HTMX vs React: Choosing the Right Tool

Both HTMX and React are excellent tools, but they solve different problems. Here's when to use each.

Key Differences

Feature	HTMX	React
Approach	Hypermedia/Server-driven	Component/Client-driven
Bundle Size	~14KB	~130KB (with React DOM)
Learning Curve	Hours	Weeks to months
State Management	Server-side	Client-side
SEO	Excellent	Good (with SSR)
Offline Support	Limited	Excellent
Real-time	Via SSE/WebSockets	Via WebSockets/libraries

When to Choose HTMX

✅ Good for:

• Content-heavy sites (blogs, documentation)
• CRUD applications
• Admin panels
• Forms and data entry
• Teams with strong backend skills
• Projects prioritizing simplicity

Example: E-commerce admin panel

<table hx-get="/products" hx-trigger="load">
    <!-- Product list loaded from server -->
</table>

When to Choose React

✅ Good for:

• Highly interactive UIs
• Complex client-side state
• Offline-first applications
• Real-time collaboration
• Mobile apps (React Native)
• Large teams with specialized frontend devs

Example: Real-time collaborative editor

function Editor() {
  const [content, setContent] = useState('');
  const [collaborators, setCollaborators] = useState([]);

  // Complex client-side logic
  useEffect(() => {
    const ws = connectToCollaborationServer();
    ws.on('change', handleRemoteChange);
    // ...
  }, []);

  return <RichTextEditor value={content} />;
}

Comparison Scenarios

Scenario 1: Todo App

HTMX:

<form hx-post="/todos" hx-target="#list" hx-swap="beforeend">
    <input name="title" />
    <button>Add</button>
</form>
<ul id="list" hx-get="/todos" hx-trigger="load"></ul>

React:

function TodoApp() {
  const [todos, setTodos] = useState([]);
  const [input, setInput] = useState('');

  const addTodo = async () => {
    const response = await fetch('/api/todos', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify({ title: input }),
    });
    const newTodo = await response.json();
    setTodos([...todos, newTodo]);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <input value={input} onChange={e => setInput(e.target.value)} />
      <button onClick={addTodo}>Add</button>
      <ul>
        {todos.map(todo => <li key={todo.id}>{todo.title}</li>)}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
}

Winner: HTMX (simpler for this use case)

Scenario 2: Real-time Dashboard

HTMX:

<div hx-get="/dashboard/stats"
     hx-trigger="every 5s"
     hx-swap="innerHTML">
    <!-- Stats updated every 5s -->
</div>

React:

function Dashboard() {
  const [stats, setStats] = useState({});

  useEffect(() => {
    const ws = new WebSocket('ws://api/stats');
    ws.onmessage = (event) => {
      setStats(JSON.parse(event.data));
    };
    return () => ws.close();
  }, []);

  return <StatsDisplay stats={stats} />;
}

Winner: Depends on requirements (React better for complex real-time)

Hybrid Approach

You don't have to choose just one!

<!-- Use HTMX for simple interactions -->
<div hx-get="/users" hx-trigger="load">
    Loading users...
</div>

<!-- Use React for complex components -->
<div id="chart-root"></div>
<script>
    ReactDOM.render(<ComplexChart data={data} />, document.getElementById('chart-root'));
</script>

Decision Framework

Choose HTMX if:

• ✅ Server-side rendering is natural for your stack
• ✅ Team is stronger in backend than frontend
• ✅ Simple, content-driven application
• ✅ Want faster development time
• ✅ Prioritize simplicity and maintainability

Choose React if:

• ✅ Need complex client-side state
• ✅ Building highly interactive UI
• ✅ Offline functionality required
• ✅ Large frontend team
• ✅ Planning mobile app (React Native)
• ✅ Need rich component ecosystem

Conclusion

HTMX and React aren't competitors—they solve different problems. HTMX excels at server-driven applications with simple interactivity. React excels at complex client-side applications.

Choose based on your project needs, not hype. Sometimes the simple tool is the right tool.