Key points
- React 19.3 (September 2026) is a library for building interfaces. Routing, data fetching and server-side rendering come from frameworks such as Next.js or React Router. Since February 2026 React has belonged to the React Foundation, hosted by the Linux Foundation.
- Angular 22 (June 2026) is a complete framework from Google: routing, forms, server communication, testing and an upgrade tool in one package. From version 22 a new major version comes out every 12 months and is supported for 24 months.
- React is clearly more popular: in the 2025 Stack Overflow survey 44.7% of respondents used it and 18.2% used Angular. Developers are easier to find, but every React project is built from a different set of libraries.
- Angular gives a uniform structure and predictable upgrades, which makes it easier to hand a project over to another team. React gives more freedom and a larger choice of ready-made components.
- Many business and public-sector systems need neither. Server-side templates, for example in Django, with the HTMX library for dynamic fragments are often enough.
A library or a framework
The most important difference is not syntax but scope. React handles interface components, and the team chooses the rest (routing, data fetching, forms, testing) itself or gets it with a framework. The React documentation recommends starting with a framework: Next.js, React Router or Expo for mobile apps. Create React App, for years the standard way to start a project, has been deprecated since February 2025.
Angular is one consistent set: a router, forms, an HTTP client, translations, server-side rendering, dependency injection, a command-line tool and the ng update command, which fixes part of the code itself during upgrades. Angular projects look similar no matter who wrote them.
| Feature | React | Angular |
|---|---|---|
| Type | interface library | complete framework |
| Version in November 2026 | 19.3 | 22.2 |
| Backed by | React Foundation (Linux Foundation), formerly Meta | a team at Google |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript or TypeScript | TypeScript (Angular 22 requires 6.0 or later) |
| Routing, forms, HTTP | from a framework (Next.js, React Router) or third-party libraries | built in |
| Release cycle | rare major versions, no fixed schedule | a major version every 12 months |
| Support | no LTS; security fixes for every affected major version | 12 months of active support and 12 months of LTS |
| Upgrades | manual, depending on the libraries used | ng update with automatic code changes |
React: what is new and what to watch
React 19 (December 2024) introduced actions for forms and asynchronous operations, the useActionState and useOptimistic hooks and stable Server Components. Version 19.2 (October 2025) added the <Activity> component and the useEffectEvent hook, and 19.3 (September 2026) made view transitions (<ViewTransition>) stable.
More important for maintenance is React Compiler 1.0 from October 2025. The compiler optimises components when the application is built, so developers no longer have to add useMemo and useCallback by hand. Fewer manual optimisations mean fewer places to make mistakes.
In February 2026 React moved to the React Foundation, hosted by the Linux Foundation. Its members include Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Vercel. For a client this is a sign that the project's future does not depend on one company's decisions.
In December 2025 a critical vulnerability was found in the React Server Components packages (CVE-2025-55182, CVSS score 10.0). It allowed remote code execution on the server without logging in and affected applications using Server Components, including through Next.js. Fixes came out straight away, but they protected only the systems someone actually updated. Whatever the framework, the maintenance contract must cover prompt dependency updates.
Angular: a new release rhythm and modern APIs
Angular 22 was released on 3 June 2026. From this version a new major version comes out once a year instead of every 6 months, with several minor versions in between. Each major version gets 12 months of active support and 12 months of LTS, during which it receives only critical and security fixes.
| Version | Released | Status | End of support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angular 20 | May 2025 | LTS | 28 November 2026 |
| Angular 21 | November 2025 | LTS | June 2027 |
| Angular 22 | June 2026 | active support | June 2028 |
From angular.dev/reference/releases. Angular 23 is planned for June 2027.
Angular has modernised a lot in recent versions:
- Signals, the new reactivity model, have been stable since version 20.
- Zoneless change detection (without zone.js) has been the default for new projects since version 21, and from version 22 OnPush is the default change detection strategy. Applications are lighter and it is easier to predict when the interface refreshes.
- Standalone components have been the default since version 19, and the new
@ifand@fortemplate syntax replaces the old directives, deprecated in version 20. - Signal Forms are stable in version 22. The existing reactive forms remain fully supported.
- Vitest has been the default test runner since version 21, and
ng updatein version 22 can migrate tests from Karma automatically. - Angular Aria, a set of directives for building accessible components (tabs, menus, trees, comboboxes) following WAI-ARIA patterns, is stable from version 22.
Upgrades go through each major version, one at a time. ng update updates the packages and runs code migrations, and the official update guide shows the steps for a specific pair of versions.
A comparison from the system owner's point of view
Team and costs
React has far more users. In the 2025 Stack Overflow survey 44.7% of respondents used it and 18.2% used Angular. In the State of JS 2025 survey 84.8% of respondents had used React and 48.4% Angular (respondents select themselves, so treat these figures with care). React developers are easier to find, but two React projects can differ a lot: a different router, a different forms library, a different way of managing state. A new team first has to learn the specific set.
Predictability and handover
Angular publishes support dates for every version and has one upgrade path. That makes it easier to write maintenance requirements into a contract or tender documents and to hand the system to another supplier. React has no LTS versions and no end-of-support dates. It promises security fixes for every affected major version, but maintenance also depends on a dozen or so libraries around it, each with its own cycle.
Digital accessibility
Public-sector systems in the EU must meet accessibility requirements, which in practice means WCAG 2.1 at level AA. Angular ships tools for focus management, keyboard handling and screen reader announcements (the CDK package) as well as Angular Aria. React has no accessibility components of its own; teams use third-party libraries such as Adobe's React Aria. No framework guarantees WCAG compliance: interface design, implementation and testing with a screen reader decide that.
Performance
We found no independent, reliable performance comparisons of the two. The figures that circulate usually come from the vendors. In practice both are fast enough, and what users feel depends on the architecture, the amount of code sent to the browser and the way data is fetched.
Ready-made components
React has the largest choice of component, chart and editor libraries. Angular has the official Angular Material and CDK and a smaller but mature selection of third-party libraries.
When we choose React
- A product with a rich, highly interactive interface that benefits from ready-made components from a large ecosystem.
- A planned mobile app: React Native and Expo let you reuse the same knowledge and some of the code.
- A public portal that needs server-side rendering and good search engine visibility (for example with Next.js).
- The client's own team, which will develop the system further, already knows React.
When we choose Angular
- A large internal system with many forms and modules, for example a line-of-business system or a case-handling panel.
- A project for many years, where the team or the supplier may change, for example after another tender.
- Several teams working on one application, who benefit from an enforced, shared structure.
- A requirement to document support periods and how the technology will be upgraded.
What about no separate frontend at all?
Before choosing between React and Angular, it is worth asking whether a separate frontend application is needed at all. Many business and public-sector systems are forms, lists, search, reports and admin panels. Server-rendered templates, for example in Django, with the HTMX library to refresh parts of a page without a reload, are entirely sufficient for that.
- One codebase and one team instead of two applications, an API between them and two sets of dependencies to keep updated.
- Fewer places to secure: logic and permissions stay on the server.
- Simpler maintenance: in Django 6, template partials keep a page and its refreshing parts in one file.
A separate frontend makes sense for editors and maps, drag and drop, many people working live, offline mode, or when the same API also serves a mobile app. In our projects we start with the simplest solution that meets the requirements and add React or Angular where the interface really needs it. You can read more about how we build systems on our Software page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, React or Angular?
There are no independent, reliable measurements that settle this in general. Both are fast enough for business applications. The speed users feel depends mainly on the architecture, the amount of code and the way data is fetched.
Is Angular losing relevance?
It has fewer users than React, but it is actively developed by a team at Google, released regularly and has a clearly described support policy. According to the State of JS 2025 authors, the popularity of frontend frameworks is very stable.
Does React have long-term support (LTS) versions?
No. React does not publish end-of-support dates. It does commit to releasing security fixes for every major version affected by a vulnerability.
Can we switch frameworks later?
You can, but in practice it means rewriting the interface, although it can be done module by module. That is why the decision is worth making deliberately at the start, taking into account who will maintain the system and for how long.
What about Vue?
Vue is the third popular option: 17.6% of respondents used it in the 2025 Stack Overflow survey. It has official tools for routing and state management. The criteria in this article apply to it in the same way.
Sources
- React: versions and release notes
- React Compiler v1.0
- The React Foundation
- React: critical security vulnerability in React Server Components
- React: creating a new project
- Angular: versions, release cycle and support
- Angular roadmap
- Angular Aria
- Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025: technology
- State of JavaScript 2025: front-end frameworks
As of 6 November 2026. Dates of future versions are planned by the vendors and may change.