A Deep Dive: Angular vs React

Introduction

When it comes to modern front-end frameworks, two names almost always appear: Angular (backed by Google) and React (backed by Facebook/Meta). Each shapes the way countless developers architect and build rich single-page applications (SPAs). But how do they compare?

In this deep dive, we’ll take a close look at Angular vs React, building small ToDo apps side by side to illustrate the differences. We’ll discuss pros, cons, best practices, and potential pitfalls. We’ll also reflect on “What does Angular do better than React?” and vice versa. Finally, we’ll explore whether the choice truly matters in today’s modern web.

Key Differences: Angular vs React

Both Angular and React aim to address similar challenges: orchestrating complex, interactive UIs with reliable performance. However, each framework embodies a different philosophy:

Framework vs Library: Angular bills itself as a “platform” and includes a CLI, router, HTTP utilities, and other official modules. React is often called a “library,” focusing on UI rendering, with the surrounding ecosystem of solutions left to the community.
Architecture: Angular emphasizes TypeScript-first, a component-based architecture, and built-in dependency injection. React leans on JSX (a JavaScript XML-like syntax) and functional programming patterns with hooks.
Size & Complexity: Angular can feel more heavyweight: it enforces strict module organization, decorators, and official patterns. React is more flexible, allowing you to pick your own state management, routing, or build configuration.
Performance: Both are well-optimized. React leans on its virtual DOM and new concurrent features. Angular relies on ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, tree shaking, and the Ivy renderer for performance.

Building a ToDo App in Angular

Angular uses TypeScript at its core and organizes your app into modules and components. For a quick start:

npm install -g @angular/cli
ng new angular-todo
cd angular-todo
ng serve --open

After scaffolding, the CLI configures everything for you. Let’s create a simple ToDo component:

ng generate component todo

This will produce three files: todo.component.ts, todo.component.html, and todo.component.css (plus a test file). For brevity, we’ll place everything in the same place:

// todo.component.ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';

interface Task {
  text: string;
  completed: boolean;
}

@Component({
  selector: 'app-todo',
  templateUrl: './todo.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./todo.component.css']
})
export class TodoComponent {
  tasks: Task[] = [];
  newTask = '';

  addTask() {
    const trimmed = this.newTask.trim();
    if (!trimmed) return;
    this.tasks.push({ text: trimmed, completed: false });
    this.newTask = '';
  }

  toggleCompleted(task: Task) {
    task.completed = !task.completed;
  }

  removeTask(index: number) {
    this.tasks.splice(index, 1);
  }
}

<!-- todo.component.html -->
<div>
  <h2>Angular ToDo</h2>
  <input [(ngModel)]="newTask" (keyup.enter)="addTask()" placeholder="Add a task..." />
  <button (click)="addTask()">Add Task</button>

  <ul>
    <li *ngFor="let task of tasks; let i = index">
      <input type="checkbox" [(ngModel)]="task.completed" (change)="toggleCompleted(task)" />
      <span [ngStyle]="{'text-decoration': task.completed ? 'line-through' : 'none'}">
        {{ task.text }}
      </span>
      <button (click)="removeTask(i)">Remove</button>
    </li>
  </ul>
</div>

Notice the Angular patterns: two-way binding with [(ngModel)], structural directives like *ngFor, and event binding using parentheses.

Building a ToDo App in React

React is a JavaScript library. Let’s replicate the same basic functionality with create-react-app.

npx create-react-app react-todo
cd react-todo
npm start

Within App.js, implement the logic:

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function App() {
  const [tasks, setTasks] = useState([]);
  const [newTask, setNewTask] = useState('');

  const addTask = () => {
    const trimmed = newTask.trim();
    if (!trimmed) return;
    setTasks([...tasks, { text: trimmed, completed: false }]);
    setNewTask('');
  };

  const toggleCompleted = (index) => {
    const updated = [...tasks];
    updated[index].completed = !updated[index].completed;
    setTasks(updated);
  };

  const removeTask = (index) => {
    const updated = [...tasks];
    updated.splice(index, 1);
    setTasks(updated);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>React ToDo</h2>
      <input
        value={newTask}
        onChange={(e) => setNewTask(e.target.value)}
        onKeyDown={(e) => e.key === 'Enter' && addTask()}
        placeholder="Add a task..."
      />
      <button onClick={addTask}>Add Task</button>

      <ul>
        {tasks.map((task, idx) => (
          <li key={idx}>
            <input
              type="checkbox"
              checked={task.completed}
              onChange={() => toggleCompleted(idx)}
            />
            <span style={{ textDecoration: task.completed ? 'line-through' : 'none' }}>
              {task.text}
            </span>
            <button onClick={() => removeTask(idx)}>Remove</button>
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Here, we rely on useState for local state, events in JSX, and iterative .map() to render tasks. More minimal, but a bit more code around event handling inside the JS logic.

State Management & Beyond

In more complex applications, you might need advanced or global-level state management. Let’s see how each handles it:

Angular: Official solutions include@ngrx/store for Redux-like patterns, orBehaviorSubject with RxJS for more flexible streams. Angular’s dependency injection also streamlines how services share data.
React: The community typically usesRedux, MobX, or Zustand. The official Context API + useReduceris also a popular combination, though it lacks as many built-in utilities as NgRx.

Neither is inherently “better.” Angular feels more integrated with official patterns, while React fosters a flexible environment to pick the approach suiting your style or complexity.

Pros, Cons, & Gotchas

Angular Pros

Batteries-Included: CLI, router, testing, HTTP, and more built and maintained by the Angular team.
Structure & DI: Strict module and dependency injection system fosters consistency.
Strong TypeScript Integration: TypeScript is first-class, often mandatory.
Two-Way Binding: In many cases,[(ngModel)] can simplify forms or data entry fields.

Angular Cons

Steep Learning Curve: Decorators, Observables, modules, zones can be a lot to grasp.
Heavier Bundles: Historically larger bundle sizes, though Ivy helps mitigate this.
Less Flexible: Favors a strong pattern, limiting “choose-your-own-adventure” dev style.

React Pros

Lightweight Core: Just the view layer, choose your own state/routing solutions.
JSX & Hooks: Some love the ability to write JavaScript logic inline with UI markup, plus Hooks streamline functional code reuse.
Massive Ecosystem: So many libraries, tutorials, community-run solutions.
Concurrent Features: React is pushing cutting-edge concurrency (Concurrent Mode, Suspense).

React Cons

Ecosystem Fragmentation: Each piece (routing, data fetching, state) is external, adding complexity.
Boilerplate or Patterns: Large React codebases can get messy if not carefully structured.
JSX Dislike: Some devs prefer a more template-based approach like Angular or Vue.

What Does Angular Do Better? What Does React Do Better?

Angular Shines When...

You want a fully integrated solution out of the box, from routing to forms.
You prefer a TypeScript-first approach and strong structure that enforces best practices.
You have a large enterprise team that benefits from consistent patterns and an opinionated architecture.
You need advanced form handling or heavy data input scenarios, where the two-way binding can be a boon.

React Shines When...

You want a lightweight, flexible library that you can assemble with your own choice of extras.
You prefer to do everything in JavaScript (JSX), embedding HTML in your JS logic.
You like Hooks and the functional approach, which can lead to more explicit or easily testable code.
You want straightforward SSR solutions like Next.js, or you need advanced concurrency.

In This Modern Web, Does It Matter?

Both Angular and React have enormous communities, robust tooling, and major industry adoption. They can tackle large-scale apps or small projects alike. Performance differences between them (in real-world usage) are generally negligible.

In many cases, the decision might simply come down to:

Team Skills & Preferences: If your team is fluent in TypeScript/Angular, or if they love React’s approach and experience, that’s a big factor.
Project Requirements: If you need highly structured enforcement out of the box, Angular might be easier to keep consistent. If you prefer minimal overhead or prefer a library approach, React might fit better.
Integration & Existing Code: Some shops have existing Angular code from older versions, or existing React dependencies. Sticking to what you know can be valuable.

Realistically, both frameworks can build the same apps with minimal friction once you’re accustomed to their paradigms. The real question is often productivity—how fast can your team deliver reliable, maintainable features?

Conclusion

Angular’s all-encompassing approach can be a boon for teams that want consistent patterns, official libraries, and less decision fatigue. React’s smaller core and library-based ecosystem can be refreshing for teams seeking maximum flexibility and tight control over their stack.

In practice, both Angular and React excel at building fast, interactive UIs. Their differences revolve more around architecture, opinionation, and developer experience. Ultimately, you can’t really go “wrong” with either. Both are proven, both will help you ship production apps, and both have bright long-term outlooks in the JavaScript ecosystem.

So does it matter in this modern web we live in? Yes and no. It matters if your team ethos or existing code strongly aligns with one approach. But from a broad perspective, they’re both robust, widely adopted, and more than capable for almost any front-end project. Pick the one that resonates with your team’s preferences and project constraints—and you’ll likely be happy.

Happy coding, whichever angle (or “angular” or “reactive” angle) you choose!
– Nate