Livewire vs React: Choosing the Right Tool

The choice between Livewire and React is one of the most common decisions Laravel developers face. Both are excellent tools, but they excel in different scenarios.

When to Choose Livewire

• **CRUD-heavy applications** - Admin panels, dashboards, form-heavy apps
• **Small to medium projects** - Where development speed matters more than bundle size
• **Laravel-centric teams** - When your team is primarily PHP developers
• **Real-time features** - Livewire's wire:poll and events make reactive UIs easy

When to Choose React

• **Complex client-side interactions** - Drag-and-drop, animations, canvas
• **Mobile app sharing** - If you plan to use React Native
• **Large frontend teams** - When you have dedicated JavaScript developers
• **Decoupled architecture** - When your API serves multiple clients

The Hybrid Approach

The best answer might be: use both! Livewire for most of your app, React (via Inertia.js or embedded components) for complex interactive features.

// Use Livewire for forms
class CreateUser extends Component {
  public $name, $email;
  
  public function save() {
    User::create($this->all());
  }
}

// Use React for complex visualizations
function AnalyticsDashboard({ data }) {
  return <Chart data={data} type="line" />;
}

There's no wrong choice—only the right tool for your specific needs.