# Preact vs React

| Attribute | Preact | React |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 77.4 (72% (medium)) | 74.7 (73% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 93 | 58 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 78,992 | 13,986 |
| adoption.github_stars | 38,858 | 250,040 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 17,937,973 | 127,367,319 |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | - | 470,000 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A minimal virtual DOM library that provides a React-compatible API with significantly reduced file size. Preact delivers performance-focused component development without the overhead of traditional frameworks. It is indexed under Frontend UI Frameworks.","source":"https://preactjs.com/","question":"What is Preact?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Preact is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://preactjs.com/","question":"Is Preact free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Preact. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://preactjs.com/","question":"What platforms does Preact support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Preact is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact","question":"Is Preact open source?","confidence":0.99}]` | `[{"answer":"React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces using a component-based architecture. It uses a declarative programming model, allowing developers to describe what the UI should look like for any given application state. React employs a virtual DOM abstraction to efficiently update only the parts of the interface that have changed.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"What is React?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Yes, React is open source software released under the MIT license, permitting free use, modification, and distribution in both commercial and personal projects. There are no licensing fees or cost barriers to using React.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"Is React open source and free to use?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"React is maintained by Meta (formerly Facebook) along with contributions from the open-source community. Meta created React to solve its own internal UI challenges and later open-sourced it to enable broader adoption and community feedback.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"Who maintains React?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"React is built on JavaScript and TypeScript, running natively in web browsers. Meta also maintains React Native, a separate framework that allows developers to apply React principles to build native iOS and Android mobile applications using JavaScript.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"What programming languages and platforms does React support?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Popular alternatives include Vue.js (a progressive JavaScript framework), Angular (a comprehensive full-featured framework), Svelte (a compiler-based framework), and Preact (a lightweight React-compatible library). Each offers different trade-offs in learning curve, ecosystem size, and performance characteristics.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"What are the main alternatives to React?","confidence":0.93},{"answer":"React applications can use multiple rendering strategies: client-side rendering (browser handles all rendering), server-side rendering (server generates initial HTML via Node.js), or static site generation (pre-built HTML files). Deployments typically run on web servers, content delivery networks, or serverless computing platforms.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"How are React applications typically deployed?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"React projects typically use build tools such as Webpack, Vite, or Parcel for bundling and development. Common complementary libraries include React Router for navigation, Redux or Context API for state management, and Jest or React Testing Library for testing.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/react","question":"What build tools and libraries are commonly paired with React?","confidence":0.93}]` |
| description.long | Preact is a JavaScript framework for building user interfaces through reusable components and Virtual DOM rendering. It offers React-like developer experience with significantly reduced JavaScript footprint, making it suitable for performance-critical applications. | A library that enables developers to construct user interfaces using individual components as building blocks. React components are JavaScript functions that receive data and render the appropriate output, supporting both web applications and native mobile development through frameworks. |
| features.capabilities | `{"paradigm":"Virtual DOM component library","bundle_size":"tiny","ssr_support":true,"virtual_dom":true,"component_model":true,"router_official":true,"state_management":true}` | `{"paradigm":"Component-based library","ssr_support":true,"component_model":true,"router_official":false}` |
| language.primary | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| market.availability | - | `{"source":"https://react.dev","hqCountry":"US","confidence":0.95,"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://preactjs.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-10T16:00:24.072Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://react.dev","retrievedAt":"2026-08-01T15:00:26.727Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | free | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| release.cadence_days | 13 | 60 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/11.0.0-rc.2","date":"2026-09-08T09:03:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"11.0.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/11.0.0-rc.1","date":"2026-08-26T07:49:33Z","type":"prerelease","version":"11.0.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/11.0.0-rc.0","date":"2026-08-10T06:17:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"11.0.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.8","date":"2026-08-01T09:57:31Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/11.0.0-beta.2","date":"2026-07-15T16:46:28Z","type":"prerelease","version":"11.0.0-beta.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.7","date":"2026-07-08T17:33:42Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.6","date":"2026-07-08T07:34:46Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.5","date":"2026-07-07T16:51:01Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.4","date":"2026-07-03T10:58:50Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.3","date":"2026-06-26T05:16:07Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.2","date":"2026-05-17T09:58:18Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.1","date":"2026-04-03T10:43:40Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.29.0","date":"2026-03-10T18:28:07Z","type":"stable","version":"10.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.28.4","date":"2026-02-19T07:15:06Z","type":"stable","version":"10.28.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/11.0.0-beta.1","date":"2026-02-15T10:10:26Z","type":"prerelease","version":"11.0.0-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.28.3","date":"2026-01-31T09:58:48Z","type":"stable","version":"10.28.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.28.2","date":"2026-01-06T14:51:37Z","type":"stable","version":"10.28.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.27.3","date":"2026-01-06T14:59:45Z","type":"stable","version":"10.27.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.26.10","date":"2026-01-06T15:02:47Z","type":"stable","version":"10.26.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/preactjs/preact/releases/tag/10.28.1","date":"2025-12-23T19:22:14Z","type":"stable","version":"10.28.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.3.0","date":"2026-09-09T18:01:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.2.8","date":"2026-07-21T15:49:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.2.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.1.9","date":"2026-07-21T15:48:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.1.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.0.8","date":"2026-07-21T15:48:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.0.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.2.7","date":"2026-06-01T18:04:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.2.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.1.8","date":"2026-06-01T18:04:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.1.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.0.7","date":"2026-06-01T18:04:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.0.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.2.6","date":"2026-05-06T16:27:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.1.7","date":"2026-05-06T16:27:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.0.6","date":"2026-05-06T16:27:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.0.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/eslint-plugin-react-hooks%407.1.1","date":"2026-04-17T20:51:48Z","type":"stable","version":"eslint-plugin-react-hooks@7.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/eslint-plugin-react-hooks%407.1.0","date":"2026-04-17T19:41:40Z","type":"stable","version":"eslint-plugin-react-hooks@7.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.2.5","date":"2026-04-08T18:49:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.2.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.1.6","date":"2026-04-08T18:49:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.0.5","date":"2026-04-08T18:49:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.0.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.2.4","date":"2026-01-26T18:29:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.1.5","date":"2026-01-26T18:29:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.0.4","date":"2026-01-26T18:29:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.1.4","date":"2025-12-12T00:11:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/react/react/releases/tag/v19.0.3","date":"2025-12-12T00:12:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v19.0.3"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5.7 | 7 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=preact&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=react-addons-shallow-compare&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Frontend UI Frameworks)

| Capability | Preact | React |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Paradigm | Virtual DOM component library | Component-based library |
| Reusable component model | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Rendering** |  |  |
| Virtual DOM | ✓ | - |
| Signals / fine-grained reactivity | - | - |
| SSR support | ✓ | ✓ |
| **DX** |  |  |
| First-class TypeScript | - | - |
| **State** |  |  |
| Built-in state management | ✓ | - |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Official router | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Performance** |  |  |
| Runtime size | Tiny (<10kb) | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-09-21T02:34:27.980Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*