React Zustand, Recoil, Jotai – Alternative Global State Libraries (2025 Guide)

Introduction – Why Alternatives to Redux?

Redux is powerful but boilerplate-heavy, even with Redux Toolkit. For developers seeking simpler and faster global state solutions in React, alternatives like Zustand, Recoil, and Jotai offer modern, minimal, and flexible approaches.

These libraries aim to:

• Reduce boilerplate
• Improve developer experience
• Enhance performance with selective reactivity

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• How Zustand, Recoil, and Jotai work
• Key differences and usage examples
• When to use each in real-world projects
• Performance, DX, and scalability comparisons

1. Zustand – A Minimal, Hook-Based Global Store

Zustand (German for “state”) is a small, fast, and scalable global state library for React. It uses native hooks with no context and no provider wrapping.

Installation:

npm install zustand

Example – Counter Store:

import { create } from 'zustand';

const useStore = create((set) => ({
  count: 0,
  increment: () => set((state) => ({ count: state.count + 1 }))
}));

Usage in Component:

const count = useStore((state) => state.count);
const increment = useStore((state) => state.increment);

<button onClick={increment}>Count: {count}</button>

Simple and intuitive
Reactive only to the selected state slice
No Provider needed

2. Recoil – Atom-based State Graph for React

Recoil is a state management library developed by Facebook that allows fine-grained, reactive, and derived state using atoms and selectors.

Installation:

npm install recoil

Setup:

import { RecoilRoot } from 'recoil';

<RecoilRoot>
  <App />
</RecoilRoot>

Define Atom:

import { atom } from 'recoil';

export const countAtom = atom({
  key: 'count',
  default: 0,
});

Usage in Component:

import { useRecoilState } from 'recoil';
import { countAtom } from './state';

const [count, setCount] = useRecoilState(countAtom);

<button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>Count: {count}</button>

Fine-grained reactivity
Selectors for derived state
DevTools and debugging tools available

3. Jotai – Atomic, Primitive State for React

Jotai (Japanese for “primitive”) uses atomic design principles to handle global state as simple units. It’s small, unopinionated, and integrates well with Suspense.

Installation:

npm install jotai

Define Atom:

import { atom } from 'jotai';

export const countAtom = atom(0);

Usage in Component:

import { useAtom } from 'jotai';
import { countAtom } from './state';

const [count, setCount] = useAtom(countAtom);

<button onClick={() => setCount((c) => c + 1)}>Count: {count}</button>

Pure, simple logic
Composable with derived atoms
Great for scalable, composable applications

Comparison Table – Zustand vs Recoil vs Jotai

Best Use Cases

Best Practices

Use Zustand for quick setup and scaling
Use Recoil when you need derived and interdependent state
Use Jotai for small, decoupled, reactive apps
Don’t replace useState/useReducer unless state is truly shared
Combine with code splitting and suspense for performance

Summary – Recap & Next Steps

React state management has evolved beyond Redux. Libraries like Zustand, Recoil, and Jotai offer lightweight, flexible, and reactive global state solutions.

Key Takeaways:

• Zustand = minimal and hook-based store (no provider)
• Recoil = atom-selector model with rich features
• Jotai = atomic state for precise and scalable updates
• Choose the tool that fits your app’s complexity and size

Real-World Relevance:
Used in modern React apps, micro-frontends, design systems, and developer tools where boilerplate must be minimized and performance is key.

FAQ Section

Is Zustand better than Redux?
For simple or medium apps, yes. Zustand is more concise and easier to implement.

What is the difference between Recoil and Jotai?
Recoil has more structure (selectors, snapshots) and official Facebook support. Jotai is simpler, smaller, and more composable.

Can Zustand work without a provider?
Yes. That’s one of its biggest advantages—it uses hooks internally.

Is Jotai good for large applications?
Yes, if your state can be modeled in atoms. It’s composable and works well with code splitting and suspense.

Do these tools replace Redux?
For many apps, yes. But Redux is still great for highly structured, team-based, large-scale projects.