Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Turbolinks VS Next.js

Compare Turbolinks VS Next.js and see what are their differences

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Turbolinks logo Turbolinks

Turbolinks makes navigating your web application faster

Next.js logo Next.js

A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps
  • Turbolinks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-17
  • Next.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19

Turbolinks features and specs

  • Fast Page Loads
    Turbolinks makes use of AJAX to load only the content that changes between pages, leading to faster page transitions compared to full page reloads.
  • Ease of Use
    It can be easily integrated into a Rails application with minimal setup and code changes, providing fast results without a steep learning curve.
  • Reduced Server Load
    By minimizing full-page reloads, Turbolinks can help reduce server load and usage, as well as client bandwidth.
  • Improved User Experience
    By providing faster navigation and transitions, Turbolinks can create a smoother and more efficient user experience similar to that of a single-page application.

Possible disadvantages of Turbolinks

  • JavaScript Compatibility Issues
    Turbolinks can cause issues with existing JavaScript code that relies on traditional DOMContentLoaded events, requiring additional configuration or workarounds.
  • SEO Challenges
    Since Turbolinks primarily changes content dynamically, it can pose challenges for search engine optimization unless properly handled.
  • Limited Use Cases
    Turbolinks is best suited for pages where content changes without heavy interactivity, and may not be ideal for highly interactive applications.
  • Backward Compatibility
    Integrating Turbolinks into an existing application might require significant changes to JavaScript code to ensure compatibility.

Next.js features and specs

  • Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
    Next.js supports SSR, allowing pages to be rendered on the server-side before being sent to the client. This results in improved SEO and faster initial page loads.
  • Static Site Generation (SSG)
    Enables pre-rendering pages at build time, which can further improve performance and scalability while allowing for dynamic generation when needed.
  • API Routes
    Next.js allows you to build API endpoints directly in the application, simplifying the process of creating back-end services and endpoints.
  • File-Based Routing
    Offers a simple file-based routing mechanism where the file structure maps directly to the app’s routes, making it easier to manage and understand.
  • Automatic Code Splitting
    Automatically splits code at the page level, reducing the initial load time and improving performance by only loading necessary JavaScript.
  • TypeScript Support
    Built-in support for TypeScript, allowing developers to use static type checking and other TypeScript features easily.
  • Developer Experience
    Provides a great developer experience with features like fast refresh, hot reloading, and detailed error reporting.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    Benefiting from the rich ecosystem of the React community and integrating well with other libraries and tools.
  • Internationalization
    Built-in support for internationalization helps developers build multilingual applications with ease.
  • Community and Support
    Strong community and extensive documentation provide ample support and resources for new and experienced developers alike.

Possible disadvantages of Next.js

  • Learning Curve
    The robust feature set of Next.js can present a steep learning curve for developers who are new to React or server-side rendering concepts.
  • Configuration Overhead
    Although Next.js aims for simplicity, complex projects may still require significant configuration and customization.
  • Performance Overhead
    SSR can introduce additional server load and latency compared to static site generators, especially under high traffic conditions.
  • Deployment Complexity
    Deploying Next.js applications that leverage SSR or API routes may be more complex and could require more sophisticated server infrastructure.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    If heavily relying on Next.js-specific features, moving away from the framework to another solution could require significant refactoring.
  • Bundle Size
    Without careful optimization, client-side bundle sizes can become large, negatively affecting the application’s performance.
  • Build Times
    For large applications, build times can be significant, impacting the development cycle and deployment times.
  • Dependencies
    Next.js introduces its own set of dependencies and tooling, which might complicate version management and compatibility with other tools.

Analysis of Next.js

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Next.js is considered a good framework. It is admired for its flexibility, developer experience, and ability to deliver high-performance applications. Its continuous updates and community support further enhance its standing as a reliable choice for building web applications.

Why this product is good

  • Next.js is a popular React framework known for its server-side rendering, static site generation, and API route features. It is built by Vercel and provides an optimized development experience with a focus on performance and SEO advantages. Its easy integration with various backends, built-in support for TypeScript, and capability to handle dynamic and static content efficiently make it a strong choice for modern web development.

Recommended for

  • Developers building SEO-friendly web applications
  • Teams focusing on performance optimization
  • Projects requiring server-side rendering or static site generation
  • Applications needing routing and API integration out of the box
  • Developers looking for a robust framework with TypeScript support

Turbolinks videos

Improving Your Page Load Speeds on Any Site with Turbolinks

More videos:

  • Review - 16 Laravel Livewire SPA using Turbolinks
  • Review - True hybrid mobile applications with Turbolinks

Next.js videos

Next.js: The React Framework - JS Monthly - July 2019

More videos:

  • Review - Gatsby vs Next.js: Which does SSG Better?

Category Popularity

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User comments

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Reviews

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

Turbolinks Reviews

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Next.js Reviews

Top 10 Next.js Alternatives You Can Try
Next.js is a well-known platform most of you utilize to build a responsive website. However, if you are annoyed by its limited features, consider Next.js alternatives because flexibility and faster loading speed are always the top concerns of every developer. For this reason, you might need to read this article to explore the top 10 Nextjs Alternatives for the exciting world...
20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
When it comes to building modern web applications, finding the right framework can be a game-changer. Next.js is often a top choice, but there are several Next.js alternatives worth considering.
10 Best Next.js Alternatives to Consider Today
For those who have been accustomed to the benefits of React Next.js, keeping an eye on the latest version is crucial. Next.js's continuous improvement and updates in Next.js enhance its capabilities, ensuring developers can access cutting-edge features and optimizations. Whether starting a new project or maintaining an existing Next.js website, staying informed about the...
9 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2023
Next.js uses JavaScript and React components to create the UI. Next.js is influenced by React Router, Webpack, Node ecosystem, and community libraries. The feature that sets Next.js apart from other frameworks is its ability to automatically generate pages based on the file system structure of the project. For example, if there is a _posts folder in the root directory,...
Source: ninetailed.io
JavaScript: What Are The Most Used Frameworks For This Language?
Some of its top features include server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, client-side routing, built-in CSS support, static site generation and API routes. Overall, Next.JS is a powerful and flexible framework that provides developers with a simple and intuitive way to build complex React applications with ease. It is widely used in the React community and has a...
Source: www.bocasay.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Next.js seems to be a lot more popular than Turbolinks. While we know about 1074 links to Next.js, we've tracked only 14 mentions of Turbolinks. 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.

Turbolinks mentions (14)

  • Hotwire: HTML Over The Wire
    First off, name calling. Second, I actually thought the same as you but digging into the history I don't see any records of a public release of Hotwire until December of 2020, and HTMX was public in May of that year. I'm pretty sure what I was thinking of was actually Turbolinks: https://github.com/turbolinks/turbolinks. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • What is the best way to add dynamic workflow in django template ?
    You can find out more about Turbolinks on the GitHub repository (https://github.com/turbolinks/turbolinks). The repo is now archived, because it’s was integrated in a framework called Turbo, but the functionality is the same. Source: about 2 years ago
  • A Comprehensive Guide to Rails Internationalization
    // app/javascript/src/helpers/price.js // Turbolinks are enabled by default in Rails, // we need to process our script on every page load // https://github.com/turbolinks/turbolinks#full-list-of-events Document.addEventListener("turbolinks:ready", () => { // Get language from html tag const lang = document.documentElement.lang; // Find all span tags with data-localize="price" const pricesOnPage =... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • An SPA Alternative
    Https://github.com/turbolinks/turbolinks It provides a smooth UX by fetching next page's HTML in background, then replace the DOM by compareing the diff in HTML. So you won't see a blank page while navigating between pages. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Get Started with Hotwire in Your Ruby on Rails App
    If you have used Turbolinks in the past, you will feel right at home with Turbo Drive. At its core, some JS code intercepts JavaScript events on your application, loads HTML asynchronously, and replaces parts of your HTML markup. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

Next.js mentions (1074)

  • I replaced Next.js for my application with this module 🔥
    But I want to say that this topic is clearly not new in 2025, I will not reveal anything supernatural here. HTMX and Alpine.js have already fully proven to everyone that this is not nonsense. I am just retelling everything, but with one interesting remark - this is the HMPL template language which is better than the previous two in some tasks. Next, I will describe why and how it will help you replace Next.js. - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • How to add markdown to a Next.js project
    This article assumes the reader is a developer that knows their way around Markdown, TypeScript, React.js, and [Next.js] https://nextjs.org/). Familiarity with Tailwind-css would also be useful. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • The Rise of Hybrid Frameworks
    The popularisation of SSR among frontend developers can be largely attributed to the widespread adoption of frameworks with server-side rendering. These frameworks provide an elegant integration of SSR with modern JavaScript libraries and frameworks like React and Vue.js. Next.js, for instance, has become a de facto choice for many React developers seeking to leverage SSR's benefits without sacrificing the... - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Angular: Beyond the fog #1
    My only true recommendation would be to prefer React for mobile or SSR applications, as community projects (Expo for mobile and Next.js for SSR) are more mature and easier to set up. - Source: dev.to / 15 days ago
  • Generate Git action CI/CD pipeline using Amazon Q CLI
    This is a Next.js project bootstrapped with create-next-app. - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Turbolinks and Next.js, you can also consider the following products

Webpacker - Use Webpack to manage app-like JavaScript modules in Rails - rails/webpacker

Vercel - Vercel is the platform for frontend developers, providing the speed and reliability innovators need to create at the moment of inspiration.

RubyGems - RubyGems. org is the Ruby community's gem hosting service. Instantly publish your gems and then install them. Use the API find out more about available gems. Become a contributor and improve the site yourself.

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

Nuxt.js - Nuxt.js presets all the configuration needed to make your development of a Vue.js application enjoyable. It's a perfect static site generator.