Enzyme vs React Testing Library
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript testing utility that lets you inspect and simulate React component output in tests.
Open source · MIT
Lightweight utilities for testing React components by how users interact with them.
The short answer
Choose Enzyme if you need…
- Developers maintaining React codebases that already have component tests
- Teams testing React 16 or older versions with a matching official adapter
- Developers who want shallow rendering to test one component in isolation
- Projects that use Mocha, Chai, Jest, or another test runner of their choice
Choose React Testing Library if you need…
- Developers writing automated tests for React applications
- Teams who want tests that survive refactors of component internals
- Projects on React 18 or newer (version 12 is noted for older React)
- Developers who prefer testing behavior over implementation details
Side-by-side
| Enzyme | React Testing Library | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 19.8k | 19.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 13 months ago | 2 months ago |
What each one is
Enzyme
Enzyme is a JavaScript testing utility for React. It lets developers check what a React component renders, find elements inside it, and simulate actions like clicks, with an API modeled on jQuery's traversal style. It is used alongside a test runner and assertion library such as Mocha, Chai, or Jest.
React Testing Library
React Testing Library is a small JavaScript package that helps you write automated tests for React components. It sits on top of react-dom and encourages tests that look like how a person uses the software, such as finding elements by their text or label, so tests keep working when internal code is refactored.
Best for
Enzyme
- Developers maintaining React codebases that already have component tests
- Teams testing React 16 or older versions with a matching official adapter
- Developers who want shallow rendering to test one component in isolation
- Projects that use Mocha, Chai, Jest, or another test runner of their choice
React Testing Library
- Developers writing automated tests for React applications
- Teams who want tests that survive refactors of component internals
- Projects on React 18 or newer (version 12 is noted for older React)
- Developers who prefer testing behavior over implementation details
Strengths
Enzyme
- Simple, readable API inspired by jQuery for finding and traversing rendered output
- Works with any test runner or assertion library, according to the README
- Supports shallow, full DOM, and static rendering modes in one library
React Testing Library
- Encourages tests that focus on user-visible behavior rather than implementation details
- Very lightweight, built directly on react-dom and react-dom/test-utils
- Well documented, with a public docs site and a large community (about 19.7k stars)
Not ideal for
Enzyme
- Projects on React versions not covered by an adapter in the README, since compatibility is limited to the listed adapter versions
- People writing new React tests who want a current, actively documented approach; the README points to migration from Enzyme 2.x and does not describe a newer React testing path
- Hooks-heavy code using shallow rendering, because the README notes useEffect and useLayoutEffect are not called and useCallback does not memoize in shallow mode
React Testing Library
- Projects not using React, since it is specifically for React DOM components
- Teams on React versions older than 18 who cannot use the v12 release line (the README says v13+ requires React 18)
- People looking for an end-to-end browser testing tool; the README describes it as a component/DOM testing utility
Trade-offs
Enzyme
- Requires a separate adapter package matched to your React version, adding setup steps
- Shallow rendering has known gaps with React hooks as described in the README
- The README has a truncated section and gives limited detail on current maintenance status, so the project's future support is unclear from this text
React Testing Library
- Requires a separate @testing-library/dom install from version 16 onward, adding setup steps
- Older React versions need an older major release (v12 for React below 18)
- The README is truncated here, so details of advanced configuration are not covered in this entry
Getting started
Enzyme
Install enzyme and the React 16 adapter as dev dependencies
npm i --save-dev enzyme enzyme-adapter-react-16React Testing Library
Install with npm
npm install --save-dev @testing-library/react @testing-library/domInstall with yarn
yarn add --dev @testing-library/react @testing-library/domFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Enzyme and React Testing Library?
Enzyme: A JavaScript testing utility that lets you inspect and simulate React component output in tests. React Testing Library: Lightweight utilities for testing React components by how users interact with them. Enzyme suits developers maintaining react codebases that already have component tests, while React Testing Library suits developers writing automated tests for react applications.
Are Enzyme and React Testing Library free?
Enzyme: Free and open source. React Testing Library: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Enzyme or React Testing Library?
React Testing Library is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Enzyme is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Enzyme or React Testing Library more popular?
Enzyme has more GitHub stars (19.8k) than React Testing Library (19.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Enzyme and React Testing Library?
Other options people compare them with include Jest, Mocha, pytest, react-virtualized, Material UI.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.