dnd-kit vs interact.js
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A toolkit for building drag and drop interfaces on the web, with adapters for several frameworks.
Open source · MIT
JavaScript library for drag, drop, resize and multi-touch gestures in web pages.
The short answer
Choose dnd-kit if you need…
- Developers building sortable lists or grids in a React, Vue, Svelte, or Solid app
- Teams that want keyboard and screen reader support built into drag and drop
- Developers who need to customize sensors, collision detection, or animations
- Projects that want a lightweight, MIT-licensed drag and drop dependency
Choose interact.js if you need…
- Web developers building drag-and-drop interfaces
- Developers who need touch and mouse gesture support in one library
- Projects that must support older browsers such as Internet Explorer 9+
- Developers building interactive SVG or canvas-based tools
Side-by-side
| dnd-kit | interact.js | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 17.8k | 12.9k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 3 months ago |
What each one is
dnd-kit
dnd-kit is a set of JavaScript packages that let developers add drag and drop to web pages and apps. It has a framework-agnostic core and a DOM layer, plus thin adapters for React, Vue, Svelte, and SolidJS, with plain JavaScript also supported. It is used to build things like sortable lists, grids, and multi-container layouts.
interact.js
interact.js is a JavaScript library that lets web developers make page elements draggable, resizable, and responsive to multi-touch gestures. It supports inertia (continued motion after release) and snapping to targets such as a grid. It is described as standalone and does not change the page structure beyond the cursor unless configured otherwise.
Best for
dnd-kit
- Developers building sortable lists or grids in a React, Vue, Svelte, or Solid app
- Teams that want keyboard and screen reader support built into drag and drop
- Developers who need to customize sensors, collision detection, or animations
- Projects that want a lightweight, MIT-licensed drag and drop dependency
interact.js
- Web developers building drag-and-drop interfaces
- Developers who need touch and mouse gesture support in one library
- Projects that must support older browsers such as Internet Explorer 9+
- Developers building interactive SVG or canvas-based tools
Strengths
dnd-kit
- Supports pointer, mouse, touch, and keyboard input out of the box
- Framework-agnostic core with adapters for several popular frameworks
- Ships with default ARIA attributes and customizable screen reader instructions
interact.js
- Supports both desktop and mobile browsers, including Internet Explorer 9+ per the README
- Includes inertia and snapping features out of the box
- Written in TypeScript with type definitions shipped in the npm package
Not ideal for
dnd-kit
- Non-programmers looking for a ready-made tool; it is a code library that must be integrated into a project
- Projects that only need simple file upload drop zones, since the README focuses on element dragging and does not cover that case
interact.js
- Non-programmers, since it requires writing JavaScript code to use
- Projects needing a ready-made UI component with no custom code, because it is a low-level library
- Teams that need a React or Vue-specific wrapper, since the README does not describe one
Trade-offs
dnd-kit
- As a toolkit, it requires writing code and understanding its layered package structure
- The README is truncated and points to external docs for full API details, so this entry relies on limited information
interact.js
- Requires JavaScript coding knowledge to use and configure
- The README is truncated here, so detailed API behavior must be checked in the external documentation
Getting started
dnd-kit
Clone the repository (contributors)
git clone https://github.com/clauderic/dnd-kitInstall dependencies (monorepo, from README)
bun installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between dnd-kit and interact.js?
dnd-kit: A toolkit for building drag and drop interfaces on the web, with adapters for several frameworks. interact.js: JavaScript library for drag, drop, resize and multi-touch gestures in web pages. dnd-kit suits developers building sortable lists or grids in a react, vue, svelte, or solid app, while interact.js suits web developers building drag-and-drop interfaces.
Are dnd-kit and interact.js free?
dnd-kit: Free and open source. interact.js: Free and open source.
Is dnd-kit or interact.js more popular?
dnd-kit has more GitHub stars (17.8k) than interact.js (12.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to dnd-kit and interact.js?
Other options people compare them with include React DnD, Sortable, Muuri, React-Grid-Layout, Puck.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.