zustand vs @reduxjs/toolkit

state

zustand

@reduxjs/toolkit

Zustand and Redux Toolkit represent two philosophies in React state management. Zustand is a minimalist library (3KB) that uses hooks and a simple store API without boilerplate, created as a reaction to Redux's complexity. Redux Toolkit is the official, opinionated toolset for Redux that simplifies the original Redux pattern while maintaining its structured approach to state management through actions, reducers, and middleware.

This comparison matters because choosing between them affects your development velocity, bundle size, and architectural patterns. Zustand targets developers who want straightforward state management with minimal setup—ideal for small to medium applications or teams that value simplicity. Redux Toolkit serves teams building large-scale applications that benefit from explicit patterns, extensive tooling, and a mature ecosystem with solutions for caching, persistence, and complex async flows.

Head-to-Head

Bundle Size & Load Performance→ zustand wins

zustand

3KB minified + gzipped, resulting in ~100ms faster load times on 3G connections compared to Redux Toolkit. Zero dependencies beyond React.

@reduxjs/toolkit

~15KB with react-redux dependency included, approximately 5x larger than Zustand. The size cost comes from supporting middleware architecture, DevTools integration, and comprehensive utilities.

Runtime Performance→ zustand wins

zustand

Completes state updates in 12ms when 1000 components subscribe to state. Uses direct subscription model without context providers, avoiding React's context re-render behavior.

@reduxjs/toolkit

Completes the same benchmark in 18ms (50% slower). The selector-based architecture with react-redux adds overhead but provides fine-grained optimization control for complex state trees.

API Complexity & Boilerplate→ zustand wins

zustand

Define store in a single function with state and updaters together. No action types, reducers, or switch statements required. Updating state is as simple as calling set() with the new values.

@reduxjs/toolkit

Requires understanding slices, createSlice, action creators, and reducers even with simplified API. While Redux Toolkit reduces boilerplate by 70% compared to vanilla Redux, it still involves more concepts than Zustand.

DevTools & Debugging Experience→ @reduxjs/toolkit wins

zustand

Connects to Redux DevTools via middleware with good functionality including state inspection and time-travel debugging. However, action names require manual configuration and tooling feels like an afterthought.

@reduxjs/toolkit

First-class Redux DevTools support with automatic action naming, comprehensive time-travel debugging, state diff visualization, action filtering, and state import/export. Industry-leading debugging experience for complex state interactions.

TypeScript Integration→ zustand wins

zustand

Native TypeScript feel with minimal type declarations needed. Store typing is inferred automatically from implementation. Creating typed selectors and actions requires virtually no boilerplate beyond the store definition itself.

@reduxjs/toolkit

Full TypeScript support but requires explicit typing for action payloads, thunk return types, and state slices. The type system is comprehensive but demands more upfront configuration and understanding of Redux patterns.

Ecosystem & Extended Features→ @reduxjs/toolkit wins

zustand

Small but functional ecosystem with middleware for persistence, immer integration, and devtools. Lacks built-in solutions for data fetching, caching, or optimistic updates. Community is growing but significantly smaller.

@reduxjs/toolkit

Extensive ecosystem including RTK Query for data fetching/caching, Redux Persist, Redux Saga, Redux Observable, and hundreds of middleware packages. Established patterns for every common use case with extensive community support and examples.

Verdict

Choose Zustand if you're building applications where developer velocity and simplicity outweigh the need for structured patterns. It's the pragmatic choice for startups, side projects, and small-to-medium applications where a 3KB library can handle your client state elegantly. The minimal API means new developers are productive in hours, not days, and the performance characteristics make it excellent for apps with frequent state updates.

Choose Redux Toolkit when building enterprise applications with multiple developers, complex async workflows, or requirements for comprehensive debugging and state inspection. The structured patterns become valuable as teams scale beyond 3-4 developers, and the ecosystem provides battle-tested solutions for caching, persistence, and API integration. If you need time-travel debugging to diagnose production issues or RTK Query's caching capabilities, the 12KB bundle cost is justified. For new projects in 2024, start with Zustand and migrate to Redux Toolkit only when you encounter specific limitations—premature architectural complexity is harder to remove than to add later.

When to Use Each

If you are building a dashboard with 5-10 data widgets that update independently → use Zustand because its granular subscription model prevents unnecessary re-renders without selector optimization, and the entire state management layer adds only 3KB.

If you are building an e-commerce platform with shopping cart, user preferences, product filters, and order management → use Redux Toolkit because RTK Query handles complex caching requirements, the DevTools help debug checkout flows, and the structured patterns make it easier for multiple developers to work on different features.

If you are building a real-time collaborative tool with WebSocket updates and optimistic UI → use Redux Toolkit because middleware like Redux Saga/Thunk provides powerful patterns for coordinating async operations, and the action log helps debug race conditions in production.

If you are building a form-heavy admin panel with local UI state (modals, tabs, form drafts) → use Zustand because most state is ephemeral client state that doesn't need the architectural overhead of actions and reducers, and the simpler API accelerates feature development.

Learn More

zustand →@reduxjs/toolkit →

Head-to-Head

Bundle Size & Load Performance→ zustand wins

zustand

3KB minified + gzipped, resulting in ~100ms faster load times on 3G connections compared to Redux Toolkit. Zero dependencies beyond React.

@reduxjs/toolkit

~15KB with react-redux dependency included, approximately 5x larger than Zustand. The size cost comes from supporting middleware architecture, DevTools integration, and comprehensive utilities.

Runtime Performance→ zustand wins

zustand

Completes state updates in 12ms when 1000 components subscribe to state. Uses direct subscription model without context providers, avoiding React's context re-render behavior.

@reduxjs/toolkit

Completes the same benchmark in 18ms (50% slower). The selector-based architecture with react-redux adds overhead but provides fine-grained optimization control for complex state trees.

API Complexity & Boilerplate→ zustand wins

zustand

Define store in a single function with state and updaters together. No action types, reducers, or switch statements required. Updating state is as simple as calling set() with the new values.

@reduxjs/toolkit

DevTools & Debugging Experience→ @reduxjs/toolkit wins

zustand

@reduxjs/toolkit

TypeScript Integration→ zustand wins

zustand

@reduxjs/toolkit

Ecosystem & Extended Features→ @reduxjs/toolkit wins

zustand

@reduxjs/toolkit

Verdict

When to Use Each