head to head · open source
react vs msw
react has 250,566 GitHub stars, 51,372 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped yesterday. msw has 18,210 stars, 626 forks, 37 open issues and last shipped yesterday. react leads on adoption by 1,276% (250,566 vs 18,210 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; msw is written in TypeScript under MIT. react has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, msw 3%. msw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| react | msw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 251K | ★ 18K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 51K | ⑂ 626 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 251K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick msw if
- You want the msw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and msw fits your workflow better
About react
React is a JavaScript library under the MIT licence for building user interfaces, using a declarative, component based model that renders both on the web and, through React Native, on mobile.
read the full react overview →
About msw
Mock Service Worker (MSW) is an MIT licensed TypeScript library that intercepts network requests at the Service Worker level so JavaScript applications and tests can run against mocked APIs without any change to application code, and it is built for front end and full stack JavaScript developers who need consistent API mocking in the browser, in tests, and during local development.
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or msw more popular?
react has 250,566 GitHub stars and msw has 18,210. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and msw free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and msw under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and msw?
react is written in JavaScript and msw in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, react or msw?
Choose react if you want the larger community (250,566 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose msw if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.