Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Three.js VS particles.js

Compare Three.js VS particles.js and see what are their differences

Three.js logo Three.js

A JavaScript 3D library which makes WebGL simpler.

particles.js logo particles.js

A lightweight JavaScript library for creating particles.
  • Three.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-05-05
  • particles.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

Three.js features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Three.js simplifies the complex task of 3D rendering with an intuitive API, making it accessible to developers who may not have deep expertise in 3D graphics.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Three.js is built upon WebGL, ensuring compatibility across modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    The library offers extensive documentation, examples, and an active community, which helps in quickly resolving issues and understanding implementation.
  • Integration with HTML and CSS
    Three.js can be easily integrated with HTML and CSS, allowing for the blending of 2D and 3D elements in web applications.
  • Extensive Features
    It supports a wide range of features including cameras, lights, materials, shaders, and post-processing effects, making it highly versatile for various 3D projects.

Possible disadvantages of Three.js

  • Performance Overhead
    Despite its powerful capabilities, Three.js can have significant performance overhead, especially for complex scenes, which might require optimization.
  • Learning Curve
    While easier than raw WebGL, Three.js still has a learning curve, particularly for those new to 3D graphics, requiring time to become proficient.
  • Limited Built-in Advanced Tools
    Although feature-rich, Three.js lacks some advanced tools out-of-the-box compared to more specialized or industry-standard 3D engines, necessitating custom solutions for certain tasks.
  • Dependency on WebGL
    Three.js relies on WebGL, meaning it cannot be used in environments where WebGL is not supported, which can limit accessibility and compatibility.
  • Frequent Updates
    The library is actively developed, which is generally positive, but frequent updates can mean breaking changes, requiring developers to frequently refactor their code.

particles.js features and specs

  • Easy Integration
    Particles.js can be easily integrated into web projects using simple HTML and JavaScript. It doesn't require any complex setup, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.
  • Customizability
    The library offers a high degree of customizability, allowing developers to adjust parameters such as particle count, color, shape, size, and animation effects to suit their specific design needs.
  • Smooth Animations
    Particles.js provides smooth and visually appealing animations that enhance the interactive aspects of a website without significant performance drawbacks on modern browsers.
  • Lightweight
    Particles.js is relatively lightweight, which means it won’t significantly increase the load time of your site, ensuring a snappy user experience.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, it allows developers to contribute to the project, customize it further, or use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.

Possible disadvantages of particles.js

  • Performance Issues on Low-End Devices
    While it performs well on modern devices, low-end devices may experience lag or performance issues, especially with high particle counts.
  • Limited Interactivity
    The built-in interactive features are somewhat limited. For developers seeking complex interactivity, additional custom code might be necessary.
  • Not SEO Friendly
    Since particles.js generates a canvas-based animation, it does not contribute to search engine optimization (SEO) as search engines primarily index text content.
  • Dependency on JavaScript
    The library is entirely dependent on JavaScript. Thus, if a user's browser has JavaScript disabled, the particle effects will not function.
  • Potential for Overuse
    There is a risk that overuse or overcomplexity of particle effects could lead to distraction or interfere with the user experience if not implemented judiciously.

Three.js videos

Getting Started With Three.js

More videos:

  • Review - Ricardo Cabello (Mr doob) - 5 years of three.js

particles.js videos

No particles.js videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Three.js and particles.js)
Javascript UI Libraries
90 90%
10% 10
Flowcharts
100 100%
0% 0
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Charting Libraries
86 86%
14% 14

User comments

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Reviews

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

Three.js Reviews

Top 20 Javascript Libraries
Cross-browser JS library and API that allows for the creation of beautiful animations, Three.js relies on WebGL rather than conventional browser-plugins. Through its library utilities, developers can include complex 3D animations on their website without much effort. Three.js include many features like geometry, lights, materials, shaders, effects, scenes, data loaders,...
Source: hackr.io

particles.js Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Three.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 247 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.

Three.js mentions (247)

  • Turn your phone into a wireless Joy-Con with SyncoPath
    The phone in the codepath sample got rendered using Three.js. For fun, I also added some beep sound generated using ZZfx when you tap. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • How to Build a Portfolio Website with React
    Also, to make your portfolio stand out to recruiters and clients, you can add some creative and interactive animations to it. The following libraries can help you easily do this: Framer Motion, tsParticles, and Three.js. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Rant: state of generative AI in code generation.
    In my experience with AI code generation, in visual projects like UI development or JavaScript based animation (using three.js or p5.js) etc. AI tools work pretty well. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • My son (9 yrs old) used plain JavaScript to make a game, and wants your feedback
    After he's done with v2, might I propose... THE GAMEY GAME 3D ?? https://threejs.org/ I started coding at 9 as well (which was a long time ago now), so I was very happy to play and see this today. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Optimizing Three.js: 4 Key Techniques
    But code can also create something visually stunning, something everyone can appreciate. This is where tools like Three.js shine. However, Three.js can be heavy, especially when used in a dynamic web page accessed by devices with varying computational power. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
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particles.js mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Three.js and particles.js, you can also consider the following products

p5.js - JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences

Anime.js - Lightweight JavaScript animation library

PixiJS - Fast and flexible WebGL-based HTML5 game and app development library.

Pixi.js - Fast lightweight 2D library that works across all devices

Paper.js - Open source vector graphics scripting framework that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas.

Substance - A JavaScript library for web-based content editing