Formily vs React Hook Form
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 form library for React and Vue that handles complex and JSON-schema-driven forms.
Open source · MIT
A React library for building forms, handling their state and validation with hooks.
The short answer
Choose Formily if you need…
- Frontend developers building data-heavy forms with many linked fields
- Teams that want forms generated from JSON Schema sent by a back end
- Projects already using Ant Design or Alibaba Fusion components
- Teams that want a visual form builder (Designable) alongside the library
Choose React Hook Form if you need…
- React developers building forms with several fields
- Teams that want form validation with a schema library like Zod or Yup
- Projects that need forms to stay responsive as they grow
- React Native developers who want the same form approach on mobile
Side-by-side
| Formily | React Hook Form | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.6k | 44.9k |
| 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 | 17 months ago | 5 days ago |
What each one is
Formily
Formily is a TypeScript form library that helps developers build forms in React, React Native, Vue 2, and Vue 3. It manages each field's state separately so large forms with many linked fields don't re-render the whole page. It also supports JSON Schema, so forms can be described as data, for example by a back end.
React Hook Form
React Hook Form is a TypeScript library for managing form state and validation in React apps, and the description says it also works with React Native. You register inputs with a hook, and it handles the values, errors, and submit flow for you. The README says it embraces native HTML form validation, works with popular validation schema libraries such as Yup and Zod, and has no dependencies.
Best for
Formily
- Frontend developers building data-heavy forms with many linked fields
- Teams that want forms generated from JSON Schema sent by a back end
- Projects already using Ant Design or Alibaba Fusion components
- Teams that want a visual form builder (Designable) alongside the library
React Hook Form
- React developers building forms with several fields
- Teams that want form validation with a schema library like Zod or Yup
- Projects that need forms to stay responsive as they grow
- React Native developers who want the same form approach on mobile
Strengths
Formily
- The README says field state is managed independently, which aims to avoid slow re-renders in linked forms
- Supports converting between JSON Schema and its own JSchema format
- Released under the permissive MIT license
React Hook Form
- The README states it is built with performance, UX and developer experience in mind
- It has no dependencies, according to the README
- It supports multiple validation libraries through resolvers
Not ideal for
Formily
- Simple forms with a few inputs, where a lighter library is enough
- Projects not using React or Vue, since the README lists only those frameworks
- Non-developers who want a no-code form tool; the README describes it as a developer library
React Hook Form
- People who are not writing React or React Native code, since it is a React library
- Anyone wanting a ready-made form UI with no coding, because it provides hooks rather than visual components
- Projects that need an exact guarantee of form performance, since the README gives no benchmarks
Trade-offs
Formily
- The README is short and covers little API detail, so setup needs the official documentation site
- The README mentions two website versions (1.0 and 2.0), so check you are reading the right docs
React Hook Form
- The README is truncated and gives little detail on API behavior beyond the quickstart
- It is specific to React, so it does not help with other frameworks
- Validation setup depends on choosing and wiring a separate schema library
Getting started
React Hook Form
Install the package
npm install react-hook-formFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Formily and React Hook Form?
Formily: A form library for React and Vue that handles complex and JSON-schema-driven forms. React Hook Form: A React library for building forms, handling their state and validation with hooks. Formily suits frontend developers building data-heavy forms with many linked fields, while React Hook Form suits react developers building forms with several fields.
Are Formily and React Hook Form free?
Formily: Free and open source. React Hook Form: Free and open source.
Is Formily or React Hook Form more popular?
React Hook Form has more GitHub stars (44.9k) than Formily (12.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Formily and React Hook Form?
Other options people compare them with include VeeValidate, Ajv, VueUse, SoybeanAdmin, redux-form.
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.