"Should we use Next.js or React?" is one of the most common questions we hear at the start of a web app project. The short answer is that it is not really a choice between two rivals. React is a library for building user interfaces. Next.js is a framework built on top of React. If you choose Next.js, you are still writing React.
The real question is whether you want React on its own, with your own choice of tools around it, or React inside a framework that handles routing, server rendering, data loading and more for you. This guide explains the difference in plain terms and helps you decide.
Key takeaways
- React is a user interface library. Next.js is a full framework that uses React.
- The React team now recommends starting new apps with a framework such as Next.js or React Router.
- Choose Next.js when search visibility, page speed or a built-in backend matters.
- A plain React app built with Vite still suits apps that sit behind a login and do not need to rank in search.
What is React?
React is an open-source JavaScript library, created at Meta, for building interfaces out of reusable components. A component is a small piece of the screen, such as a button, a form or a product card, and React keeps it up to date as data changes.
On its own, React does not decide how your app handles page routing, data fetching, server rendering or building for production. You choose other tools for each of those. A common setup is React with Vite as the build tool and React Router for navigation, running entirely in the browser. This is often called a single-page application.
What is Next.js?
Next.js is a React framework maintained by Vercel. It gives you the pieces that React leaves out, with sensible defaults:
- File-based routing: each folder in the
appdirectory becomes a page. - Server rendering: pages can be rendered on the server or at build time, so visitors and search engines receive ready-made HTML.
- Server Components: parts of the page run only on the server, so less JavaScript is sent to the browser.
- Backend features: Route Handlers and Server Actions let you build APIs and handle form submissions in the same project.
- Built-in optimisation for images, fonts and scripts.
Next.js 15, released in October 2024, brought support for React 19 and made caching more predictable. Next.js 16 followed in October 2025, making Turbopack the default bundler and adding Cache Components for explicit caching. Our Next.js performance guide covers the newer features in detail.
What the React team recommends
The official React documentation now recommends starting new apps with a framework, naming Next.js (App Router), React Router and, for mobile apps, Expo. It suggests building from scratch with a tool like Vite only if your app has needs that frameworks do not serve well, or if you want to learn how the pieces fit together. The older Create React App tool is no longer the recommended way to start.
Next.js vs plain React: side by side
- SEO: Next.js sends complete HTML, which search engines and AI assistants can read straight away. A browser-only React app sends a mostly empty page and builds it with JavaScript, which is harder to index well.
- First page load: Next.js usually shows content sooner because the HTML arrives ready. A single-page app has to download and run its JavaScript first.
- Backend: Next.js can handle APIs, forms and server logic itself. A plain React app needs a separate backend, such as Laravel or Node.js.
- Hosting: a plain React app is static files that can be hosted almost anywhere. Next.js needs a Node.js server or a platform such as Vercel to use all of its features.
- Flexibility: plain React lets you choose every tool. Next.js makes many choices for you, which saves time but means working its way.
- Learning curve: Next.js adds concepts such as Server Components, caching and the difference between server and client code. Teams new to it need some time to learn them.
When to choose Next.js
- Marketing sites, content sites and e-commerce where ranking in Google matters
- SaaS products with public pages, such as a website, pricing and documentation, alongside the app itself
- Projects where speed on mobile matters, because less JavaScript and server rendering help Core Web Vitals
- Small teams who want the frontend and a light backend in one codebase
This website is built with Next.js for exactly these reasons: every page needs to load quickly and be fully readable by search engines.
When plain React is enough
- Internal tools and dashboards that sit behind a login, where SEO does not matter
- Apps with an existing backend, such as a Laravel or .NET API, where the frontend only needs to call it
- Highly interactive tools, such as editors or design tools, where almost everything happens in the browser anyway
- Projects that must be hosted as static files on existing infrastructure
For many of our Laravel projects, the best fit is Laravel for the backend with React for the interface. Inertia.js is a popular way to connect the two without building a separate API.
Does the choice affect scalability?
Both can scale to large, busy applications. Scalability depends much more on your architecture, database, caching and hosting than on whether you use Next.js or plain React. What changes is where the work happens. Next.js does more on the server, so you need to plan hosting and caching for it. A browser-only React app pushes more work to the user's device and relies on your API to scale.
Frequently asked questions
Is Next.js better than React?
Neither is better in general, because Next.js uses React. Next.js is the better starting point for most public websites and SaaS products. Plain React can be simpler for internal tools and apps that already have a separate backend.
Is Next.js good for SEO?
Yes. Because Next.js can render full HTML on the server or at build time, search engines can read the content without running JavaScript. It also makes metadata, structured data and sitemaps straightforward to add.
Can I move from React to Next.js later?
Yes. Your React components can usually be reused. The main work is moving routing and data loading to the Next.js way of doing things, which you can do one page at a time.
We build React and Next.js web apps for UK businesses and can help you pick the right setup for your project. See our custom web application development services or tell us what you are building below.