React Hook Form vs redux-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 React library for building forms, handling their state and validation with hooks.
Open source · MIT
A React library that stores HTML form state in a Redux store.
The short answer
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
Choose redux-form if you need…
- React developers who already use Redux and want form state in the same store
- Apps where parts of the UI far from the form (such as another route) need to read or change form values
- Teams maintaining an existing project that already uses redux-form
Side-by-side
| React Hook Form | redux-form | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 44.9k | 12.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
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.
redux-form
redux-form is a React library, built as a higher-order component on top of React Redux, that keeps the state of an HTML form inside a Redux store. It is meant for developers who already use Redux and want form values readable and changeable from elsewhere in their app. The README itself recommends most new projects use React Final Form or Formik instead, unless they specifically need tight coupling between form data and Redux.
Best for
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
redux-form
- React developers who already use Redux and want form state in the same store
- Apps where parts of the UI far from the form (such as another route) need to read or change form values
- Teams maintaining an existing project that already uses redux-form
Strengths
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
redux-form
- Form state lives in Redux, so it can be inspected and updated from anywhere in the app
- Includes a documented set of examples covering validation, field arrays, and wizard forms
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Not ideal for
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
redux-form
- Developers starting a new project with no need for form state in Redux; the README recommends React Final Form or Formik instead
- Non-React projects, since it is built specifically on React and React Redux
- Beginners who do not yet know React and Redux, since the library assumes both
Trade-offs
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
redux-form
- The README says the author now recommends other libraries for most new projects
- Documentation links point to version 8.2.2 docs, while the latest release is v8.3.10, so docs may lag the release
- Keeping form state in Redux adds boilerplate compared with lighter form libraries
Getting started
React Hook Form
Install the package
npm install react-hook-formredux-form
Install redux-form with npm
npm install --save redux-formFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between React Hook Form and redux-form?
React Hook Form: A React library for building forms, handling their state and validation with hooks. redux-form: A React library that stores HTML form state in a Redux store. React Hook Form suits react developers building forms with several fields, while redux-form suits react developers who already use redux and want form state in the same store.
Are React Hook Form and redux-form free?
React Hook Form: Free and open source. redux-form: Free and open source.
Is React Hook Form or redux-form more popular?
React Hook Form has more GitHub stars (44.9k) than redux-form (12.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to React Hook Form and redux-form?
Other options people compare them with include Filament, Eureka, VeeValidate, Formily, Zustand.
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.