8 Most Popular Front End Frameworks to Use in 2024

How many times have you closed a website because it was slow, glitchy, or there were too many options?

Most people decide in 2 seconds whether they want to stay on a web page or move on.

That means you just have 2 seconds to convince your users that your service, your product, and your website are worth it.

Being a leading Web Development Agency in London, we always advise our clients that user experience is the most integral part of website and web app development.

It doesn’t matter how many features your website has or how helpful your web application is if users are not happy with how it looks and works.

Therefore frontend development is arguably the most important part of your web development process. And you need the best front end frameworks to build the best frontend.

But there are so many new frontend libraries and frameworks that it becomes confusing.

Should you use React because everyone is using it?

But Angular has so much history and usage. Maybe you should give Solid or Qwik a try.

So much confusion.

But thankfully, we are here to solve this little problem for you.

With the help of our frontend developers, we have created this comprehensive list of the 8 best frontend frameworks for web development in 2024.

With a detailed analysis of how the framework is, what benefits it has, and when to use it, this blog will answer all your questions regarding front-end frameworks.

What are Frontend Frameworks?

Frontend frameworks provide the tools to design and develop the front-end or the user side of your website and web application.

These frameworks come with pre-coded elements and UI libraries which make frontend development much easier and quicker.

By using website design frameworks, frontend developers can save a lot of time, and focus on the design and user-friendly aspect of the frontend development.

With reusable code, ready-to-use UI elements, automatic state rendering, and reduced boilerplate code, a web development framework makes web app development a smooth and simple process.

But why is the frontend so important?

The front end is the part of the website or web app that the user sees and interacts with.

Frontend is the part of your website that sells for you, so it has to be attractive, user-friendly, and unique.

This is why the front end is a very important part of website development.

The front-end of your website has to convince users to keep buying your products and services by gaining their trust.

Additionally, your website will be the first point of contact for your customers.

Therefore the website has to truly reflect your company, your brand, and your work.

So let’s look at how you can develop the best front end or user interface for your web project using front end frameworks and UI libraries.

8 Top Frontend Frameworks For Web Development

There are tens and hundreds of web development frameworks available in the market today.

It tends to make web developers and team leads confused and unsure.

Which popular frontend framework should we use for this web development project?

As per the StateofJS Developers survey 2022, these are the top 10 frontend frameworks in demand today. But which frontend framework is the best?

As one of the leading website development companies in the UK, we face this question fairly regularly.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all frontend framework available.

Each frontend web framework was developed with a use case in mind.

Therefore it is important to analyze what your project requires and choose the best frontend framework accordingly.

So here are our 10 top frontend web frameworks of 2024 for UI development. Let’s look at each of them closely to figure out which works best for you.

#1. React

React is a progressive JavaScript library or a frontend framework depending on who you ask.

But regardless of the nomenclature, React is the most popular framework worldwide by frontend web developers.

In fact, React has been the most used frontend framework since 2016, according to StateofJS.

Developed by Facebook, React is a component-based framework used for developing user-friendly, interactive UIs.

Due to its high performance, scalability, and reactivity, this Javascript library is capable of building large enterprise-level projects from single-page applications to blogging websites.

React offers reusable components that make collaboration easy between large teams.

This means you can reuse your components be it functions, classes or objects, across your applications and reduce rewriting the same code.

The Virtual DOM capability has revolutionized how a web app runs and executes code.

Thus increasing the speed, performance, and stability of web applications.

Therefore React is the best frontend framework for building websites or web apps that handle a lot of user traffic while providing high performance.

React is just a library, it provides the framework and structure to build an interactive user interface.

For building a full-stack web application, the framework comes with a large host of add-on libraries.

For example, Redux for state management, React Native for building mobile apps, and React Router for routing.

Netflix, Instagram, Dropbox, and Discord are some popular apps and websites built with React.

When to Use React?

• Building single-page apps and progressive web apps.
• Developing large-traffic sites and applications such as cloud apps or social media platforms.
• Developing business websites that require scaling in future.
• Developing cross-platform applications
• Working with a large development team and want easy collaboration and work tracking

Learning Resources: React has a relatively easy learning curve for new developers and students.

There are a lot of online courses available for students to get started.

The official documentation can be a bit tough to follow because of constant changes and upgrades.

#2. Vue

Vue.js is a progressive modern framework that relies on simplicity to build responsive, user-driven frontends.

It follows the Model–View–View-Model (MVVM) architecture to build user interfaces for websites.

The Vuejs framework has a huge ecosystem to support developing simple to complex web applications.

Most developers consider Vue to be the best of Angular and React.

It has the Virtual DOM, reusable components, and reactive two-way data binding that simplifies coding for Vue developers.

In fact, you can create a simple app with just 5-10 code lines in Vue.

Vue.js performs a lot of tasks automatically in the backend to minimize boilerplate code.

It keeps track of and automatically updates state changes in the DOM.

Similarly, it creates watchers for each component to track the effect of state changes and reflect it through the whole loop.

This makes Vue applications and websites to be one of the fastest and most performative. But the framework itself remains lightweight, around 20 KB only.

One other big advantage of Vue is its compatibility with the most popular backend frameworks and tools. Vuejs would be a good fit into any web development stack.

If you want to give an unparalleled user experience, Vue is one of the best front-end frameworks to use. This is proven by these big websites and web apps Alibaba, Adobe, and Grammarly using Vue.

When to Use Vue?

• For building complex large-scale apps.
• When you want a unique UI and design from scratch.
• Building dynamic web applications that support scaling and high performance.

Learning Resources: The official Vue docs are comprehensive and complete and a great start for developers already familiar with Javascript, HTML and CSS.

#3. Svelte

Svelte is a lightweight, new-age Javascript frontend framework used for building web applications.

Svelte is different in two very significant ways – The reactivity of components and running code at build time.

Unlike React and Vue frameworks, Svelte does not use the Virtual DOM technique to increase speed.

The Svelte framework tries to minimize the execution load on browsers and instead focuses it on the compiler.

The framework converts your components into imperative code that updates the DOM when there is a state change.

This significantly improves the page speed and performance of your web applications.

One of the biggest advantages of using Svelte is that it uses simple, vanilla Javascript.

The framework makes JavaScript itself reactive so your variables are in sync with the DOM and with each other.

Nowadays, Svelte and React are the two most popular frameworks in demand for developing user interfaces.

When you consider React vs Svelte, React is more of a Javascript library that requires add-on libraries to build a complete UI.

But Svelte comes with state management, client-side DOM management, and routing built-in.

So Svelte is the best UI framework for you when developing a high-performing web app quickly and with almost no boilerplate code.

Examples of popular Svelte web applications are Avast, Chess.com, and GoDaddy.

When to Use Svelte

• You want to build user interfaces for small websites and web apps.
• Want super high page speeds with interactive design.
• Want to build experimental web projects and learn with a new framework

Learning Resources: Although the official documentation is good, courses on Udemy or freeCodeCamp are a great way to start learning about the Svelte framework.

#4. Angular

Angular 2 or AngularJS is one of the oldest and most popular frontend frameworks today.

It is one part of the holy trinity of frontend frameworks – Angular, Vue and React.

Angular is an open-source Typescript framework that is used for developing efficient, complex, user-friendly web applications and websites.

As an Angular development agency in London, we can vouch for the usability and flexibility of the framework. Whether you want to build a complex multi-page web app or an eCommerce store or a simple landing page, Angular is one of the best frontend web frameworks for you.

There are many unique features offered by Angular, that make it a top choice for website and web application development.

Angular offers scalability, and website portability so you can scale your website as your business grows.

Angular has a robust UI components library that helps frontend developers create an attractive web page within a short time.

Moreover, the Angular framework has responsive components so your website can be viewed perfectly on smartphones and tablets too.

Two main reasons for the popularity of Angular development are: two-way data binding and dependency injection.

Since the Model and View layers have connected both ways, developers can see any changes they make instantly in the View Layer.

With dependency injection developers can build reusable components.

The Angular framework is perfect for developing Single page applications and complex websites. Popular websites using Angular are Upwork, PayPal, and Forbes.

When to Use Angular?

You should choose Angular web framework for development when:

• You are developing single-page applications such as PayPal or Gmail
• You are developing progressive web apps such as Twitter Lite or Starbucks
• You want mobile-friendly web applications that are scalable
• You want to develop enterprise-level websites and apps

Learning Resources: The official Angular documentation is very detailed and straightforward and a great start to learning Angular.

#5. Solid

Solid or Solidjs is a relatively new framework that is gaining traction among frontend developers.

It is a declarative Javascript framework for developing interactive user interfaces and web applications.

Solid framework is pragmatic and performative – it uses one-way data binding and reusable components.

In addition, it supports direct DOM manipulation, unlike React and Vue which use Virtual DOMs.

Developers prefer Solid Framework because of its developer-friendliness. It provides reactive programming and small code bundles to give developers a simple and fun coding experience.

It supports both Javascript and Typescript web development languages.

Developers have the freedom and control over what is updated, and what is affected at all levels from components to the DOM changes.

This is why there has been a spiked increase in interest in Solid framework over the last 2 years, according to State Of JS 2022.

But if you are familiar with React, Solid will be very easy and straightforward for you.

It is built on similar principles of one-way data binding, immutable interfaces, and read/write segregation. Only a changed understanding of DOM manipulation is necessary.

The biggest disadvantage of Solid is its lack of community.

Being relatively new, Solid does not have a strong community of web developers and thus getting bug fixes and community support for issues can take some time.

Still, it is an up-and-coming frontend framework that can greatly simplify your web development process.

When to Use Solid?

• For building small to medium-sized web apps
• For super fast and performative single-page applications
• For experimental and personal projects

Learning Resources: There are a few courses online that are great for learning and building your first web app with Solidjs such as official docs, Let’s Learn SolidJS and Udemy.

#6. Emberjs

Emberjs is a robust and scalable open-source frontend framework.

This web application framework is popular among developers because of its great developer experience.

The framework provides a complete frontend development solution from designing and developing UI to state management, routing, and configurations.

The framework follows the principles of convention over configuration making it compulsory to follow the rules and structure.

This makes it easy for team collaboration. Thus Emberjs is preferred when developing complex web apps with ease.

It is a great choice for frontend web development because of its strong templating system and a powerful ecosystem of developer tools and plugins.

Its powerful templating system allows developers to write reusable and easy-to-read code. This makes it easy to build complex user interfaces and keep code maintainable over time.

Another advantage of Ember.js is its use of Ember CLI.

It is a command-line interface that provides a set of tools for building, testing, and deploying Ember.js applications.

This makes the development process extremely smooth and easy, especially for large-scale apps.

However, a lot of developers find the framework to be too rigid and hard to work with.

Emberjs does not allow changes in its conventions and functioning.

Still, a lot of widely-used web apps are built with EmberJS such as LinkedIn, Microsoft, and CrowdStrike.

Thus Emberjs is one of the best frontend frameworks for developing scalable, maintainable, and efficient web apps.

When to Use Ember.js?

• When building complex web applications
• Require interactive UI with real-time updates
• For developing enterprise applications and large-scale projects
• When you have a big development team that is familiar with the framework

Learning Resources: There are a lot of helpful courses and resources available online for Emberjs. The framework does have a steep learning curve and takes time to learn the syntax and conventions of Emberjs.

#7. Preact

Preact is a smaller, lightweight and fast frontend web app framework. Influenced greatly by React, this framework is an optimal choice for building smaller web apps and websites.

Preact is an open-source library for building modern, user-friendly web interfaces. It uses a very small virtual DOM that makes changes and updates to the DOM very quickly.

The main advantage of Preact is its compatibility with other web app frameworks and libraries.

Thus it can fit into any development stack your company or project uses efficiently.

Additionally, you can also reuse React components across apps because of Preact’s portability.

Preact is small and lightweight with only 3 KB in size. But it does not sacrifice productivity, you can still perform complex functions with speed.

This frontend framework can be used directly in the browser. Therefore you do not require any build or tools.

With its quick rendering and fast DOM updates, Preact is one of the best lightweight frameworks available today.

For developers who are used to React but require a faster alternative, Preact is a good option.

When to Use Preact?

1. Building simple single-page applications that require fast rendering
2. Building cross-platform mobile apps
3. It is a good choice for rapid prototyping.

Learning Resources: Preact has a small learning curve and can be a great choice for new developers who are just starting frontend development.

There are a few courses available for learning Preact on Udemy and some free crash courses on Youtube.

#8. jQuery

jQuery is one of the first frameworks for frontend web development released in 2006.

It is a lightweight, Javascript library that is used for creating feature-rich UI. The framework supports cross-platform, cross-browser web application development.

jQuery simplifies the process of HTML documentation traversal as compared to plain Javascript. Moreover, jQuery also helps in event handling, Ajax interactions, animation and more. That is why web application developers prefer jQuery for rapid web development.

Being one of the oldest frontend web application development frameworks, jQuery has a large developer community.

The framework also has a lot of support for other web development tools like content management systems, payment gateways and more.

Even today, after 17 years of inception, jQuery is still the 3rd most used framework according to StackOverflow Survey 2022.

jQuery helps with Javascript and CSS3 code manipulation, to add interactive UI elements and build a powerful web app.

jQuery Mobile has made it easier to develop mobile-friendly apps and websites.

More than 90 million websites use jQuery currently according to BuiltWith Statistics.

When to Use jQuery?

We recommend adding jQuery to your web application development stack when:

• Building desktop and web applications
• Developing interactive web pages
• For small-scale websites and web apps

Learning Resources: There are many resources available online for becoming an expert jQuery developer from jQuery’s learning centre to W3School and Codecademy.

How To Decide Which Front End Framework to Use?

Before deciding what frontend framework is best for your website, it is important to recognize your requirements.

Do you want a user-friendly, minimalist UI or a 3D animated interactive UI?

Understanding your website needs will help you narrow down and decide the best framework. But don’t worry, we do this professionally and are here to help you out.

We list here questions that we ask our clients to better understand which frontend framework is best for them.

Go through these questions carefully to decide the best frontend framework for your website:

• What features do you need to add?
• What is your end goal with your website?
• Which backend framework are you using? Which frontend tools and frameworks does it support?
• What is your web development stack? Do all the tools support your chosen frontend framework?
• Where are you planning to publish the website or app? Do you need cross-browser support? Do you want a desktop version of the app?
• Do you plan to build a mobile app? Check for frontend frameworks that can build a mobile application with the same UI, and the same features.
• Check for responsiveness – look for frameworks that allow you to customize how your app looks on different screen sizes.
• Check what kind of support you will need in the future. An obscure frontend framework will be of no help if it stops releasing updates years down the line.