Angular vs HTMX for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Angular Overview

Angular is Google's enterprise-grade frontend framework. It provides everything out of the box: routing, forms, HTTP client, dependency injection, animations, and a powerful CLI. The framework enforces a structured architecture with modules, components, services, and decorators.

Recent versions brought standalone components and signals, reducing the boilerplate that Angular was infamous for. But it's still the most complex mainstream frontend framework. TypeScript is mandatory. RxJS is deeply integrated. Dependency injection is central to how services work. The learning curve is real, and it takes weeks before you feel productive.

The tradeoff is clear: Angular's complexity buys you a well-structured codebase that scales to large teams and complex applications. For solo developers, the question is whether that structure is worth the overhead when there's nobody else to keep in line.

HTMX Overview

HTMX is a 14KB library that extends HTML with attributes for AJAX requests, CSS transitions, WebSocket connections, and server-sent events. Instead of building a JavaScript application that talks to an API, you build a server-rendered application where the server returns HTML fragments that HTMX swaps into the page.

There's no build step. No npm install. No bundler configuration. You add a script tag and start adding hx-get, hx-post, hx-swap, and hx-trigger attributes to your HTML elements. Click a button, HTMX sends a request, the server returns HTML, HTMX puts it where you told it to. That's the entire model.

I started using HTMX on a Django project where I needed dynamic form validation and partial page updates. The simplicity was refreshing. Instead of building a React frontend and a REST API, I wrote Django views that returned HTML partials. The development speed was noticeably faster because I was only writing one application instead of two.

Key Differences

Fundamental architecture. Angular builds a full client-side application in JavaScript. Your browser downloads the framework, your application code, and manages state, routing, and rendering entirely on the client. HTMX keeps all logic on the server and uses HTML responses to update parts of the page. These are philosophically opposite approaches.

Complexity budget. An Angular project requires TypeScript knowledge, RxJS understanding, Angular's template syntax, dependency injection patterns, and build tooling. HTMX requires knowing HTML attributes and your server-side language. The complexity difference is massive. A solo developer using HTMX spends their mental energy on business logic instead of framework mechanics.

Interactivity ceiling. Angular can build anything: real-time collaborative editors, complex drag-and-drop interfaces, offline-capable apps with service workers. HTMX works beautifully for 80% of web interactions (forms, lists, modals, live search, pagination) but hits limits with highly interactive client-side features. If your app needs a complex spreadsheet-like interface, HTMX alone won't cut it.

Backend coupling. HTMX works with any backend that returns HTML. Django, Rails, Laravel, Go, Express. Your backend templates are your "frontend." Angular requires a separate API layer and a completely independent frontend build. For solo developers, maintaining one codebase instead of two is a meaningful advantage.

JavaScript knowledge required. Angular demands deep JavaScript and TypeScript expertise. HTMX requires almost none. You can build sophisticated web applications with HTMX while writing minimal JavaScript. For developers who are stronger on the backend, HTMX lets them build dynamic UIs without switching mental models.

Bundle size and performance. HTMX is 14KB. Angular's minimum bundle is several hundred KB. For server-rendered pages that need some interactivity, HTMX loads faster and uses fewer resources. For complex SPAs, Angular's larger bundle enables capabilities that justify its size.

When to Choose Angular

• You're building a complex SPA with heavy client-side state management
• The app needs to work offline or with poor connectivity
• You need rich client-side interactions like drag-and-drop or real-time collaboration
• You want a structured framework that enforces architectural patterns
• The project justifies the frontend/backend separation overhead

When to Choose HTMX

• You prefer server-side rendering with your favorite backend framework
• Your interactivity needs are standard (forms, modals, search, filtering)
• You want to build and maintain one codebase instead of two
• Development speed matters more than client-side interactivity ceiling
• You're a backend developer who wants dynamic UIs without learning a SPA framework

The Verdict

For solo developers, HTMX is the more productive choice in most scenarios. The 8/10 vs 6/10 rating reflects the reality that most web applications don't need a full SPA framework. Forms, lists, search, pagination, modals, and live updates cover the vast majority of interactive web features, and HTMX handles all of them with dramatically less complexity.

Angular earns its place when the project genuinely requires complex client-side behavior that can't be achieved with server-rendered HTML. Think Google Docs, Figma, or a trading platform. For those projects, Angular's structure and ecosystem are valuable.

But be honest about what you're building. If it's a SaaS dashboard, admin panel, e-commerce site, or content platform, HTMX with your preferred backend will get you to launch faster, with less code, and with fewer things that can break. That's the solo developer advantage: choosing the simpler tool when the simpler tool works.