Framer Motion and React Spring are the two leading animation libraries in the React ecosystem, each taking fundamentally different approaches to solving animation challenges. Framer Motion is built on a declarative, component-based API that prioritizes developer experience and rapid implementation of interactive UI animations, gestures, and layout transitions. React Spring takes a physics-first approach, offering spring-based animations with precise control over timing and motion characteristics through a more imperative API.
This comparison matters because choosing the wrong animation library can lead to bundle bloat, performance bottlenecks, or excessive development time fighting against the library's design philosophy. Framer Motion targets teams building modern web applications with gesture-heavy interfaces, layout animations, and rapid prototyping needs where developer velocity matters. React Spring appeals to developers who need fine-grained control over animation physics, complex orchestration scenarios, or are working on performance-critical applications where bundle size and runtime efficiency are paramount.
Choose Framer Motion if you're building interactive web applications where developer velocity, gesture support, and rapid prototyping matter more than absolute performance optimization. It's the pragmatic choice for product teams shipping features quickly, applications with heavy use of hover/tap interactions, layout transitions between routes, or any project where the 6 KB bundle difference won't impact user experience. The declarative API reduces cognitive load and onboarding time, making it ideal for teams where multiple developers will touch animation code.
Choose React Spring if you need maximum performance for complex animation scenarios, are working under strict bundle budgets, or require precise physics control for realistic motion. It's the right tool for animation-heavy applications like data visualizations, creative portfolios with intricate sequencing, or performance-critical interfaces where every millisecond matters. Accept the steeper learning curve when your animations are core product features rather than polish, or when you're building reusable animation systems that justify the upfront investment in understanding spring physics. The 8 KB bundle and superior runtime performance make it compelling for applications where animation fidelity directly impacts user experience.