SolidJS vs HTMX for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

SolidJS Overview

SolidJS is a reactive JavaScript framework that looks like React but runs fundamentally differently. Components execute once. Signals track state. When a signal changes, only the exact DOM node that depends on it updates. There's no virtual DOM, no diffing, and no unnecessary re-renders.

The result is raw performance that competes with hand-written vanilla JavaScript. SolidJS consistently leads framework benchmarks. Bundle sizes stay small because there's no reconciliation engine to ship. And the reactive model, once you understand it, feels cleaner than React's hook rules and dependency arrays.

SolidStart provides the meta-framework layer with file-based routing, server-side rendering, and API routes. It's the full-stack option if you want SolidJS on both ends. The ecosystem is growing, with solid community libraries for routing, state management, and UI components, though it's still a fraction of React's.

HTMX Overview

HTMX is a small JavaScript library that lets any HTML element make AJAX requests and update parts of the page. The htmx.org homepage describes it as "small (~16k min.gz'd), dependency-free, extendable," and measuring the current 2.0.10 release confirms it (51KB minified, 16.6KB once gzipped, with zero runtime dependencies in the npm package manifest). No build step, no npm required, no bundler. Add a script tag and sprinkle hx-get, hx-post, and hx-swap attributes on your HTML elements. The server returns HTML fragments, and HTMX places them into the DOM.

The philosophy is that the server is the application. Your backend framework (Django, Rails, Laravel, Go, whatever you prefer) renders HTML, handles state, and processes business logic. HTMX just gives HTML the ability to make requests and receive partial updates without full page reloads.

I've used HTMX on several projects and the simplicity is addictive. Need live search? hx-get="/search" hx-trigger="keyup changed delay:300ms". Need infinite scroll? hx-get="/page/2" hx-trigger="revealed". Features that would take a React component with state management, API calls, and loading states become single HTML attributes.

Key Differences

Application architecture. SolidJS builds a client-side application. Your browser runs JavaScript that manages state, renders UI, and communicates with a backend API. HTMX enhances a server-rendered application. Your server handles everything, and HTMX adds dynamic behavior through HTML responses. These are two completely different paradigms for building web apps.

Where the logic lives. With SolidJS, you split logic between the client (UI state, interactions, rendering) and the server (data, business rules, persistence). With HTMX, nearly all logic stays on the server. This single-codebase approach is a major advantage for solo developers who don't want to maintain two separate applications.

Interactivity range. SolidJS can build anything: real-time editors, complex data visualizations, drag-and-drop interfaces, offline-capable applications. HTMX handles the interactive patterns that cover most web apps (forms, filters, modals, live search, pagination) but can't match a full JavaScript framework for highly interactive client-side features.

Development speed. HTMX projects typically come together faster because you're writing one application, not two. No API design, no serialization, no frontend state management, no TypeScript compilation. SolidJS projects require more setup and infrastructure but provide more capability for complex interactions.

Performance profile. SolidJS delivers exceptional client-side performance with minimal bundle size, with its core measured at roughly 7.6KB minified and gzipped. HTMX delivers exceptional simplicity with minimal JavaScript (16.6KB gzipped, dependency-free). For most CRUD applications, HTMX's approach is faster to build and fast enough at runtime. For interaction-heavy applications, SolidJS's fine-grained reactivity creates a smoother experience. SolidJS earns its performance reputation in the krausest/js-framework-benchmark, where it consistently lands in the top tier of update and create-row metrics, near hand-written vanilla JavaScript and ahead of React, Vue, and Angular.

Team skills. HTMX lets backend developers build dynamic web applications without deep JavaScript knowledge. SolidJS requires understanding reactive programming, JSX, and client-side patterns. If you're primarily a Python, Ruby, or Go developer, HTMX leverages your existing skills instead of asking you to learn a new paradigm.

When to Choose SolidJS

• You're building a complex interactive application (editor, dashboard, visualization)
• Client-side performance is a measurable requirement
• The app needs offline capability or complex client-side state
• You enjoy JavaScript/TypeScript and want fine-grained control over rendering
• Your project's interactivity needs exceed what server-rendered HTML can provide

When to Choose HTMX

• Your app's interactivity fits standard patterns (forms, modals, lists, search)
• You want to ship faster by maintaining one codebase instead of two
• You're a backend developer who prefers server-side rendering
• Simplicity and reduced maintenance burden are priorities
• You want to avoid the JavaScript build toolchain entirely

The Verdict

HTMX gets the higher solo developer rating (8/10 vs 7/10) because it dramatically reduces the amount of code, tooling, and complexity needed for the majority of web projects. Most applications that solo developers build, including SaaS dashboards, admin panels, content platforms, and e-commerce sites, work perfectly with HTMX's server-rendered approach.

SolidJS is the better technical choice when your project genuinely needs rich client-side interactivity. If you're building something where the UI needs to react instantly to user input, display complex data visualizations, or provide desktop-app-like responsiveness, SolidJS delivers that with the best performance in the framework ecosystem.

The honest question to ask yourself: does my project actually need a JavaScript framework, or do I just assume it does? If your server can render the HTML and HTMX can handle the dynamic parts, you'll ship faster and sleep better. If your project truly needs a rich client, SolidJS is an excellent choice that outperforms most alternatives.

By the Numbers (2026)

The two libraries sit at opposite ends of the JavaScript spectrum, and the registry numbers make that concrete. Checked on 2026-05-29 against npm, the GitHub repositories, and each project's official site.

Versions and licensing. SolidJS ships as solid-js 1.9.13 on npm, published 2026-05-15, under the MIT license. The runtime package carries three dependencies (csstype, seroval, seroval-plugins). HTMX ships as htmx.org 2.0.10, the current stable npm release published 2026-04-21, under the permissive 0BSD license with zero runtime dependencies in its package manifest. A 4.0 line is in active development, with v4.0.0-beta4 tagged as a GitHub release on 2026-05-22, so expect a major version bump on the horizon if you want to track it.

Bundle weight. SolidJS keeps its core remarkably small, around 7.6KB minified and gzipped according to current bundle-size reporting, because there is no virtual DOM reconciliation engine to ship. HTMX 2.0.10 measures 51,238 bytes minified and 16,618 bytes once gzipped (the official figure quoted on htmx.org is "small (~16k min.gz'd)"). Both are tiny by framework standards, where React plus ReactDOM lands near 45KB gzipped.

Adoption signals. HTMX leads on GitHub stars with 48,120 against SolidJS's 35,561, and it has more forks (1,598 vs 1,063). But the npm download charts flip that completely. SolidJS pulled 2,411,640 downloads in the week of 2026-05-22, roughly 15 times HTMX's 162,087 for the same week. Over the trailing month the gap is similar (10,402,524 for solid-js vs 722,725 for htmx.org). The reason is structural. SolidJS is an npm-first build dependency that gets installed into thousands of projects and pulled by CI on every install, while HTMX is frequently dropped in as a single CDN script tag that never touches the npm registry, so its real-world usage is undercounted by download stats.

Project maturity. The solid-js package was first published 2018-04-25; htmx.org first appeared on npm 2020-05-02. Both are mature, actively maintained projects with healthy momentum.

Meta-framework layer. If you want SolidJS full-stack, SolidStart (@solidjs/start) is at 1.3.2 and Solid Router (@solidjs/router) at 0.16.1. HTMX has no meta-framework because it intentionally leans on whatever server framework you already use.

Which One Ships Faster for a Solo Dev

Both libraries are free and open source, so cost is a wash. The real currency for a solo developer is time, and here the differences are grounded in measurable facts rather than taste.

Setup time. HTMX needs zero build tooling. A single CDN <script> tag, confirmed dependency-free in its npm manifest, and you are writing hx-get attributes in minutes. SolidJS, even at 7.6KB core, expects a bundler (Vite is the norm) plus JSX compilation, so first-keystroke-to-running is measured in setup steps, not seconds. For a quick prototype or a server-rendered app, HTMX wins the cold-start race outright.

Codebase count. With HTMX, nearly all logic lives in one server codebase, so there is no API contract to design, no JSON serialization, and no separate client state to keep in sync. With SolidJS you maintain a client application and a backend API. For a team of one, one codebase is fewer moving parts and fewer places for bugs to hide.

Ceiling on interactivity. This is where SolidJS pays back the extra setup. Its top-tier standing in the krausest/js-framework-benchmark is not marketing, it is reproducible, and that fine-grained reactivity is what makes rich editors, live data visualizations, and drag-and-drop feel native. HTMX covers forms, filters, modals, live search, and pagination beautifully, but it is not built to be a real-time canvas app.

The honest heuristic. If your interactivity fits standard server-driven patterns, HTMX ships faster, full stop, fewer dependencies, no build step, one codebase. The moment your UI needs instant client-side reactivity that a server round-trip cannot deliver, SolidJS's setup cost stops being overhead and starts being the thing that lets you ship at all. Pick the smallest tool that can actually do the job, and for most solo CRUD work that is HTMX.

Sources

• SolidJS GitHub repository (stars 35,561, forks 1,063, MIT license), checked 2026-05-29: https://github.com/solidjs/solid
• HTMX GitHub repository (stars 48,120, forks 1,598, v4.0.0-beta4 release 2026-05-22), checked 2026-05-29: https://github.com/bigskysoftware/htmx
• npm registry, solid-js (version 1.9.13, published 2026-05-15, MIT, dependencies, first published 2018-04-25), checked 2026-05-29: https://registry.npmjs.org/solid-js
• npm registry, htmx.org (version 2.0.10 stable, published 2026-04-21, 0BSD, zero dependencies, first published 2020-05-02), checked 2026-05-29: https://registry.npmjs.org/htmx.org
• npm downloads API, solid-js (2,411,640 weekly, 10,402,524 monthly), checked 2026-05-29: https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/solid-js
• npm downloads API, htmx.org (162,087 weekly, 722,725 monthly), checked 2026-05-29: https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/htmx.org
• htmx.org homepage ("small (~16k min.gz'd), dependency-free, extendable"), checked 2026-05-29: https://htmx.org/
• htmx.org docs ("dependency-free, browser-oriented javascript library"), checked 2026-05-29: https://htmx.org/docs/
• htmx.org 2.0.10 minified bundle (51,238 bytes minified, 16,618 bytes gzipped measured locally) via jsDelivr, checked 2026-05-29: https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/htmx.org@2.0.10/dist/htmx.min.js
• npm registry, @solidjs/start (SolidStart 1.3.2) and @solidjs/router (0.16.1), checked 2026-05-29: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@solidjs/start
• krausest/js-framework-benchmark (SolidJS top-tier performance, near vanilla JS), checked 2026-05-29: https://github.com/krausest/js-framework-benchmark and https://krausest.github.io/js-framework-benchmark/current.html
• SolidJS core bundle size around 7.6KB min and gzip, reporting checked 2026-05-29: https://bundlephobia.com/package/solid-js