The best JavaScript frameworks, according to hackers
21 JavaScript frameworks were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 11 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended JavaScript frameworks with the badge. Each figure is 25 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Simpler than heavy JS frameworks
A small, dependency-free library that adds interactivity to server-rendered HTML with a few attributes, avoiding heavy JavaScript frameworks; critics say complex, stateful apps hit limits.
Simple, intuitive reactivity
A compiled frontend framework praised for simple reactivity, closeness to plain HTML/CSS/JS and fast output; critics cite a smaller ecosystem and LLM confusion between Svelte 4 and 5.
Simple, approachable reactivity model
An easy-to-tame reactive UI framework with single-file components and good interop, though critics dislike its custom template syntax and the painful Vue 2 to 3 migration.
All 21 JavaScript frameworks, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | React | 482 | 560 | 46% | 13 | 10 yrs21 owners | — |
| 2 | htmx | 320 | 120 | 73% | 13 | 2 yrs12 owners | Approved |
| 3 | Svelte | 151 | 37 | 80% | 13 | 3 yrs9 owners | Approved |
| 4 | Vue | 121 | 39 | 76% | 13 | 9.9 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| 5 | Angular | 82 | 96 | 46% | 11 | 8 yrs10 owners | — |
| 6 | SolidJS | 69 | 10 | 87% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 7 | Datastar | 45 | 10 | 82% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 8 | Preact | 35 | 1 | 97% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 9 | Ember.js | 28 | 7 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 10 | Lit | 27 | 12 | 69% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | Inertia.js | 14 | 1 | 93% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | Hotwire | 14 | 7 | 67% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | Mithril.js | 14 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 14 | Backbone.js | 12 | 9 | 57% | 7 | — | — |
| 15 | Quasar framework | 11 | 14 | 44% | 4 | — | — |
| 16 | Titan JavaScript framework | 8 | 8 | 50% | 5 | — | — |
| 17 | Cappuccino framework | 7 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Stimulus | 6 | 2 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Gea | 6 | 4 | 60% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Octane | 6 | 3 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Persona.js | 6 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same JavaScript framework in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to JavaScript frameworks that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.