React (with Vite) vs Next.js
This is not really a comparison of two things — Next.js is a framework built on React. The decision is whether your project needs server rendering, routing and build tooling decided for you, or whether it does not.
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React (with Vite)
The library, and your own choices
Choose it for applications behind a login, internal tools, dashboards and anything embedded in an existing page — cases where search visibility is irrelevant.
Strengths
- Smaller and simpler when you do not need a server
- Complete freedom over routing, data fetching and build
- Very fast development server
- Deploys as static files to any host
Trade-offs
- No server rendering — crawlers receive an empty page
- You assemble routing, data fetching and SEO yourself
- Every one of those decisions is one your team maintains
Next.js
React with rendering, routing and build included
Choose it for anything that must be found in search, or that mixes public pages with application behaviour.
Strengths
- Server and static rendering built in
- File-based routing and a data-fetching model
- Image, font and script optimisation included
- API routes, so a small back end needs no separate service
Trade-offs
- More framework to learn, and more of its opinions to follow
- Server rendering means a Node runtime to operate
- Upgrades occasionally require real migration work
Where each one actually wins
| Criterion | React (with Vite) | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Search visibility | Poor without extra work | Excellent |
| Behind a login | Ideal | Works, adds overhead |
| Learning curve | Lower | Higher |
| Decisions made for you | Few | Many |
| Hosting | Any static host | Node runtime or a supporting platform |
| Time to a production marketing site | Longer | Shorter |
Our recommendation
If the pages need to be found in search, use Next.js — or another framework that renders HTML on the server. A client-rendered React marketing site is the single most common self-inflicted SEO problem we are asked to fix, and fixing it properly means changing how the app renders, not adding a plugin. If everything sits behind a login, plain React with Vite is lighter and there is no reason to add the framework.
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The questions we get asked most, answered without the sales gloss. If yours is not here, ask us directly — you will get a straight answer either way.
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Read all FAQsWhat happens next
- React DevelopmentComponent-driven front ends and web applications in React, built on a design system rather than a pile of one-off components.Read
- Next.js DevelopmentProduction Next.js builds with server rendering, image optimisation and Core Web Vitals budgets enforced in CI.Read
- Web Application DevelopmentPortals, dashboards and internal tools — scoped tightly, shipped in phases, handed over with documentation.Read
Other decisions people ask us about
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