react-hot-toast vs Sonner
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 small React library for showing pop-up toast notifications with minimal setup.
Open source · MIT
A React component that shows small pop-up notification messages (toasts).
The short answer
Choose react-hot-toast if you need…
- React developers who need simple notification messages in a web app
- Projects that want a small notification library instead of a larger UI kit
- Developers who want to build their own notification UI using the headless hooks
- Teams wanting a promise-based loading toast for async actions
Choose Sonner if you need…
- React developers who want quick, good-looking notifications without building their own
- Projects that need simple success or error messages after user actions
- Teams who prefer a ready-made component with minimal configuration
Side-by-side
| react-hot-toast | Sonner | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 11k | 13.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 51 days ago | 3 months ago |
What each one is
react-hot-toast
react-hot-toast is a React library that shows short pop-up messages, often called toasts, to tell users something happened, such as a save succeeding or an error occurring. You add a Toaster component once to your app, then call the toast function from anywhere to display a message. The README describes it as lightweight and customizable, with a promise helper that shows a loader while a promise is pending.
Sonner
Sonner is a React component library for showing brief notification messages, called toasts, on screen. You place a Toaster component once in your app, then call toast() from anywhere to display a message. It is described by its author as an opinionated design, meaning it makes styling and behavior choices for you rather than offering many options.
Best for
react-hot-toast
- React developers who need simple notification messages in a web app
- Projects that want a small notification library instead of a larger UI kit
- Developers who want to build their own notification UI using the headless hooks
- Teams wanting a promise-based loading toast for async actions
Sonner
- React developers who want quick, good-looking notifications without building their own
- Projects that need simple success or error messages after user actions
- Teams who prefer a ready-made component with minimal configuration
Strengths
react-hot-toast
- Simple setup: add one Toaster component and call toast() from anywhere
- The README lists a bundle size under 5kb including styles
- Includes an accessibility feature and a promise API for automatic loaders
Sonner
- Simple setup: add one Toaster component and call toast() from anywhere
- Open source under the MIT license, free to use in commercial projects
- Actively maintained, with a recent push and a published v2.0.8 release
Not ideal for
react-hot-toast
- Projects not using React, since the library is built specifically for it
- Apps needing complex, persistent notification centers, as the README focuses on transient toasts
- Developers who want a complete design system, since it covers notifications only
Sonner
- Developers who need a highly customized notification system, since the README describes it as opinionated
- Projects not using React, because the library is built for React
- Apps needing persistent in-page alerts rather than temporary toasts
Trade-offs
react-hot-toast
- The README is short on detail about advanced configuration; the full API lives in the external docs site
- Notifications are transient by design, so it is not a fit for persistent alerts
- Relies on React, so it cannot be used in other frameworks
Sonner
- Opinionated design means less room to change behavior or appearance than more flexible libraries
- Documentation of the full API lives on an external site, not in the README shown here
- The README shown is truncated, so details about options and customization are not confirmed here
Getting started
react-hot-toast
Install with pnpm
pnpm add react-hot-toastInstall with npm
npm install react-hot-toastFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between react-hot-toast and Sonner?
react-hot-toast: A small React library for showing pop-up toast notifications with minimal setup. Sonner: A React component that shows small pop-up notification messages (toasts). react-hot-toast suits react developers who need simple notification messages in a web app, while Sonner suits react developers who want quick, good-looking notifications without building their own.
Are react-hot-toast and Sonner free?
react-hot-toast: Free and open source. Sonner: Free and open source.
Is react-hot-toast or Sonner more popular?
Sonner has more GitHub stars (13.1k) than react-hot-toast (11k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to react-hot-toast and Sonner?
Other options people compare them with include React-Toastify, SweetAlert2.
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.