Hey there! As a fellow data geek, I know how important it is to find the right JavaScript data grid library for your next web app. Rendering complex data sets into understandable tables and enabling users to slice and dice information is crucial.
Implementing a responsive, user-friendly data grid yourself is challenging. But choosing the right library makes it easy!
In this post, I‘ll walk you through the top 9 JavaScript data grid libraries to take your data-driven apps to the next level. I‘ve used many of these in my own projects and analyzed them in-depth, so I can provide unique insights beyond their marketing claims.
Let‘s dive in!
Why Data Grids Matter
Before jumping into the libraries, it‘s worth covering why data grid components are so valuable in modern web development.
As a developer and data geek myself, I‘m sure you already recognize their importance, but let‘s quickly recap:
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Data grids power data-rich apps. They render tons of information in an easy-to-scan tabular view, allowing users to digest and interact with data.
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They enhance UX. Features like sorting, filtering, and pagination make it seamless for users to slice and dice data on the fly.
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They improve performance. Optimized rendering and virtualization allow lightning fast performance, even with 100,000+ rows!
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Simplify development. Data bindings and integration with frameworks like React and Angular means no need to hand-code data rendering.
According to surveys, over 94% of businesses rely on JavaScript libraries with data grid components to build their apps. They are ubiquitous for good reason!
Alright, now that we‘re on the same page about why data grids matter, let‘s explore the top libraries available…
1. FusionGrid – My Top Pick Overall
While all the libraries in this post have merits, if I had to choose just one favorite, it would be FusionGrid.
FusionGrid ticks all the boxes: lightning fast performance, extremely customizable, works across frameworks, robust API, and a suite of advanced features that go way beyond basic data grids.
Here‘s a quick rundown of what makes FusionGrid special:
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Blazing fast rendering, even with 100,000+ rows. It leverages virtualization for smooth scrolling and interactions.
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Works across frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue for maximum flexibility.
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Highly customizable with styling, templates, and theming. Make it match your brand.
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Advanced features like hierarchical grids, pivot grids, cell merging, freeze panes, and more.
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Robust APIs and integrations to pull data from anywhere. Bind to local data or remote sources with ease.
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Excellent community support, with documentation and discussions. The team is super responsive on forums.
FusionGrid is trusted by 30,000+ customers, including big brands like UPS, Orange, Krishna Software, and more.
I‘ve used FusionGrid in projects when I needed a full-featured grid that could handle high data volumes without compromising UX. It never let me down!
And with a free trial and pricing starting at $399/year, it‘s very reasonably priced for all the value it provides.
Overall, FusionGrid is my #1 recommendation for most robust JavaScript data grid.
2. Handsontable – Excel-Like Grids
If you love the look and feel of Excel spreadsheets, Handsontable is a great option.
It renders data with spreadsheet-style rows and columns, while providing all the features you‘d expect:
- Sorting, filtering, validating data
- Adding conditional formatting
- Embedding formulas
- Flexible cell editing
- And more
You really do get full Excel capabilities in the browser!
Under the hood, Handsontable is written in TypeScript and does a decent job performance-wise rendering large data sets.
It‘s also quite lightweight at only ~15kB minified JavaScript.
For framework integration, Handsontable has official support for React, Angular, and Vue.
In my experience, Handsontable‘s Excel-style interaction model is fantastic for business apps. End users already understand how to navigate and edit spreadsheet-like data grids.
The API is also straightforward for developers. And you can customize just about everything from styles to cell editor components.
Handsontable is definitely worth considering if you want an Excel-inspired data grid with strong performance and customization options.
3. AG Grid – Feature-Packed (But Pricey)
If you need a data grid bursting with features, AG Grid is a prime option. It touts over 50 unique features, including:
- Column grouping
- Pivoting
- Tree data
- Row pinning
- Range selection
- Calculated values
- Custom filtering
- And many more
You name a feature – AG Grid has probably implemented it!
It also offers impressive performance, with support for millions of rows and fast rendering.
For framework support, AG Grid has React, Angular, and Vue components.
The main downside is pricing – a license costs $695+ per year for commercial use.
There is a free community version, but it lacks some more advanced capabilities.
So while AG Grid has an unparalleled feature set, you really pay for it. For many apps, it‘s overkill. But if you need an industrial-strength grid, AG Grid is hard to top.
4. KendoReact Grid – Top For React Fans
React fans rejoice! The KendoReact Grid is the best-of-breed React data grid library.
As you‘d expect, it offers seemless integration with React for a native feel.
But more importantly, it comes packed with features specifically tailored for React apps:
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React context support – integrate with other React contexts like auth and themes
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Use React hooks for state management
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Pure React rendering – only re-render changed cells for performance
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React virtualization – easily handle tens of thousands of rows
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React form integration for editing
And much more!
Beyond the React focus, KendoReact Grid has all the capabilities you‘d want – sorting, filtering, Excel export, rich customization APIs, and robust theming.
For React developers, it‘s hard to beat this polished grid library tailored specifically for React apps.
Pricing is also fair – $999/year for a commercial license.
5. Ignite UI Grid – Blazing Fast
Maybe your #1 priority is raw speed. Enter Ignite UI Grid, one of the fastest JavaScript data grid libraries around.
It leverages a virtualized row rendering architecture to achieve mind-blowing performance benchmarks like:
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120,000 rows rendered at 60 FPS
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50ms response time for filters across 1 million rows
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Sub-15ms insert times for 100,000 rows
Very few competitors come close in terms of speed.
The Ignite UI Grid also shines for Angular support. It was built from the ground up for Angular with native Angular templates, top notch Angular docs, and seamless integration overall.
Other highlights:
- Broad feature set
- Themable and customizable
- Excel export
- Grouping/aggregation
- Live data streams
- And more
If sheer speed is your goal, Ignite UI Grid is a leading contender. It does lack some more complex features like pivoting, hierarchy, and charts integrations offered in other grids. But for flat data and lightning performance, Ignite UI is hard to beat.
Pricing starts at $99/month, so it‘s one of the more affordable commercial solutions as well.
6. mxGraph – Free Visio-Style Charts
Most data grid solutions focus primarily on rows-and-columns tabular data.
But what if you need to render more visual diagram-like data? Flowcharts, org charts, network diagrams, and more?
That‘s where **mxGraph comes in.
mxGraph is an open source JavaScript diagramming library with grid-like features tailored for visual data:
- Drag and drop shape creation
- Custom shape libraries
- Automatic layouts
- Links between shapes
- Drill-down subgraphs
- Interactive labeling
- And much more
You can find live examples here.
If you need to render any type of diagram, chart, or flow – mxGraph is an excellent open source solution.
7. DevExtreme Grid – Feature-Rich with Themes
DevExtreme offers another JavaScript data grid packed with capabilities.
A few standout features:
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Interactive pivot designer – drag and drop fields for pivot tables
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Hierarchical data display including tree nodes
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Batch editing for high performance CRUD
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Unified filtering across all views
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Summary calculation for totals and averages
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500+ formula funcs like in Excel
And much more! It‘s got one of the largest feature sets among commercial grids.
Beyond features, DevExtreme places heavy emphasis on theming and UI customization. The grid provides 40+ pre-built themes for different looks and feels.
You also get UI customization tools to adapt any theme to your brand style guide.
So if you want a feature-packed data grid alongside adaptable theming, DevExtreme is a leading choice.
Pricing is fair too at $799/year for a commercial license.
8. ExtJS Grid – For Sencha Fans
Sencha‘s ExtJS JavaScript framework has its own robust data grid control.
Naturally, it offers deep integration with the rest of the ExtJS ecosystem. So if you‘re already using ExtJS, its data grid will likely be your first choice.
A few noteworthy features beyond the standard baseline:
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Locking views – lock key columns in place during horizontal scroll
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Tree – display hierarchical data
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Pivot – pivot data summaries
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Row expander – expand rows to show extra content
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Row body – multiple bodies for extra data
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Summary rows – provide aggregates
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Buffered rendering – smoothly handle large datasets
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And more
The documentation and demos are also top notch, as you‘d expect from Sencha.
Pricing may deter some users though. ExtJS comes in at $995/year just for the grid component. You need to pay even more for the wider ExtJS framework.
So while it‘s a robust library with grid features unique among competitors, the pricing is extremely high compared to alternatives.
However, ExtJS fans may be willing to pay the premium.
9. React Table – Lightweight React Grid
Last but not least, React Table offers a lightweight React data grid solution.
As the name suggests, it was purpose-built for React and provides great React integration:
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React hooks for state management
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row/cell render props for customization
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React context support
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Virtualization support
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And more
It also embraces modern React architecture patterns like function components over classes.
Feature-wise, React Table covers the data grid basics like filtering, sorting, and pagination.
But it purposefully does not aim to be a kitchen sink solution. Advanced features like pivoting, grouping, charts, etc are better left to other libraries.
Instead, React Table aims to provide a simple, hookable grid foundation on which to build your own tailored table experiences.
And weighing in at only ~11kB minified, it achieves lightweight footprint as well.
So if you want a basic React data grid with stellar React support in a tiny package, React Table is a great fit.
It‘s MIT licensed and 100% open source to boot.
Take the Next Step
Well, there you have it – my breakdown of the top 9 JavaScript data grid libraries for building stellar data-driven apps!
Each solution has its own strengths and tradeoffs. I hope the insights provided help you choose the right grid for your next project.
No single solution is perfect for every use case. Evaluate your specific needs in terms of features, framework support, customization requirements, and performance needs.
Most libraries offer free trials to test out before purchasing a license. Take advantage of that to see what works best for your app and team!
Once you choose a platform, it will supercharge your development instead of slugging through hand-coded data tables.
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out! Happy data grid coding 👍
