react-virtualized vs react-window
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
React components for efficiently rendering large lists and tabular data.
Open source · MIT
React components that render large lists and tables efficiently by drawing only what is visible.
The short answer
Choose react-virtualized if you need…
- React developers who need to display long lists of items
- Teams building data tables or grids with many rows
- Developers who want a component-based approach to windowing
Choose react-window if you need…
- React developers who need to show long lists or large tables in a web interface
- Teams whose pages slow down or stutter when rendering many rows
- Developers who want a small, focused component library rather than a full data grid
Side-by-side
| react-virtualized | react-window | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 27.1k | 17.2k |
| 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 | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
react-virtualized
react-virtualized is a set of React components for displaying long lists and tables without rendering every row at once. Instead of creating thousands of DOM elements, it renders only the items currently visible, which keeps pages responsive with large data sets. Developers use it inside their own React apps.
react-window
react-window is a TypeScript component library for React that helps display long lists and tabular data without the slowdowns that come from rendering thousands of items at once. The README says it is used in places such as React DevTools and the Replay browser. It is aimed at developers building React interfaces.
Best for
react-virtualized
- React developers who need to display long lists of items
- Teams building data tables or grids with many rows
- Developers who want a component-based approach to windowing
react-window
- React developers who need to show long lists or large tables in a web interface
- Teams whose pages slow down or stutter when rendering many rows
- Developers who want a small, focused component library rather than a full data grid
Strengths
react-virtualized
- Renders only visible items, which helps performance with large data sets
- Provides list and grid components for both lists and tabular data
- Documentation site includes live examples
react-window
- Focused on one job: rendering large lists and tables quickly in React
- Written in TypeScript and released under the permissive MIT license
- The README names real-world users, including React DevTools and the Replay browser
Not ideal for
react-virtualized
- Projects that do not use React, since the components are built for it
- Small pages with only a few dozen items, where virtualization adds complexity without much benefit
- Developers looking for a newer, actively evolving alternative, since the README does not describe current maintenance status
react-window
- Non-developers, since it is a code library that must be added to a React project
- Projects not using React, because the components are built for React
- Teams that need a complete out-of-the-box data grid with built-in sorting and editing, as the README describes only rendering components
Trade-offs
react-virtualized
- Requires React, so it is not useful outside that ecosystem
- The README excerpt provided does not show setup steps, so integration effort is unclear from this source
- Most of the README shown is about sponsorships rather than technical details
react-window
- Only a React library, so it is of no direct use outside React projects
- The README excerpt provided is truncated, so detailed API behavior could not be verified here
- Requires writing your own integration code; the README excerpt gives no ready-made application
Getting started
react-virtualized
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bvaughn/react-virtualizedreact-window
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bvaughn/react-windowFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between react-virtualized and react-window?
react-virtualized: React components for efficiently rendering large lists and tabular data. react-window: React components that render large lists and tables efficiently by drawing only what is visible. react-virtualized suits react developers who need to display long lists of items, while react-window suits react developers who need to show long lists or large tables in a web interface.
Are react-virtualized and react-window free?
react-virtualized: Free and open source. react-window: Free and open source.
Is react-virtualized or react-window more popular?
react-virtualized has more GitHub stars (27.1k) than react-window (17.2k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to react-virtualized and react-window?
Other options people compare them with include TanStack Table, Enzyme, Million.js, Inferno, why-did-you-render.
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.