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Comparisons3 min readUpdated

@danixsoft/hooks vs react-use

The short answer

react-use is the broadest React hooks library available, with hundreds of hooks covering almost every conceivable case, but it carries runtime dependencies and its maintenance cadence has slowed considerably. @danixsoft/hooks is deliberately much smaller — 44 hooks that cover the common cases — with zero runtime dependencies and TypeScript written from source. Choose react-use when you need an unusual hook that nothing else provides; choose @danixsoft/hooks when you want a lean, actively maintained core.

react-use was the library that proved custom hooks could be packaged. Its catalogue is still unmatched in size. The trade-offs that come with that size are the whole story here.

The core trade-off

@danixsoft/hooksreact-use
PhilosophyA curated core of common casesComprehensive coverage of everything
Hook count44Several hundred
Runtime dependenciesNoneSeveral, pulled in transitively
TypeScriptWritten in TypeScript from sourceTypes included, with some looser signatures
MaintenanceActively maintainedMaintenance cadence has slowed
Learning curveSmall enough to read in an afternoonLarge — discovery itself takes effort
LicenceMITUnlicense
Before choosing either, check the current state of both projects — recent releases, open issues, and the dependency tree on npm. Library health changes, and a comparison page is a snapshot, not a live feed.

The dependency question

This is the most concrete difference. react-use ships with runtime dependencies, which means installing it adds transitive packages to your lockfile. Each one is a version to track, an audit surface, and a potential supply-chain consideration.

@danixsoft/hooks has no runtime dependencies at all. Every hook is built from React primitives and standard browser APIs, so installing it adds exactly one entry to your lockfile.

What you actually install
1# @danixsoft/hooks — one package, no transitive deps
2npm install @danixsoft/hooks
3
4# Check for yourself before you commit either way:
5npm info @danixsoft/hooks dependencies
6npm info react-use dependencies

Key takeaway

In a small app the dependency count is a footnote. In a regulated environment, or any codebase where every transitive package gets reviewed, it is often the deciding factor.

When react-use is genuinely the right answer

  • You need a hook nothing else has. react-use covers territory — battery status, media devices, complex async state machines, browser permissions — that smaller libraries simply do not.
  • You already depend on it and it works. A working integration is worth more than a tidier dependency tree.
  • You want one place to look first. Breadth has real value when you would otherwise be evaluating five packages.

When the smaller library wins

  • Your dependency tree is audited. Zero runtime dependencies is a materially easier conversation with a security team.
  • You want strict, inferring types. Hooks written in TypeScript from the start tend to infer better than hooks typed after the fact.
  • You value a readable surface. 44 hooks fit in your head; several hundred do not, and hooks nobody knows about get reimplemented anyway.
  • Active maintenance matters to you. React changes — Strict Mode, concurrent rendering, Server Components have all moved the ground under hook libraries.

Using both

This is a legitimate strategy rather than a compromise. Take the common hooks from the lean library and reach for react-use only for the specific exotic hook you need — the bundler will tree-shake both.

import { useLocalStorage, useDebounce } from '@danixsoft/hooks';
import { useBattery } from 'react-use';   // only where nothing else covers it
Is react-use abandoned?

Not abandoned, but its release cadence has slowed noticeably compared to its peak. Check the repository's recent commit and release history before adopting it for a long-lived project — that is a better signal than any comparison page.

Does @danixsoft/hooks plan to match react-use hook for hook?

No. The library is deliberately curated. Hooks are added when a case comes up repeatedly, not to grow a number. A hook you cannot find is worse than a hook that does not exist.

Does the Unlicense cause problems?

Rarely in practice, but some corporate legal teams have clearer processes for MIT than for public-domain dedications like the Unlicense. If your organisation maintains an approved-licence list, check it before adopting either.

Which has better TypeScript support?

@danixsoft/hooks is written in TypeScript from source, so generics infer at the call site without annotations. react-use ships types, but some signatures are looser, which shows up as more explicit annotations in your code.

Keep reading

@danixsoft/hooks vs usehooks-ts

Both are small, TypeScript-first, zero-dependency React hook libraries. Here is where they genuinely differ and how to choose between them.

@danixsoft/hooks vs @mantine/hooks

Mantine ships an excellent hooks package alongside its component library. Here is when to take it standalone and when a UI-agnostic collection fits better.