Next.js vs umi
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 React framework for building websites and web apps with server rendering and routing built in.
Open source · MIT
A React framework for building web apps, with the project's own docs at umijs.org.
The short answer
Choose Next.js if you need…
- Developers already comfortable with React who want a full framework around it
- Teams building sites that need server rendering or static generation
- Projects that want routing and build tooling included rather than assembled by hand
Choose umi if you need…
- Developers who already work with React and want a framework on top of it
- Teams looking for a MIT-licensed, community-maintained React framework
- People who want to read the official docs and launch post for the project's current direction
Side-by-side
| Next.js | umi | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Framework | Framework |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 143k | 16k |
| 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 | 4 days ago | 6 days ago |
What each one is
Next.js
Next.js is a framework built on top of React, the JavaScript library for user interfaces. It adds features such as page routing, server rendering, and static site generation so that a React project can be a complete website or web app. Developers use it to ship React applications with less custom setup.
umi
Umi is an open-source framework for building web applications with React, a popular JavaScript library for user interfaces. The README is brief and describes it only as a framework in the React community, pointing to a launch post and documentation site for details. It is published on npm under the name umi and is licensed under MIT.
Best for
Next.js
- Developers already comfortable with React who want a full framework around it
- Teams building sites that need server rendering or static generation
- Projects that want routing and build tooling included rather than assembled by hand
umi
- Developers who already work with React and want a framework on top of it
- Teams looking for a MIT-licensed, community-maintained React framework
- People who want to read the official docs and launch post for the project's current direction
Strengths
Next.js
- Built on React, so it uses a widely known component model
- Supports both server rendering and static generation in one framework
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community (about 143k stars)
umi
- MIT license, which permits commercial and personal use
- Published on npm with an active-looking build badge and download counts
- Has a named core maintainer group and a documented contribution guide
Not ideal for
Next.js
- Complete beginners with no JavaScript or React experience, since the framework assumes those basics
- Simple static pages where a plain HTML file or lighter static generator would be enough
- Teams that want a framework-agnostic setup, because Next.js is tied to React
umi
- Complete beginners to web development, since the README assumes familiarity with React and npm
- People who need a framework with detailed setup guidance in the README itself, since the README links out to the docs for most information
Trade-offs
Next.js
- Requires understanding of React and modern JavaScript tooling
- The README excerpt provided is truncated, so detailed feature coverage is limited here
- Framework conventions and version changes mean projects may need upgrades over time
umi
- The README is short and does not describe features, so the scope has to be checked on the docs site
- Install and setup commands are not given in the README, so they are not listed here
Getting started
Next.js
Create a new app (command from the project's standard setup)
npx create-next-app@latestFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Next.js and umi?
Next.js: A React framework for building websites and web apps with server rendering and routing built in. umi: A React framework for building web apps, with the project's own docs at umijs.org. Next.js suits developers already comfortable with react who want a full framework around it, while umi suits developers who already work with react and want a framework on top of it.
Are Next.js and umi free?
Next.js: Free and open source. umi: Free and open source.
Is Next.js or umi more popular?
Next.js has more GitHub stars (143k) than umi (16k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Next.js and umi?
Other options people compare them with include Remix, Gatsby, Nuxt, React Static, Nextra.
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.