MobX vs Zustand: What are the differences?

MobX and Zustand are both state management libraries for JavaScript applications. Let's explore the key differences between the two.

1. API Complexity: MobX provides a more advanced and complex API compared to Zustand. It offers a wide range of features such as observables, computed values, and actions, which allow fine-grained control over the state management process. In contrast, Zustand focuses on simplicity and provides a minimalistic API, making it easier for developers to understand and use.

2. Performance Optimization: MobX has built-in optimizations like dependency tracking and automatic re-rendering of components when the underlying state changes. It leverages a reactive programming model to efficiently update only the necessary components. Zustand, on the other hand, provides a simpler approach without such optimizations. While it may not offer the same level of built-in performance enhancements, it still performs well and is suitable for smaller applications.

3. Integration: MobX is designed to integrate seamlessly with various frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue. It has official bindings for these frameworks, which provide additional features and make it easy to incorporate MobX into existing projects. On the other hand, Zustand is framework-agnostic, which means it can be used with any JavaScript framework or library. It provides a lightweight solution that can easily blend into different project setups.

4. Developer Experience: MobX has a larger community and more extensive documentation compared to Zustand. This means that developers using MobX may find it easier to get support and find resources to learn from. Zustand, being relatively newer and with a smaller community, may have a more limited set of available resources and support channels. However, this can also be seen as an advantage for Zustand, as it offers a more focused and streamlined approach.

5. Backward Compatibility: MobX has been around for a longer time and has a stable version history. It supports older versions of JavaScript and is compatible with a wide range of browsers. Zustand, being a newer library, may have fewer backward compatibility guarantees and may require the use of modern JavaScript language features and recent browser versions.

6. Package Size: MobX has a larger package size compared to Zustand. This is mainly due to the additional features and optimizations it offers. Zustand, being a minimalist library, has a smaller package size, which can be advantageous for projects with tight constraints on file size or performance.

In summary, MobX provides a more advanced API, has built-in performance optimizations, offers easy integration with popular frameworks, has a larger community and documentation, supports backward compatibility, and has a larger package size. On the other hand, Zustand focuses on simplicity, performs well without extensive optimizations, is framework-agnostic, has a smaller community and documentation, may have fewer backward compatibility guarantees, and has a smaller package size.