React Color vs React-Toastify
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 React library of ready-made color picker components modeled on popular design and browser tools.
Open source · MIT
A React library that shows pop-up notification messages (toasts) in your app.
The short answer
Choose React Color if you need…
- React developers who need a color selection control in a web interface
- Teams wanting a picker that resembles familiar tools like Sketch or Photoshop
- Developers who want to assemble a custom picker from provided building blocks
Choose React-Toastify if you need…
- React developers who need simple on-screen notifications
- Apps that want to show several stacked messages at once
- Teams that want to customize notification styling or animation
- Projects that need right-to-left (RTL) language support
Side-by-side
| React Color | React-Toastify | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.3k | 13.4k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 3 years ago | 9 days ago |
What each one is
React Color
React Color is a JavaScript library that provides color picker components for React apps. It includes 13 pickers styled after tools such as Sketch, Photoshop, and Chrome, and you can drop one into a page with a single import. The README also says it offers building-block components for making your own picker.
React-Toastify
React-Toastify is a JavaScript library for React apps that shows small, temporary notification messages called toasts. You add a ToastContainer component once, then call toast() from anywhere in your code to display a message. It is used to give users quick feedback such as confirmations or errors without interrupting what they are doing.
Best for
React Color
- React developers who need a color selection control in a web interface
- Teams wanting a picker that resembles familiar tools like Sketch or Photoshop
- Developers who want to assemble a custom picker from provided building blocks
React-Toastify
- React developers who need simple on-screen notifications
- Apps that want to show several stacked messages at once
- Teams that want to customize notification styling or animation
- Projects that need right-to-left (RTL) language support
Strengths
React Color
- Offers 13 picker styles out of the box
- Installs through npm with a single import
- Includes building-block components for custom designs
React-Toastify
- Setup is short: the README example needs only a container and a toast() call
- Many listed features, including swipe to close, progress bar, dark mode and stacking
- Actively maintained, with a recent push and a CI badge in the README
Not ideal for
React Color
- People who are not writing React code, since the library is a React component package
- Projects that need a picker outside React, because the README describes only React usage
- Anyone needing a non-inline styling approach, since the README states it uses 100% inline styles
React-Toastify
- Non-React projects, since the library is built for React (the README shows only React usage)
- People who need a finished app rather than a code library
- Projects that need notifications with complex built-in workflows beyond what the README describes
Trade-offs
React Color
- Styling is done with inline styles via ReactCSS, which can be harder to override with a stylesheet
- The README excerpt provides limited detail on configuration options
- Last push date shown is January 2024, so maintenance activity may be limited
React-Toastify
- Feature list is long and the README is brief, so details depend on the external documentation site
- Styling and behavior options beyond the basics require reading the docs
- Dependent on React, so it does not help outside that ecosystem
Getting started
React Color
Install the package
npm install react-color --saveReact-Toastify
Install with npm
npm install --save react-toastifyInstall with yarn
yarn add react-toastifyFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between React Color and React-Toastify?
React Color: A React library of ready-made color picker components modeled on popular design and browser tools. React-Toastify: A React library that shows pop-up notification messages (toasts) in your app. React Color suits react developers who need a color selection control in a web interface, while React-Toastify suits react developers who need simple on-screen notifications.
Are React Color and React-Toastify free?
React Color: Free and open source. React-Toastify: Free and open source.
Is React Color or React-Toastify more popular?
React-Toastify has more GitHub stars (13.4k) than React Color (12.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to React Color and React-Toastify?
Other options people compare them with include react-dates, react-sketchapp, react-hot-toast, Sonner, Zustand.
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.