mo · js vs Motion
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 building motion graphics and animations on web pages.
Open source · MIT
An open source animation library for JavaScript, React and Vue.
The short answer
Choose mo · js if you need…
- Front-end developers who want decorative animated effects like bursts, shapes, or icon animations
- Developers who already use a bundler such as webpack or rollup and want to install via npm
- Designers working with a developer who wants more customizable motion on the web
- Teams who want to add small visual flourishes to a page without a large animation framework
Choose Motion if you need…
- React developers who want to animate components with a simple API
- JavaScript developers animating elements on a web page
- Vue developers looking for an animation package
- Teams building interactive websites that need gestures, springs or scroll-linked effects
Side-by-side
| mo · js | Motion | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 18.9k | 34.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | CoffeeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 3 months ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
mo · js
mo·js is a JavaScript library for creating motion graphics on websites, such as animated shapes, bursts, and swirls. It uses a declarative API, meaning you describe the animation you want in configuration objects rather than writing each frame by hand. It is typically added to a site through npm or a CDN and is aimed at making visual effects that enhance the user experience.
Motion
Motion is a code library that lets developers add movement to web pages and apps, such as sliding, fading, springy bounces, and layout changes. It offers packages for React, plain JavaScript and Vue, and its README says it uses browser APIs for smooth, GPU-accelerated animation. It was formerly known as Framer Motion.
Best for
mo · js
- Front-end developers who want decorative animated effects like bursts, shapes, or icon animations
- Developers who already use a bundler such as webpack or rollup and want to install via npm
- Designers working with a developer who wants more customizable motion on the web
- Teams who want to add small visual flourishes to a page without a large animation framework
Motion
- React developers who want to animate components with a simple API
- JavaScript developers animating elements on a web page
- Vue developers looking for an animation package
- Teams building interactive websites that need gestures, springs or scroll-linked effects
Strengths
mo · js
- The README describes a declarative API that gives fine control over animation.
- Ships with built-in components such as html, shape, swirl, burst, and stagger to start quickly.
- Installable via npm or a CDN, and the README notes support for bundler optimizations like tree shaking.
Motion
- The README lists first-class React, JavaScript and Vue packages under one name
- Released under the MIT license and tree-shakable, per the README
- Large official example library with 450+ examples and tutorials
Not ideal for
mo · js
- People who need a no-code tool, since mo·js requires writing JavaScript
- Projects that must support older or unlisted browsers, since the README lists minimum versions and says others are not extensively tested
- Developers looking for a general-purpose UI framework, since the README describes it as a motion library
Motion
- People who want a visual tool with no coding: the README's visual editor, Motion Studio, is a separate product
- Projects that need only a few CSS transitions, where native CSS may be simpler (general judgment, not stated in the README)
Trade-offs
mo · js
- The README lists specific browser minimums (for example Chrome 49+, Safari 8+) and says other browsers are not extensively tested.
- The README does not document its own learning curve; learning resources are largely external tutorials and a separate API documentation site.
- The project's primary language is CoffeeScript per repository metadata, which may matter if you plan to read or modify the source.
Motion
- Some advanced features, including Motion+ content and the Transition editor, are paid
- The README does not describe bundle size or performance numbers beyond general claims
- Formerly Framer Motion; older projects need their imports updated to motion/react
Getting started
mo · js
Install with npm
npm install @mojs/coreInstall with yarn
yarn add @mojs/coreMotion
React / JavaScript
npm install motionVue
npm install motion-vFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between mo · js and Motion?
mo · js: A JavaScript library for building motion graphics and animations on web pages. Motion: An open source animation library for JavaScript, React and Vue. mo · js suits front-end developers who want decorative animated effects like bursts, shapes, or icon animations, while Motion suits react developers who want to animate components with a simple api.
Are mo · js and Motion free?
mo · js: Free and open source. Motion: Free and open source.
Is mo · js or Motion more popular?
Motion has more GitHub stars (34.8k) than mo · js (18.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to mo · js and Motion?
Other options people compare them with include G2, Rough.js, Anime.js, Material, barba.js.
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.