interact.js vs Moveable
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
JavaScript library for drag, drop, resize and multi-touch gestures in web pages.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript library that adds drag, resize, rotate and related handles to web page elements.
The short answer
Choose interact.js if you need…
- Web developers building drag-and-drop interfaces
- Developers who need touch and mouse gesture support in one library
- Projects that must support older browsers such as Internet Explorer 9+
- Developers building interactive SVG or canvas-based tools
Choose Moveable if you need…
- Front-end developers building editors or interactive canvases in the browser
- Teams using React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or Lit who want a wrapper package for their framework
- Projects that need manipulable SVG elements or 3D-transformed elements
- Developers who want snapping guidelines when positioning elements
Side-by-side
| interact.js | Moveable | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.9k | 10.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 3 months ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
interact.js
interact.js is a JavaScript library that lets web developers make page elements draggable, resizable, and responsive to multi-touch gestures. It supports inertia (continued motion after release) and snapping to targets such as a grid. It is described as standalone and does not change the page structure beyond the cursor unless configured otherwise.
Moveable
Moveable is a TypeScript library that lets a web page visitor move, resize, scale, rotate, and warp HTML or SVG elements with on-screen handles. Developers attach it to an element and turn on the behaviors they want, such as draggable or rotatable. It also has optional snapping, grouping of multiple targets, and pinch gestures.
Best for
interact.js
- Web developers building drag-and-drop interfaces
- Developers who need touch and mouse gesture support in one library
- Projects that must support older browsers such as Internet Explorer 9+
- Developers building interactive SVG or canvas-based tools
Moveable
- Front-end developers building editors or interactive canvases in the browser
- Teams using React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or Lit who want a wrapper package for their framework
- Projects that need manipulable SVG elements or 3D-transformed elements
- Developers who want snapping guidelines when positioning elements
Strengths
interact.js
- Supports both desktop and mobile browsers, including Internet Explorer 9+ per the README
- Includes inertia and snapping features out of the box
- Written in TypeScript with type definitions shipped in the npm package
Moveable
- Covers many interaction types (drag, resize, scale, rotate, warp, pinch, group, snap) in one library, according to the README
- Ships wrapper packages for several frameworks in the same repository
- MIT licensed with a published API documentation site and a handbook
Not ideal for
interact.js
- Non-programmers, since it requires writing JavaScript code to use
- Projects needing a ready-made UI component with no custom code, because it is a low-level library
- Teams that need a React or Vue-specific wrapper, since the README does not describe one
Moveable
- People who need a finished design tool without writing code, since this is a library for developers
- Projects that cannot add a JavaScript dependency, since it requires a browser environment and npm or a script tag
- Simple static pages where a plain CSS transition would be enough
Trade-offs
interact.js
- Requires JavaScript coding knowledge to use and configure
- The README is truncated here, so detailed API behavior must be checked in the external documentation
Moveable
- The README is a feature overview; setup details beyond the basic example are in the separate handbook, which was not included here
- Requires working knowledge of JavaScript and the DOM to integrate
- Latest release listed is 0.53.0 and the last push date is 2024-06-03, so check current maintenance status before adopting
Getting started
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between interact.js and Moveable?
interact.js: JavaScript library for drag, drop, resize and multi-touch gestures in web pages. Moveable: A JavaScript library that adds drag, resize, rotate and related handles to web page elements. interact.js suits web developers building drag-and-drop interfaces, while Moveable suits front-end developers building editors or interactive canvases in the browser.
Are interact.js and Moveable free?
interact.js: Free and open source. Moveable: Free and open source.
Is interact.js or Moveable more popular?
interact.js has more GitHub stars (12.9k) than Moveable (10.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to interact.js and Moveable?
Other options people compare them with include Muuri, Lenis, Swiper, Sortable, Dragula.
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.