Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Rax VS Preact.js

Compare Rax VS Preact.js and see what are their differences

Rax logo Rax

🎩 A universal React-compatible render engine (by Alibaba)

Preact.js logo Preact.js

Preact is a fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.
  • Rax Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-04
  • Preact.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

Rax features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Rax allows developers to write once and deploy across multiple platforms including web, Weex, and Node.js, increasing versatility and reducing development time.
  • Lightweight
    Rax is designed to be minimal in size compared to larger frameworks like React, which can improve load times and performance for applications.
  • Fast Performance
    With optimizations similar to React Fiber, Rax offers quick rendering which is crucial for improving user experience on different devices.
  • Alibaba Supported
    As a project backed by Alibaba, Rax benefits from ongoing development, maintenance, and possibly more direct industry relevance or use cases, particularly in e-commerce.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    Rax utilizes popular technologies and concepts from the React ecosystem, making it easier for developers familiar with React to transition or adopt it.

Possible disadvantages of Rax

  • Smaller Community
    Compared to more established frameworks like React or Vue, Rax has a smaller community, which can result in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party libraries.
  • Potential for Limited Support
    As a less widespread framework, finding support, whether through official channels or community forums, may pose a challenge.
  • Niche Use Cases
    Primarily developed by Alibaba for its specific use cases, Rax may not cater to all types of projects, making it less versatile for generic application development.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its similarities to React, developers may encounter a learning curve if they need to understand Rax's unique features and optimizations.
  • Resource Availability
    Due to its relatively new status in the global market, there could be fewer books, courses, and documentation compared to more dominant frameworks.

Preact.js features and specs

  • Size
    Preact is very small in size (about 3KB gzipped), which makes it easy to load and faster to execute, resulting in improved performance and quicker load times.
  • Compatibility
    Preact is largely compatible with React, allowing developers to switch to Preact with minimal code changes. This makes it easier to adopt for projects already using React.
  • Performance
    Due to its small size and efficient design, Preact offers excellent performance, especially on low-powered devices and in applications with heavy user interactions.
  • Ecosystem
    Preact can work with many tools and libraries that are designed for React, giving developers access to a rich ecosystem of resources.
  • Community
    Preact has an active and growing community that provides support, plugins, and third-party tools, making it easier for developers to find solutions and share knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Preact.js

  • Feature Set
    While Preact covers most of the core React features, it lacks some of the advanced functionality present in React, which may require additional workarounds or third-party libraries.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers coming from a non-React background, learning Preact might involve a learning curve, particularly because of its similarities and subtle differences with React.
  • Tooling Compatibility
    Although many tools designed for React can work with Preact, some might not be directly compatible, requiring additional configuration or patches.
  • Community Size
    While Preact has a supportive community, it is smaller compared to the massive React community, which can result in fewer available resources and third-party packages.
  • Maturity
    Preact, being newer and less widely adopted than React, might not have the same level of battle-tested reliability for all use cases, especially for large scale applications.

Rax videos

NATE'S AMAZING RAX ADVENTURE ! Visiting The Elusive RAX RESTAURANT in Lancaster Ohio

More videos:

  • Review - Visiting a #Rax Roast Beef restaurant - What remains of a once thriving fast food chain
  • Tutorial - RAx Tutorials - How to use RAx Review Assistant Tool

Preact.js videos

JS frameworks are replaceable

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rax and Preact.js)
JavaScript Framework
21 21%
79% 79
Javascript UI Libraries
16 16%
84% 84
Development
100 100%
0% 0
JavaScript
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Rax and Preact.js

Rax Reviews

We have no reviews of Rax yet.
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Preact.js Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks in 2025
PreactJS is a JavaScript library that is said to be the fast 3Kb alternative to ReactJS using the same modern API. It implements the fastest virtual DOM compared to other frameworks in the market. Moreover, it is one of the smallest libraries in terms of size.
Source: solguruz.com
20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
Preact is like React’s little sibling, smaller in size but with the same familiar moves. It’s cutting down the fluff and zipping through tasks with less overhead. When performance budgets are tight, Preact wiggles in perfectly.
20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
Preact is built with the same core principle of React – A component-based approach with Virtual DOM while completely compatible with React. It can even use React packages without compromising on speed, performance, and leaner size. In instances where the full potential of React isn’t necessary, most developers even use React during development and switch to Preact for...
Top 15 jQuery Alternatives To Know
ReactJS is a powerful JavaScript library to create user interfaces. Developers can design easy views at each stage in the application and there is regular update and rendering for the actual components whenever there is any data alteration. It is component-driven and creates encapsulated components that manage their own state.
Top 5 JavaScript Frameworks To Learn in 2021
But according to the graph above, we can notice a decrease in interest in Preact. This might result from having many similar frameworks with the same specs, like react-lite, Inferno, etc. However, knowing a framework like Preact will be useful for your development journey.
Source: enlear.academy

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Preact.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 93 times since March 2021. 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.

Rax mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Rax yet. Tracking of Rax recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Preact.js mentions (93)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Rax and Preact.js, you can also consider the following products

Glimmer - Fast and light-weight UI components for the web

Svelte - Cybernetically enhanced web apps

Deku - Functional view library for building UI components as an alternative to React

Vue.js - Reactive Components for Modern Web Interfaces

Zepto - World's Simplest AI Powered Cloud-based Data Analytics Tool.

Inferno - An extremely fast React-like javascript library for building modern user interfaces.