Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SolidJS VS Preact.js

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

SolidJS logo SolidJS

A declarative, efficient and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

Preact.js logo Preact.js

Preact is a fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.
  • SolidJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16
  • Preact.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

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.

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.

SolidJS videos

Is SolidJS Better Than React?

More videos:

  • Review - React vs SolidJS, Fight!

Preact.js videos

JS frameworks are replaceable

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SolidJS and Preact.js)
Javascript UI Libraries
27 27%
73% 73
JavaScript Framework
32 32%
68% 68
JS Library
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 SolidJS and Preact.js

SolidJS Reviews

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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 should be more popular than SolidJS. 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.

SolidJS mentions (21)

  • 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 / about 1 year 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 / about 1 year 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 / almost 2 years ago
  • Deploy a solid-start app on github pages
    Solid-start is the long awaited meta-framework for Solid.js. Since it entered its second beta after a rewrite, there were a few breaking changes, so the previous article on this one's topic was no longer valid. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Million.js Beyond Speed | Making React Apps Memory Efficient
    Million uses techniques closer to fine-grained reactivity (shoutout Solid JS) where observers are placed right on the necessary DOM nodes to track state changes among other optimizations, rather than using a virtual DOM. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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Preact.js mentions (93)

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What are some alternatives?

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

Svelte - Cybernetically enhanced web apps

Vue.js - Reactive Components for Modern Web Interfaces

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

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

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

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