With more entrepreneurs deploying their mobile applications, the competition grows even more challenging. Your choice of development framework plays an essential role in the success of your app, as the number of apps increases on app stores.

That said, here we will look at React and Angular to decide which option ensures a positive ROI for mobile apps. Previously, we gave you 12 reasons to use React Native for your mobile app, now let's put React vs. Angular to see which is the best choice for mobile app development.

The blog provides a brief overview of the two frameworks, as well as factors to consider when making your decision:

A Brief Overview: Angular Vs. React

React (React.js) is described as a JavaScript library designed by Facebook for UI development. Based on JavaScript programming language and a PHP extension, JSX, it is a top choice for most developers to create reusable HTML elements for front-end development.

It uses a decorative style of programming, which helps developers visualize the app's final layout and how users will interact with it. As an open-source library, it provides free, downloadable documents that developers can use and modify for mobile and web app development.

Contrarily, Angular is a Google-powered, open-source front-end development framework. There are various Angular versions with Angular JavaScript being the oldest, released in 2010. Angular 2 is relatively modern, launched in 2016, and a complete rewrite of its predecessor. Angular 2 is also used as an umbrella term for all the new variations of the framework released after 2016, with the latest Angular version, Angular 9, released in February 2020.

Modern versions of Angular vs. JavaScript may offer better flexibility and more freedom in development, but Google still supports its first framework. Many of its applications are based on Angular, which reflects the scalability and advancement of the infrastructure.

Angular offers a comprehensive toolkit and support components for anything a front-end developer might need for dynamic mobile, web app, and website development. Plus, as part of the MEAN stack, it is compatible with several code editors and JavaScript-based programs.

Now we have an understanding of Angular JS vs. React JS, so let's see how the two compare to determine the best choice for mobile app development.

Library Vs. Framework: The Difference Between Angular and React

One of the fundamental differences between Angular and React is that where one is a complete framework, the latter is only a JavaScript library.

As a framework, Angular gives you all that you need for developing mobile apps, web apps, or websites, meaning you have to use what you get. On the other hand, React.js libraries only provide a visual of how the UI will appear and interact, but they also give you more creative freedom in the development. That said, here is a comparison of the library vs. framework to help you decide which is the best choice for mobile apps.

Popularity

When it comes to React vs. Angular popularity, the former has more searches as per Google Trends. According to a Stackoverflow survey in 2019, React wins the popularity poll in terms of usage as well. You might wonder why is React so popular? It's because not only does it offer more freedom during development, but it has a simple learning curve, making it easy for amateur developers to understand the framework.

But while developers may prefer ReactJS as the best web framework and library, Angular is not far behind in the poll. It is preferred for its supply of ready-made solutions for mobile and web development.

That said, as updates for React vs. JavaScript or Angular appear in the market, we can say that both are equally popular in the programming world.

Architecture

Angular vs. React are relatively similar in their component-based architecture. They are both reusable, cohesive, and have modular components. The differences arise in the languages they use and their library vs. framework structure.

Where Angular is a full-fledged MVC framework, React.js only offers the V component; for M and C, you would need to use other libraries. Additionally, the Angular JS framework follows TypeScript for development, whereas React JS uses JavaScript.

Depending on your preferences and requirements of the mobile app, React JS framework/library can be useful if you want more creative freedom.

Learning Curve

Angular JS framework has a much steeper learning curve than React JS. The Angular technologies offer several methods to solve one problem and feature a complex component management system. It requires familiarity with different concepts, including templates, pipes, and dependency injections, as well as languages like RxJS and TypeScript.

Plus, for Angular mobile development, developers would need to continually look into what's new within the Angular ecosystem and enhance their skills to suit the developing framework.

Contrarily, the React JS framework is much easier to learn. If you know the JavaScript programming language, then you can easily make an app using React JS. Additionally, one of the React advantages is that it offers an abundance of resources for amateur developers to get familiar with the framework, despite the frequent updates.

Toolset

React and Angular, both use multiple code editors like Sublime Text and Visual Studio. The React framework uses Create React App (CLI) for bootstrapping and Next.js framework for the server-side rendering. Furthermore, Angular JS features Angular CLI for setting up the project, while for server-side rendering, it employs Angular Universal.

Where the two differ is that testing of Angular mobile development is possible with just one tool. The QA team can use either Karma, Jasmine, or Protractor to test the app. Contrarily, for an app built on React, developers need to employ several tools to test different elements.

UI Component

React, and Angular also differ in their UI components. For React JS, its community is responsible for developing the UI tools. Developers can find multiple free and paid UI components for the React framework. On the other hand, Angular comes equipped with a built-in Material tech stack and prebuilt components of material design. It is what allows swift and agile UI configuration for fast development.

Document Object Model: DOM Vs. VDOM

The use of DOM and VDOM for Angular and React JS, respectively, is a significant difference to consider when choosing the best option for mobile app development. With DOM, altering one section of data means the whole tree structure is updated, which affects the performance and speed of the Angular framework.

Conversely, React JS uses VDOM or Virtual Document Object Model, which allows developers to update and modify single sections of data without affecting the entire tree structure. It is responsible for its fast development, and what makes React a better option for mobile app development.

Angular and React: When to Choose Which?

Knowing the difference between Angular and ReactJS is not enough to decide. Both options have their perks and drawbacks. Where React offers quick development and faster testing, Angular is preferred for its cleaner code, high performance, and better error handling.

That said, to make your decision, you need to understand the situations when React, or Angular is better for developing a mobile app. React JS is the best choice when you want a completely customized app and faster development.

Alternatively, Angular native app development works when your team is familiar with Angular JS's latest version, its predecessors, C#, and Java. It is also best when developing apps with low to medium level complexity.

That said, I hope the blog helps in making your decision. If you need a little assistance, our experts are here to help you with your decision-making and take your app idea from development to deployment!