react-admin vs refine
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 TypeScript/React framework for building admin dashboards on top of REST or GraphQL APIs.
Open source · MIT
A React framework for building admin panels, dashboards and internal business apps.
The short answer
Choose react-admin if you need…
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing API
- Teams already using React who want standard CRUD screens without writing everything from scratch
- Projects that want TypeScript support but can also be written in plain JavaScript
- Developers who want to plug in a data provider for a specific backend
Choose refine if you need…
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools in React
- Teams that want a headless approach and can pick their own UI component library
- Projects that connect to REST, GraphQL or similar backend APIs and need standard CRUD screens
- Developers already comfortable with React and TypeScript
Side-by-side
| react-admin | refine | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Framework | Framework |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 27k | 36k |
| 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 | 4 days ago | 57 days ago |
What each one is
react-admin
React-admin is a frontend framework for building single-page admin applications that run in the browser. It connects to existing REST or GraphQL APIs and provides ready-made components for lists, edit forms, authentication, and similar pieces. It uses Material Design by default, and its components can be replaced when you need something different.
refine
Refine is a TypeScript framework built on React for making internal tools, admin panels, dashboards and B2B applications. The description says it aims for flexibility, and it is headless, meaning it supplies the logic and data handling while you choose the look of the interface. Developers use it to avoid rebuilding common pieces like data fetching, tables and forms for every new back-office app.
Best for
react-admin
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing API
- Teams already using React who want standard CRUD screens without writing everything from scratch
- Projects that want TypeScript support but can also be written in plain JavaScript
- Developers who want to plug in a data provider for a specific backend
refine
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools in React
- Teams that want a headless approach and can pick their own UI component library
- Projects that connect to REST, GraphQL or similar backend APIs and need standard CRUD screens
- Developers already comfortable with React and TypeScript
Strengths
react-admin
- Backend agnostic: the README lists more than 45 data provider adapters for REST and GraphQL
- Built from loosely coupled components and hooks, so parts can be replaced individually
- Comes with official examples, documentation, a tutorial, and an active community on Discord and StackOverflow
refine
- Headless design lets you combine it with the UI library you already use
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community (about 36,000 stars at the time of metadata)
- Written in TypeScript, which helps catch errors while you build
Not ideal for
react-admin
- Non-developers looking for a finished admin tool they can use without coding, since it is a framework that must be built into an app
- Projects that do not use React, because the framework is built on React
- Public-facing consumer websites, since it is designed for admin-style interfaces
refine
- Non-developers who want a no-code app builder, since it requires writing React and TypeScript code
- Simple static websites or small single-page apps that do not need admin-style data screens
Trade-offs
react-admin
- Requires working knowledge of React and a build setup; not suited to people who only want a configuration-based tool
- Default look is Material Design, so a different visual style takes extra customization work, as the README notes
refine
- Requires React and TypeScript knowledge, so it is not suited to beginners without that background
- The README excerpt provided is truncated, so details on specific integrations and limits could not be fully verified here
Getting started
react-admin
Install react-admin from npm
npm install react-adminrefine
Create a new project with the Refine CLI
npm create refine-app@latestFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between react-admin and refine?
react-admin: A TypeScript/React framework for building admin dashboards on top of REST or GraphQL APIs. refine: A React framework for building admin panels, dashboards and internal business apps. react-admin suits developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing api, while refine suits developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools in react.
Are react-admin and refine free?
react-admin: Free and open source. refine: Free and open source.
Is react-admin or refine more popular?
refine has more GitHub stars (36k) than react-admin (27k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to react-admin and refine?
Other options people compare them with include ngx-admin, Ant Design Pro, Gatsby, Payload, RedwoodGraphQL.
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.