Next.js vs. React: Which is the Better Frontend Framework?

Next.js and React are two of the most popular tools in the frontend development community.

Created by Facebook, React is a popular JavaScript library used for building user interfaces. It’s been around since 2013 and has become the go-to choice for many developers when it comes to building interactive web applications.

Next.js, on the other hand, was initially released in 2016 and is a popular production framework for React applications. It provides a solid set of features that allow developers to more quickly and easily build out React-based applications.

In this article, we will compare Next.js vs. React so you can see how they compare and which is the best frontend framework for you.

Introduction: React JS vs. Next.js

As a front-end developer, two of the most popular JavaScript frameworks available are Next.js and React.

Similar to comparing Angular vs. React JS, the key difference between React JS and Next.js is that React is a JavaScript library, and Next.js is a full-fledged framework. Next.js, a production framework for React, is built on top of React, and helps developers create server-rendered applications.

React doesn't need to be used with Next.js, but Next.js uses React to render HTML pages, deploy apps, and handle routing.

What is Next.js, and why should you use it?

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is:

• Declarative: It allows developers to write components that describe the user interface, without having to explicitly manage the DOM.
• Component-based: Components are reusable pieces of code, allowing easier maintenance and faster development times.
• Flexible: React makes it easy to create complex user interfaces with minimal code.

Using the Create React App, developers can quickly spin up a React project and be productive in no time.

Next.js is an open-source React framework that provides a way to structure your code that results in smaller bundle sizes, quicker server-side rendering (SSR), and overall better performance.

In addition, Next.js includes features like automatic code splitting, static site generation (SSG), CSS-in-JS support, React Hooks support, TypeScript support, and more.

All of these features make Next.js a powerful tool for building modern web applications. 

A few of the best times to use Next.js include:

• SEO-optimized websites: Next.js’s server-side rendering makes it easy for search engines to index your content, making it a great choice for marketing sites, blogs, and landing pages.
• Ecommerce platforms: For online stores requiring fast load times and dynamic content updates, Next.js offers features like Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) to keep product pages fresh without full rebuilds.
• Content-heavy websites: Websites with substantial content, like news portals and documentation sites, benefit from Next.js’s static site generation, delivering pre-rendered pages for optimal performance.
• Dynamic web apps: Applications that need real-time data and dynamic interactions, like dashboards or admin panels, can take advantage of Next.js’s hybrid rendering capabilities for efficient performance.
• Multi-page applications: With Next.js, developers can break up code into multiple chunks to be served on separate webpages, making it easier to maintain and scale an application with multiple pages.
• Developing an MVP: MVP development needs to be fast and efficient. With Next.js, developers can quickly create a fully server-rendered application with minimal effort.

Next.js vs React: Comparison Guidance in 2025

Let's take a look at how Next.js compares to React based on six factors.

React JS vs. Next.js performance

Next.js uses server-side rendering (SSR), meaning that the server generates the HTML for each page when a request is made.

This results in faster page loading times since the browser only needs to render part of the page on each load.
While it offers SSR options, React apps primarily use client-side rendering (CSR), meaning that the browser loads all of the JavaScript code necessary to render the page before displaying it.

Client-side rendering works when initial page loads are fast but can result in longer loading times for subsequent pages.

Here's a quick overview of what that means for your dev process:

Pretend you're building a website with Next.js and React. Using SSR, you can generate the HTML for all of your pages ahead of time and serve them quickly to users on subsequent requests.

This is not possible with CSR, as all of the JavaScript code needs to be loaded each time a page is requested.

While Next.js is built off of React, it improves on it by enabling developers to craft performant applications through SSR and other features.

The verdict: If speed and SEO matter to your project, Next.js is the stronger option.

React JS vs. Next.js developer community

Compared to React, Next.js has a relatively small developer community. Of course, that's to be expected — React has been around since 2013, is backed by Meta, and powers major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Airbnb.

• React’s community is broader. You’ll find resources for everything from game development to native apps with React Native.
• Next.js’s community is more focused. Most content is geared toward building production-ready web apps with modern architecture.

Still, the Next.js community sees over 5 million weekly downloads. And its extensive documentation, tutorials, and high-quality sample projects offset the small community. It's easier to get up and running with Next.js because you can easily get specialized help, examples, and tooling.

Since large companies like Starbucks, Netflix, Uber, and Twitch use Next.js as part of their tech stack, the framework will certainly grow in popularity and developer support in the coming years.

The verdict: React has the larger community, but Next.js's ecosystem is great for real-world web app development.

React JS vs Next.js documentation

Here’s our quick comparison:

• React docs = concept-first. They show you how React works under the hood.
• Next.js docs = solution-first. They show you how to ship real features, fast.

React’s docs are thorough, visual, and beginner-friendly. They focus on teaching core concepts like components, hooks, and state management. If you’re just learning front-end development, React’s documentation is a great place to start.]

Next.js takes a more pragmatic approach. Its docs are structured around use cases — how to build a blog, how to fetch data, how to deploy to Vercel. You’ll find code examples for every feature, from routing to authentication to image handling, but it's less tutorial-focused (by a lot).

The verdict: If you’re learning fundamentals, go with React’s docs. If you’re building something today, Next.js documentation gets you there faster.

React JS vs. Next.js ecosystem

The ecosystems around both React and Next.js are extensive, with a variety of tools and libraries that can help developers build better applications.

With React, developers can access numerous libraries and frameworks like Redux, MobX, Gatsby, Material-UI, Apollo Client, and more.

With Next.js, developers can use built-in tools like Data Fetching and Image Optimization, as well as npm packages like next-i18next and next-optimized-images.

The verdict: There is a wealth of tools and libraries to choose from for both tools, making it easier for developers to build powerful applications quickly.

React JS vs. Next.js cost

Both React and Next.js are open-source tools, meaning that they are free to use and do not require any licensing fees.

However:

• Using React will incur additional costs for developers, depending on the libraries and frameworks used in the application.
• Using Next.js will incur additional upfront investment in server infrastructure as a server-side platform.

For example, Redux requires a paid license if it is used commercially. Additionally, some of the libraries available for React (like Material-UI) require a commercial license for certain use cases.

If you want to hire React JS development services for your next project, you can expect to spend the following amount:

• Simple applications: $15,000-$35,000
• Medium-complex web apps: $35,000-$80,000
• Complex software products: $80,000+

For complex apps, you can expect to spend anywhere between nine and twelve months on average.

When it comes to Next.js development, the cost is roughly the same as React development since they are both built on the same framework.

The timeframe for Next.js projects tends to be shorter, however, since the framework simplifies many of the tasks associated with web development.

That said, you'll probably find it easier to find React developers than Next.js developers, so you might end up paying a bit more for experienced Next.js professionals.

The verdict: Both come out to about the same, but be ready for higher upfront costs with Next.js.

React JS vs Next.js maintenance

The short answer:

• React = more setup, more choices, more maintenance.
• Next.js = less setup, fewer decisions, easier updates.

Maintaining Next.js is a piece of cake. Using "Maintenance Mode," you can update your app without taking it offline, making it easy to keep your application running smoothly with minimal downtime.

When it comes to React, maintenance is a bit more complicated since each library and framework used in the application will require its own set of updates.

But when you update libraries like Redux and MobX, you should be able to seamlessly update your application without taking it offline.

Verdict: React gives you freedom. Next.js gives you structure (and less to maintain).

Next.js Features and Benefits

Next.js is a great choice for developers who want to quickly build powerful web applications with minimal effort.
The framework has a variety of features that make development easier, including:

API route generation

Next.js automatically generates API routes based on the data you provide, making it easier to build powerful applications quickly.

This feature is critical when building certain features like search, sorting, and pagination.

Automatic code splitting

By far one of the defining features of Next.js is its ability to automatically split code based on page components, making it easier for developers to optimize their applications for speed.

If you're building an application with a lot of pages, this can be invaluable in ensuring that your app loads quickly.

Image optimization

Built into the framework, Next.js has an easy way to optimize images for performance with the help of plugins.

By optimizing your images, you can improve your application's loading speed, reducing the time it takes for users to load pages. This improves the user experience (UX) and helps your SEO rankings.

Static site generator (SSG)

Next.js also has the ability to export static HTML files, allowing you to serve plain HTML without running a server. This can be invaluable if you need a fast way to generate and deploy content-rich websites quickly.

For example, you can use Next.js to quickly create a blog or ecommerce website with its built-in static site generator.

Server-side rendering

Server-side rendering has a few benefits over client-side rendering:

• Improved SEO: By rendering your content on the server, search engine crawlers can easily index and access your website more quickly.
• Faster Loading Speed: Render websites faster by reducing the amount of code needed to render a page.
• Better Caching: Server-side rendering also allows for better caching, reducing the amount of bandwidth needed to serve pages.

File system routing

Using Next.js' file system routing, you can easily create custom pages without having to manually write code for each page.

This allows developers to quickly create complex applications with multiple pages and routes, all from a single directory structure, saving time and making development more efficient.

Advantages of Next.js Over React

In addition to these features, Next.js has some clear advantages over React.

It's easy to code.

One of the best things about Next.js is that it's easy to use and code.

You don't need to write complex code, and the framework is intuitive enough that you can quickly become proficient in using it (especially if you're already good at using React).

Fast rendering.

Another great thing about Next.js is that it's fast and efficient when rendering pages.

The framework automatically splits code on page components, reducing the amount of time it takes to render a page and making your application faster and more responsive. This makes it particularly appealing for large applications with lots of pages.

Improved SEO.

Next.js' server-side rendering also helps with SEO, as search engine crawlers can more easily access your website and index it.

Better image optimization.

Next.js makes it easy to optimize images for performance, reducing the time it takes for users to load pages and ensuring a better user experience (UX).

Disadvantages of Using Next.js Over React

Although Next.js is one of the best new frameworks for web developers, there are still some benefits of React JS.

Routing

Routing in Next.js can be complicated when you're dealing with complex applications or large websites.

Also, if you want to use dynamic routing (such as using parameters in URLs), the process of setting up routes for your application can be quite cumbersome and time-consuming.

Community

If you want to learn new performance optimization techniques or have technical issues that need to be resolved, the React community is much larger than Next.js, and more resources are available. The same is true when comparing Node.js vs. React.js.

That said, the Next.js developer community is always growing and is always becoming a better resource for developers.

Wrapping Up

Next.js is a widely used framework for building and deploying React applications. Its advantages include fast loading speed, improved SEO, and easy-to-use file system routing.

The bottom line is that React is a library while Next.js is a framework, so the two serve different purposes.

Ultimately, whether you incorporate one, the other, or both into your tech stack depends on your specific needs and project. But if you're looking for a fast, efficient solution to create content-rich websites quickly, Next.js is a great choice.