React vs Vue for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

React Overview

React is the most used JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It dominates hiring boards, powers massive applications from Facebook to Airbnb, and has an ecosystem so large that you can find a package for virtually any UI problem. The component model is flexible, hooks transformed state management, and the community produces more learning resources than any other frontend technology.

I've built production applications with React and the ecosystem is what keeps pulling me back. Need form handling? React Hook Form. State management? Zustand or Jotai. Animation? Framer Motion. Server-side rendering? Next.js. Every problem has multiple well-maintained solutions. When you hit a wall, the answer exists somewhere.

The trade-off is decision fatigue. React is a library, not a framework. You choose your router, state manager, styling approach, form library, and build tool. That flexibility is powerful for experienced developers but overwhelming for someone who just wants to build their product. I've spent entire afternoons configuring tooling before writing a single feature.

Vue Overview

Vue takes a different approach entirely. It's a progressive framework that provides sensible defaults for everything. Single-file components keep your template, logic, and styles in one file. The Composition API (Vue 3) offers React-like composability without JSX. And Vue's official documentation is genuinely some of the best technical writing in the entire JavaScript ecosystem.

What I appreciate about Vue is the reactivity system. Declare a ref() or reactive(), use it in your template, and Vue tracks dependencies automatically. No useState hooks, no dependency arrays, no stale closure debugging sessions at midnight. The reactive system catches the class of bugs that React's hooks API creates by design.

Vue's ecosystem is smaller but cohesive. Vue Router is the official router. Pinia is the official state manager. Vite was created by Vue's author. The tooling feels coordinated rather than cobbled together. For a solo developer who doesn't want to evaluate fifteen state management libraries, Vue's curated ecosystem is a relief.

Key Differences

Reactivity model. This is the biggest practical difference. Vue tracks reactive dependencies automatically. React requires manual dependency arrays in useEffect and useMemo. Vue's approach means fewer bugs related to stale state and missing dependencies. React's approach gives you more explicit control but creates a category of bugs that Vue developers never encounter.

Templates vs JSX. Vue uses HTML-like templates by default. React uses JSX, which embeds HTML in JavaScript. Templates are faster to read and scan visually. JSX gives you the full power of JavaScript for conditional rendering and iteration. Both work well. For solo developers scanning their own code quickly, templates have a slight readability edge.

Single-file components. Vue's .vue files co-locate template, script, and style in one file. React components typically have a separate CSS file or use CSS-in-JS. Vue's approach means less file switching. Everything about a component lives in one place. For solo developers navigating their own codebase, fewer files to manage is a tangible benefit.

Ecosystem size. React wins by a wide margin. More packages, more tutorials, more Stack Overflow answers, more job listings. If you're building something unusual, a React solution is more likely to exist. If you're building a standard web application, Vue's ecosystem covers everything you need.

Meta-frameworks. React has Next.js, the dominant full-stack React framework. Vue has Nuxt, which is excellent but has a smaller community. For server-side rendering, static generation, and API routes, both are capable. Next.js has more deployment integrations and community resources.

Learning curve. Vue is easier to pick up, especially for developers with HTML/CSS backgrounds. React's JSX, hooks mental model, and build tool configuration create a steeper initial climb. Vue's documentation walks you through concepts progressively. React's documentation improved significantly but still assumes more JavaScript knowledge.

When to Choose React

• You want the largest possible ecosystem of third-party packages
• You plan to eventually hire developers (React talent is easier to find)
• You want React Native for mobile applications using shared skills
• You need a specific library that only exists in React's ecosystem
• You want to use Next.js for full-stack development

When to Choose Vue

• You want to ship features fast with minimal configuration overhead
• You value clean, readable code and excellent official documentation
• You prefer automatic reactivity over manual dependency tracking
• You're building a solo project where ecosystem size matters less than DX
• You want fewer decisions and a more cohesive, curated toolset

The Verdict

For solo developers, Vue at 9/10 gets the nod over React at 8/10. The reactivity system is less error-prone. Single-file components are more productive. The documentation teaches instead of assuming. And the curated ecosystem means you spend time building features instead of comparing state management libraries.

React's 8/10 reflects that it's still an excellent choice. The ecosystem is unmatched. If you need a specific package that only exists for React, or if you're planning to hire later and want the broadest talent pool, React is the pragmatic pick. The community support means you're never stuck on a problem for long.

The 1-point difference captures a real productivity gap for solo developers. Vue's automatic reactivity eliminates a class of bugs that React creates. Fewer files, fewer configuration decisions, and better docs mean faster development cycles. When you're building alone and every hour of productivity counts, that gap matters.