Software Alternatives & Startups

KnockoutJS VS SolidJS

Compare KnockoutJS VS SolidJS and see what are their differences

KnockoutJS logo KnockoutJS

Knockout makes it easier to create rich, responsive UIs with JavaScript

SolidJS logo SolidJS

A declarative, efficient and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
  • KnockoutJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • SolidJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16

KnockoutJS features and specs

  • Data Binding
    KnockoutJS offers a powerful two-way data binding mechanism, allowing for automatic synchronization between the model and the user interface. This reduces the amount of boilerplate code needed to manage data updates.
  • Declarative Bindings
    The library uses declarative bindings to connect the UI to the data model. This makes it easier to understand the structure of your UI without having to sift through complex JavaScript code.
  • Flexibility
    KnockoutJS is framework-agnostic, meaning it can be integrated with other libraries and frameworks such as jQuery and Angular, providing flexibility in application architecture.
  • Simplicity
    It's relatively easy to learn and use, especially for developers familiar with Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) architecture.
  • Community Support
    Despite being a mature library, KnockoutJS has a solid community with ample documentation and plugins, which can be quite helpful for development and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of KnockoutJS

  • Performance Issues
    For very complex applications or large datasets, KnockoutJS might lead to performance bottlenecks, since it doesn’t offer the same virtual DOM diffing optimizations as newer frameworks/libraries like React.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Complex Applications
    While it's simple for smaller projects, creating and managing more complex applications often involves a steeper learning curve and can lead to complex models.
  • Lack of Built-in Support for Modern Features
    KnockoutJS does not natively support some modern JavaScript features and patterns, such as ES6 modules or TypeScript, requiring additional configurations or libraries.
  • Decreasing Popularity
    As more modern frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue gain popularity, the use of KnockoutJS is declining, which might lead to a smaller community and fewer updates or improvements in the future.
  • Limited Official Tooling
    Compared to newer frameworks, KnockoutJS has less official tooling support for development, build processes, and testing, which can make project setup and maintenance more arduous.

SolidJS features and specs

  • Reactivity
    SolidJS uses fine-grained reactivity, which allows it to track dependencies efficiently and update the UI exactly when and where it needs to, improving performance.
  • Performance
    SolidJS has performance close to vanilla JavaScript due to its compilation process that optimizes the rendering path with no virtual DOM, resulting in highly efficient updates.
  • Simplicity
    The API of SolidJS is designed to be intuitive and simple, leveraging familiar concepts from JavaScript and React, making it easier to understand and work with.
  • Compatibility
    SolidJS is designed to work seamlessly with JSX, allowing developers who are familiar with React to transition smoothly and utilize existing JSX component structures.
  • Size
    SolidJS is lightweight, often resulting in smaller bundle sizes compared to other frameworks like React, which can lead to faster load times and better performance on the client-side.

Possible disadvantages of SolidJS

  • Community Size
    SolidJS has a relatively smaller community compared to more established libraries like React, which can result in less available support and fewer third-party libraries and resources.
  • Learning Curve
    Even with its simplicity, SolidJS introduces concepts like fine-grained reactivity, which can be unfamiliar to developers who are used to the virtual DOM approach of other frameworks.
  • Ecosystem
    Although growing, SolidJS currently has a less mature ecosystem compared to React and Vue, which means fewer tools, plugins, and integrations available for rapid development.
  • Tooling
    While improvements are being made, SolidJS might not have as sophisticated tooling and IDE support as more established frameworks, potentially affecting developer productivity.
  • Compatibility Concerns
    SolidJS's innovative reactivity model may lead to compatibility challenges with certain existing libraries or plugins that were designed with virtual DOM conception in mind.

Analysis of SolidJS

Overall verdict

  • SolidJS can be an excellent choice for developers looking for a highly performant, reactive UI library, especially for projects where size and speed are critical factors.

Why this product is good

  • SolidJS is considered a good JavaScript library for building user interfaces due to its fine-grained reactivity system, which provides high performance with minimal overhead. It compiles templates into highly optimized JavaScript code, ensuring efficient updates. SolidJS embraces a component model similar to React, making it a familiar choice for developers experienced with that library, while offering improvements in speed and efficiency. Additionally, SolidJS's small bundle size makes it an attractive option for lightweight applications.

Recommended for

  • Developers who need high performance and efficiency
  • Projects requiring small bundle sizes
  • Teams familiar with React concepts seeking an efficient alternative
  • Applications where fast updates and minimal overhead are crucial

KnockoutJS videos

KnockoutJS Review

SolidJS videos

Is SolidJS Better Than React?

More videos:

  • Review - React vs SolidJS, Fight!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to KnockoutJS and SolidJS)
Javascript UI Libraries
36 36%
64% 64
JS Library
43 43%
57% 57
JavaScript Framework
26 26%
74% 74
Front-End Frameworks
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

SolidJS might be a bit more popular than KnockoutJS. We know about 23 links to it since March 2021 and only 22 links to KnockoutJS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

KnockoutJS mentions (22)

  • JSX over the Wire
    > Everything old is new again An age ago I took interest in KnockoutJS based on Model-View-ViewModel and found it pragmatic and easy to use. It was however at the beginning of the mad javascript framework-hopping marathon, so it was considered 'obsolete' after a few months. I just peeked, Knockout still exists. https://knockoutjs.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • A First Look at HTMX and How it Compares to React
    The approach is not new, essentially a variation of Knockout, Alpine, and similar "JS-in-HTML" approaches. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • The Best UI Libraries for Cross-Platform Apps with Tauri
    SolidJS and Tauri form another potent combination for creating performant, lightweight, and secure experiences. SolidJS is a reactive UI library that is similar to Svelte in the way it compiles away reactivity and updates the DOM directly, but it also incorporates a fine-grained reactivity system reminiscent of libraries like Marko, Knockout, and MobX. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Why are signals still not so popular?
    People act like Signals are a new discovery. KnockoutJS was using them 13 years ago and other libraries used them before that. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What is KnockoutJS and how is it relevant in Magento 2?
    Knockout JS is a Javascript library which uses the MVVM pattern to bind data to certain DOM elements. Within Magento, we usually define a View-Model (which is a .js file) and a Template (which is a .html file), and the data in the template file is bound to the view-model, meaning whenever the data in the view-model changes, the template file changes too. Source: over 3 years ago
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SolidJS mentions (23)

  • NeoComp: new framework with a new paradigm
    NeoComp is a JavaScript framework that aims to be simple and lightweight, yet powerful and flexible. Inspired by Solid and Ripple, it supports vanilla JavaScript approaches while remaining declarative and reactive in nature. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • SonicScan - A Music Fingerprinting and Identification App
    Then I learned Tauri and used my favourite frontend framework SolidJS with TailwindCSS and DaisyUI to build the UI with MotionOne to add animations and Tauri to build the desktop/web/android/ios app. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Creating a Browser Extension using SolidJS + WXT II
    Import { createSignal } from "solid-js"; Import solidLogo from "@/assets/solid.svg"; Import wxtLogo from "/wxt.svg"; Import "./App.css"; Function App() { const [count, setCount] = createSignal(0); return ( <> - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • 💎 of solid-primitives, part 1: context
    Solid.js is already pretty powerful, but even so, there are things it cannot do out of the box. Here's where the community comes in and provides packages to enhance your development experience: solid-primitives. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • The zen of state in Solid.js
    Solid.js is a frontend framework that is known for its superficial similarities and otherwise vast differences to react. One of its best parts is its signals-based state management. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing KnockoutJS and SolidJS, you can also consider the following products

AngularJS - AngularJS lets you extend HTML vocabulary for your application. The resulting environment is extraordinarily expressive, readable, and quick to develop.

Svelte - Cybernetically enhanced web apps

Vue.js - Reactive Components for Modern Web Interfaces

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

Preact.js - Preact is a fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.

ember.js - A JavaScript framework for creating ambitious web apps