Htmx vs React: When You Do Not Need a JavaScript Framework

React is the most popular frontend framework. Htmx is a counter-movement: add interactivity to server-rendered HTML without writing JavaScript. They solve the same problem differently.

How Each Works

Htmx

Server renders HTML. Htmx attributes on HTML elements trigger HTTP requests and swap content:

<button hx-get="/api/users" hx-target="#user-list" hx-swap="innerHTML">
  Load Users
</button>
<div id="user-list"><!-- users appear here --></div>

Clicking the button sends a GET request to /api/users. The server returns HTML. Htmx swaps it into #user-list. No JavaScript written.

React

JavaScript renders a virtual DOM. State changes trigger re-renders:

function UserList() {
  const [users, setUsers] = useState([])
  const loadUsers = async () => {
    const res = await fetch('/api/users')
    setUsers(await res.json())
  }
  return (
    <>
      <button onClick={loadUsers}>Load Users</button>
      <div>{users.map(u => <User key={u.id} {...u} />)}</div>
    </>
  )
}

Comparison

When Htmx Wins

1. CRUD applications (admin panels, data management)
2. Server-rendered applications (Django, Rails, Laravel, Go)
3. Progressive enhancement of existing server-rendered sites
4. Small teams without JavaScript expertise
5. Content-heavy sites needing minor interactivity
6. Simple interactive features (search, filtering, modals)

When React Wins

1. Complex UIs (dashboards, interactive editors, drag-and-drop)
2. Real-time applications (chat, collaboration, live dashboards)
3. Rich animations and transitions
4. Offline-capable applications
5. Mobile apps (React Native)
6. Large-scale applications with complex state

Our Position

We build with React (Next.js) because our projects typically require the interactivity, component composition, and ecosystem that React provides. Htmx is excellent for adding interactivity to server-rendered sites, but for the web applications we build, React is the right tool.

Contact us to discuss your project requirements.