JS Framework Table Wars: Who Really Wins?

Hey devs, ever built a dashboard with thousands of rows and watched your app choke like it's running on a potato? Yeah, me too. That's why the krausest/js-framework-benchmark on GitHub is my new obsession—it's pitting React, Vue, Svelte, SolidJS, and more against each other in brutal table-rendering battles. We're talking 1,000 rows from scratch, partial updates on 10k rows, memory leaks, and real-world startup metrics like TimeToConsistentlyInteractive (TTI). Spoiler: The winners might shock you, especially when "warmups" expose cold-start slowness that real users feel.

Why Devs Should Care (The Hook)

In 2026, performance isn't optional—it's table stakes. Users bail if your table lags on mobile, SEO tanks with poor Core Web Vitals, and servers sweat under data-heavy apps. This benchmark flips the script: Frameworks that shine in warmed-up JIT heaven flop on first load, where scripts boot slow and main-thread work piles up. Why it matters: Pick the wrong one for data grids, and you're leaking memory or blocking interactivity. Here’s the deal:

The Battlefield: What Gets Measured

This repo simulates a massive table of randomized rows—think sales data or user lists. Key tests:

• Create 1k rows: Raw speed to build the DOM.
• Update 10k rows (partial): Swap 10 cells per row without nuking the whole table.
• Memory retention: Does it leak after swaps?
• Startup metrics: Script bootup time, main-thread cost, TTI—Lighthouse-style real-user pain.

Vanilla JS often crushes creation (e.g., ~143ms median for 1k rows), but frameworks like SolidJS cheat physics by skipping Virtual DOM, updating real DOM directly for React-like DX with vanilla speed. Svelte and Qwik resumability keep bundles tiny and loads instant.

Aha moment: Benchmarks do "warmup iterations" to hit peak JIT performance, skipping cold starts. Real users? They hit pre-JIT slowness, flipping leaders—React 19 narrows gaps with its compiler, but signals in Angular/Solid steal the show for reactivity.

TL;DR Key Takeaways

• Winners for tables: SolidJS/Svelte for speed, Ext JS for enterprise memory stability.
• Cold starts kill: Test TTI, not just warmed-up runs.
• Vanilla JS baseline: Still beats many frameworks—don't over-engineer.

Code Examples: Try the Pain Points

Let's recreate a mini version. First, naive React table—watch it VirtualDOM the hell out of 1k rows:

// Bad React: Full re-render on update
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
 
function SlowTable() {
  const [data, setData] = useState(Array(1000).fill().map(() => ({ id: Math.random(), val: 'Slow' })));
 
  useEffect(() => {
    const interval = setInterval(() => {
      setData(data.map((row, i) => i % 10 === 0 ? { ...row, val: 'Updated!' } : row));
    }, 1000);
    return () => clearInterval(interval);
  }, [data]);
 
  return (
    <table>
      {data.map(row => <tr key={row.id}><td>{row.val}</td></tr>)}
    </table>
  );
}

This lags on updates—full reconciliation! Now, SolidJS fine-grained magic:

import { createSignal, For } from 'solid-js';
 
function FastTable() {
  const [data, setData] = createSignal(Array(1000).fill().map(() => ({ id: Math.random(), val: 'Fast' })));
 
  setInterval(() => {
    setData(prev => {
      const newData = [...prev()];
      newData[0].val = 'Updated!'; // Only this updates!
      return newData;
    });
  }, 1000);
 
  return (
    <table>
      <For each={data()}>{row => <tr><td>{row.val}</td></tr>}</For>
    </table>
  );
}

Boom—signals update only changed cells, no VDOM tax. SolidJS wins updates.

Practical tweak for your app: Use keyed lists in benchmarks for stable IDs.

// Vanilla JS keyed (from benchmark style)
const rows = document.querySelectorAll('tr');
rows.forEach((row, i) => {
  if (i % 10 === 0) row.cells[1].textContent = 'Updated ' + Date.now();
});

Real-World Use Cases

• Dashboards: 10k-row tables? SolidJS or Svelte—memory stable, updates fly.
• Enterprise grids: Ext JS owns large datasets with lifecycle magic—no leaks.
• Marketing sites: Astro/Qwik for static tables, zero JS bloat.

React/Vue middle-ground for interactive SPAs, but watch bundle size—Next.js/Angular hit FCP hard.

Trade-offs: Angular's signals boost reactivity, but steep curve. Plain JS + Web Components rises for lightweight wins.

Try It Yourself

Clone https://github.com/krausest/js-framework-benchmark, run npm start, and tweak for your stack. Benchmark your app's cold TTI with Lighthouse. Who's your table champ? Drop results in comments—let's crowdsource 2026 winners!