance and speed
In today’s attention-deficit world, app performance cannot be compromised. App development speeds vary heavily across geographies, and app speeds can be up to 10 times lower in few countries. Shipping a high performing app is critical to ensure a minimum acceptable performance in geographies with low app speed. ReactJS makes use of Virtual DOM. The Virtual DOM trees are known to be lightweight, and the data binding is unidirectional. ReactJS also incorporates downward data flow, making the code highly stable. Making changes to Virtual DOM enables apps to render faster, more stable, resulting in better performance.
You want a cost-effective app
When working with ReactJS, developers work directly with the existing components. Parent entities are not impacted by child entities, thanks to downward data binding, and this makes future developments easier and naturally cost-effective. The maintenance and updation are also easy, which essentially frees up the developer time, making the entire endeavor more cost-effective.
To Conclude…
ReactJS vs. AngularJS is a clash of titans in true sense. While AngularJS enjoys support from the Google developer community, ReactJS has a huge community of its own, which means that no matter which one you choose, you aren’t alone in the journey.