React vs Angular: Which SaaS Development Framework to Choose for Your Project?

No doubt, deciding about the SaaS development framework is a challenging point that requires time to think. But making the right choice between React and Angular is a bigger dilemma that will define the future of your app.

Luckily, we’re here to help you. Wetelo has expertise in using both React and Angular. So, we’d like to explain the differences between React and Angular as well as use cases to make it easy for you to make up your mind. Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Key differences between React and Angular

As you see both React and Angular are widely used by top companies for launching their SaaS apps. So, it’s obvious that both frameworks have something in common and can bring benefits to organizations that use them. However, the differences between React and Angular are those features that make them unique and competitive.

Strength lies in differences, not in similarities. These words by Stephen Covey encourage us to consider distinctions as they are the main highlights that contribute to competitiveness. So let’s focus on the key differences between React and Angular to understand how we can use them with benefits.

Language

React is a library written in JavaScript while Angular is a full-fledged framework that uses TypeScript. The use of TypeScript by Angular is strongly recommended to make the code base simpler to comprehend and maintain. The use of JavaScript by React is also justified as it makes code simple and easy to understand.

Architecture

Angular has a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture that manages all application data and controls how data are displayed. It provides clear guidance on how the app should be structured. The main building blocks of Angular applications include modules, components, and templates. So, Angular architecture is rigid and well-defined. That’s why it restricts developers’ attempts to be flexible and creative.

React architecture is simple, flexible, and extensible as it consists of a collection of components responsible for building a software’s UI. The peculiarity of React architecture is that it doesn’t have a fixed architectural pattern. What’s more, it’s fully customizable in terms of organizing the codebase and structuring components. That’s why such an architecture gives developers much freedom to control how codes flow.

Design goal

The initial purpose of Angular was to simplify the development of single-page websites while React was designed to facilitate the development of user interface for single-page web applications. As a result, Angular and React pursue different goals.

Scalability

React is a lightweight library that can be easily integrated with other libraries and frameworks while Angular has many built-in features that can make it less flexible and harder to scale. Angular’s design makes it easy to scale while React ensures further scalable development and building reusable components.

Simplicity

When it comes to understanding, React is simple while Angular is not simple at all. But in fact, setting up a React project takes much time and effort. Angular complexity also causes a lot of confusion. That’s why the implementation of both frameworks requires technical skills and experience.

So, these differences between React and Angular prove that both SaaS development frameworks are unique, perform their functions, and respond to particular needs. But what frameworks do top companies use for building their application?

Real-world examples of SaaS products built with React and Angular

Today, many top SaaS companies go for both Angular and React to develop their apps. And their number is increasing. It seems that React has a leading position. But Angular tries not to stay behind. Why do these SaaS development frameworks remain popular? Let’s analyze some SaaS products built with React and Angular to reveal these reasons.

Facebook

When in 2011, Facebook experienced rapid growth, they felt the need for an urgent updating of their code. That’s why React was a wonderful solution that allowed to refresh instantly different contents on the page according to user actions.

Currently, the main page, mobile app, and Facebook Ads Manager are built with React to handle their complex and dynamic interfaces. The results are amazing as React provides a high-speed rendering for 2,2 billion users across the globe. And even when the Internet connection is not good, users have access to their newsfeeds thanks to React.

Netflix

In 2015, Netflix decided to replace its existing technology stack to bring its platform to a new level and speed up performance. That’s why their solution was to adopt React to ensure quick and seamless browsing and streaming experiences.

What did the company get? Perfect user interface architecture, upgraded experience for TVs and game consoles, increased performance, and speeded loading are exactly what Netflix received.

Google's AdWords and Analytics platforms

Google's AdWords and Analytics platforms are built with Angular, allowing for fast, scalable, and secure data processing and analysis.

The company doesn’t only actively promote the framework but uses it in Google Play Books, Google’s Chrome Music Lab, Google Assistant, and Project Fi. Such a scope of Angular’s use proves that the framework’s capabilities are enough for building interactive and dynamic apps with compelling features.

Upwork

Upwork is an outstanding example of the commitment to Angular. The company uses this framework to provide users with intuitive job search, contract flow, and payment flow. What’s more, with Angular Upwork shows a successful single-page app experience, allowing high performance, stability, and fast response to user actions.

Avanga

At Wetelo, we also have expertise in using both Angular and React when we built our internal tool Avanga. For the MVP development, our engineers used the Angular framework as it has a large library with adaptable and reusable UI components. But soon we understood that we needed to improve our solution and add more features.

So we created the second version of Avanga by using React to make our app easier to maintain and make it more flexible. Additionally, the component structure of React simplified the process of making changes. What’s more, React allows us to further improve Avanga and its features to ensure its efficient use.

Overall, both solutions are great and unique and offer many benefits to SaaS companies that use them. However, the examples discussed above prove that the use case depends on your intentions and project peculiarities. That’s why let’s try to define when to choose between React and Angular.

Are you facing a dilemma of choosing between React and Angular? Trust this decision to Wetelo

Are you still confused and have many questions? Don’t worry, we’re here to help you. It’s high time to explain the particular cases when you need to choose React and when you should opt for Angular.

Choose Angular when

• You need to build a feature-rich enterprise-grade application
• Your app of low or medium-level complexity
• You want to code in TypeScript
• You need ready-made solutions
• You are interested in enhanced productivity of your app

Choose React when

• You want to build a customized application
• You need an app with several events
• You intend to develop sharable elements in your app
• You prefer flexibility more than other features
• You want to code in JavaScript

In case you still have doubts about which framework to choose, we’re here to help you. At Wetelo, we can assist you in deciding between React and Angular, and offer the right tech stack to create an ideal solution for your business. What’s more, we can build your app from scratch by offering our outsourcing services. Now you’re aware of the benefits that React and Angular can bring to your project, just define your needs and share them with us. We’re ready to take on new challenges and support you in future endeavors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is React different from Angular?

React is a JavaScript library, whereas Angular is a TypeScript framework. Angular uses two-way data binding and real DOM, and React operates on virtual DOM with one-way data binding.

Which framework is better, Angular or React?

Both Angular and React are great for front-end developers. But React outperforms Angular because of its rendering optimizations and virtual DOM implementation. Additionally, React is simple in terms of switching between versions as you don’t need to install updates.

Is React faster than Angular?

Yes, apps built on React are faster because they use virtual DOM and can be virtually updated. That’s why React ensures better performance.