FilePond vs react-dropzone
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 JavaScript library for drag-and-drop file uploads, with optional image resizing and cropping.
Open source · MIT
A React hook for building drag-and-drop file upload zones in web pages.
The short answer
Choose FilePond if you need…
- Web developers who need a polished upload widget in a site or app
- Teams using React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or jQuery who want an official adapter
- Projects that need image resizing, cropping, or EXIF orientation fixes before upload
- Apps that need chunked uploads for large files
Choose react-dropzone if you need…
- React developers adding file upload to a web app
- Projects that need a drop area with a click-to-select fallback
- Teams that want control over how the drop area looks, since it supplies behavior rather than styling
- TypeScript users who want bundled type definitions
Side-by-side
| FilePond | react-dropzone | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 16.4k | 11k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 9 days ago | 5 days ago |
What each one is
FilePond
FilePond is a JavaScript library that adds a file upload box to a web page. Users can drop, select, or paste files into it, and it can preview them and optimize images before they are sent to a server. The README says it is accessible, works on mobile and desktop, and has adapters for React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, and jQuery.
react-dropzone
react-dropzone is a small React library that lets a web page accept files dragged in from the computer, or chosen through a normal file picker when the area is clicked. It provides a hook (useDropzone) and a wrapper component that supply the props needed to turn any element into a drop area. It is installed from npm and ships with TypeScript types.
Best for
FilePond
- Web developers who need a polished upload widget in a site or app
- Teams using React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or jQuery who want an official adapter
- Projects that need image resizing, cropping, or EXIF orientation fixes before upload
- Apps that need chunked uploads for large files
react-dropzone
- React developers adding file upload to a web app
- Projects that need a drop area with a click-to-select fallback
- Teams that want control over how the drop area looks, since it supplies behavior rather than styling
- TypeScript users who want bundled type definitions
Strengths
FilePond
- The README lists many features, including chunk uploads, keyboard navigation, and EXIF orientation fixes
- Large plugin and adapter ecosystem documented in the README
- MIT licensed with a large star count and recent activity
react-dropzone
- Simple API built around a hook and two props-getter functions
- Ships with ESM, CommonJS and TypeScript types, and works with common bundlers as the README describes
- Well-known project with an MIT license and documentation site
Not ideal for
FilePond
- People who only need a plain HTML file input and nothing more, since FilePond adds a library and styling to do that
- Non-developers looking for a ready-made app, because it is a code library that needs integration
- Projects that need a server-side upload handler from this repo alone, since backend examples are separate projects listed in the README
react-dropzone
- People who are not building with React, since the library is written for React components and hooks
- Projects needing a finished upload widget with progress bars and resumable uploads, since the README describes only the drop zone and file handling
- Non-developers looking for a ready-made app
Trade-offs
FilePond
- Test coverage is around 65%, according to the README
- Many useful features, such as image editing and PDF preview, are in separate plugins or in the paid Pintura product
- The README is truncated here, so detailed configuration and version differences are not covered in this entry
react-dropzone
- Only handles selecting and receiving files; uploading them to a server is left to your code, as the README does not describe an upload feature
- Relies on careful use of getRootProps and getInputProps; the README warns that misuse can break file dialogs or override props
- Some advanced use, like Material UI v4 refs, depends on older library versions
Getting started
react-dropzone
Install with npm
npm install react-dropzoneOr install with yarn
yarn add react-dropzoneFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between FilePond and react-dropzone?
FilePond: A JavaScript library for drag-and-drop file uploads, with optional image resizing and cropping. react-dropzone: A React hook for building drag-and-drop file upload zones in web pages. FilePond suits web developers who need a polished upload widget in a site or app, while react-dropzone suits react developers adding file upload to a web app.
Are FilePond and react-dropzone free?
FilePond: Free and open source. react-dropzone: Free and open source.
Is FilePond or react-dropzone more popular?
FilePond has more GitHub stars (16.4k) than react-dropzone (11k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to FilePond and react-dropzone?
Other options people compare them with include Uppy, Dragula, interact.js, Lenis, React-Grid-Layout.
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.