react-router-dom vs wouter

frontend

react-router-dom

wouter

React Router DOM and Wouter are both client-side routing libraries for React applications, but they target fundamentally different use cases. React Router DOM is the de facto standard for React routing, offering a comprehensive feature set including nested routes, lazy loading, loaders, actions, and sophisticated navigation patterns. Wouter positions itself as a minimalist alternative, delivering basic routing functionality in under 4 kB with a hooks-first API that prioritizes simplicity over features.

This comparison matters because routing is a core architectural decision that affects bundle size, performance, and developer experience throughout your application's lifecycle. React Router DOM serves teams building complex SPAs with sophisticated navigation requirements, while Wouter appeals to developers who need straightforward routing without the overhead of a full-featured solution. Understanding the tradeoffs between these libraries helps you avoid over-engineering simple projects or under-tooling complex ones.

Head-to-Head

Bundle Size→ wouter wins

react-router-dom

Approximately 30 kB minified (React Router v6), reduced to roughly half that in v7. Still a substantial addition to your bundle, especially for smaller applications where routing represents a significant percentage of total JavaScript.

wouter

Under 4 kB minified, making it one of the smallest routing libraries available. The entire library is smaller than most single components in React Router, with tree-shaking further reducing the footprint if you only use hooks.

API Flexibility→ wouter wins

react-router-dom

Requires a top-level BrowserRouter wrapper and follows a structured component hierarchy. Provides multiple router types (BrowserRouter, HashRouter, MemoryRouter) and extensive configuration options, but this comes with more boilerplate and setup requirements.

wouter

No mandatory top-level wrapper needed—routes are constructed on demand. Offers three API patterns (component-based, routing hooks, standalone hooks) giving developers freedom to choose the right abstraction level. More flexible for incremental adoption.

Feature Completeness→ react-router-dom wins

react-router-dom

Comprehensive routing solution with nested routes, route loaders/actions, code splitting integration, route transitions, navigation guards, relative links, search params utilities, and extensive navigation control. Handles complex scenarios like authenticated routes and multi-level layouts out of the box.

wouter

Basic routing only: path matching, navigation, and route parameters. No built-in support for nested routes, loaders, code splitting patterns, or advanced navigation features. You'll need to implement or find alternatives for anything beyond simple route switching.

Migration Path from React Router→ react-router-dom wins

react-router-dom

Direct upgrade path within the React Router ecosystem. Migration between major versions is well-documented with codemods available. Upgrading from v5 to v6 or v7 requires changes, but the conceptual model remains consistent.

wouter

Similar component names (Route, Link, Switch) but fundamentally different APIs. useNavigate() becomes useLocation() and navigate() becomes setLocation(). Not recommended as a React Router replacement for existing projects—only mimics, doesn't fully implement React Router features.

Community and Ecosystem→ react-router-dom wins

react-router-dom

Massive community with extensive third-party integrations, plugins, and middleware. Comprehensive documentation, numerous tutorials, and quick Stack Overflow responses. Established patterns for common scenarios are widely known and shared.

wouter

Smaller community with limited third-party ecosystem. Documentation covers the basics well, but you won't find as many examples for edge cases. Less community knowledge means more time solving unique problems independently.

Performance and Re-renders→ wouter wins

react-router-dom

Context-based architecture can cause unnecessary re-renders in some scenarios. Version 7 improved performance significantly, but the feature-rich implementation still has overhead. Route matching and navigation are fast, but the library does more work per navigation event.

wouter

Minimal overhead with hooks-based implementation that avoids context where possible. Route matching is extremely fast due to simpler algorithm. Navigation triggers fewer re-renders and has less computational cost, making it measurably faster in benchmarks.

Verdict

Choose React Router DOM for any production application with more than basic routing needs. If you're building a multi-page SPA, need nested routes, require data loading patterns, or anticipate your routing becoming more complex over time, React Router's 30 kB cost is a worthwhile investment. The comprehensive feature set, ecosystem support, and established patterns will save you more development time than the bundle size will cost in load time. Teams with multiple developers will benefit from React Router's widespread familiarity and extensive documentation.

Choose Wouter only when you have a genuinely simple routing scenario and bundle size is a critical constraint. This typically means landing pages with 5-10 routes, marketing microsites, or embedded widgets where every kilobyte matters. If you're unsure whether your routing will remain simple, default to React Router—migrating from Wouter to React Router later is painful because the APIs aren't compatible despite similar naming. Wouter works well for experienced developers who understand its limitations and can work around them, but it's not a drop-in replacement for React Router's feature set.

When to Use Each

If you are building a multi-tenant SaaS dashboard with authenticated routes, role-based access, and nested navigation → use react-router-dom because you need nested routes, route guards, loaders for data fetching, and the robust navigation patterns that React Router provides out of the box.

If you are building a marketing landing page with 5-7 static routes and basic navigation → use wouter because the entire routing library will be smaller than a single feature from React Router, and you don't need any advanced routing capabilities.

If you are building an e-commerce application with product listings, cart, checkout flow, and user accounts → use react-router-dom because you'll need code splitting for performance, nested routes for layouts, loaders for data fetching, and the complexity will only increase as you add features.

If you are creating an embedded widget that lives inside another application and needs internal navigation → use wouter because bundle size directly impacts your host application's performance, and your routing requirements are constrained by the widget's scope.

Learn More

react-router-dom →wouter →

Head-to-Head

Bundle Size→ wouter wins

react-router-dom

wouter

API Flexibility→ wouter wins

react-router-dom

wouter

Feature Completeness→ react-router-dom wins

react-router-dom

wouter

Migration Path from React Router→ react-router-dom wins

react-router-dom

wouter

Community and Ecosystem→ react-router-dom wins

react-router-dom

wouter

Performance and Re-renders→ wouter wins

react-router-dom

wouter

Verdict

When to Use Each