SVGO vs SVGR
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
Shrinks SVG image files by removing redundant data, via a Node.js library or command line.
Open source · MIT
Converts SVG icon files into React components you can import and use in code.
The short answer
Choose SVGO if you need…
- Web developers who want smaller SVG icons and images loaded in pages
- Developers automating SVG cleanup in a build step or script
- Designers or teams batch-processing folders of exported SVG files via the command line
- Projects that want a configurable plugin pipeline for SVG transformations
Choose SVGR if you need…
- React developers who import SVG icons or logos into components
- Teams with a shared icon set that needs consistent React components
- Projects using Webpack or Node.js build setups that want automatic SVG conversion
Side-by-side
| SVGO | SVGR | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 22.8k | 11.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 11 days ago | 8 months ago |
What each one is
SVGO
SVGO, short for SVG Optimizer, is a Node.js library and command-line tool for optimizing SVG files. SVG files exported from vector editors often contain editor metadata, comments, hidden elements and default values that can be removed without changing how the image looks. People use SVGO to make these files smaller before putting them on websites or in apps.
SVGR
SVGR takes an SVG image file and turns it into a React component, so the icon can be used like any other part of a React interface. It provides a command-line tool, a Webpack loader, and a Node.js API, and it can be tried in an online playground. Developers use it to avoid hand-converting SVG markup into JSX.
Best for
SVGO
- Web developers who want smaller SVG icons and images loaded in pages
- Developers automating SVG cleanup in a build step or script
- Designers or teams batch-processing folders of exported SVG files via the command line
- Projects that want a configurable plugin pipeline for SVG transformations
SVGR
- React developers who import SVG icons or logos into components
- Teams with a shared icon set that needs consistent React components
- Projects using Webpack or Node.js build setups that want automatic SVG conversion
Strengths
SVGO
- Removes redundant SVG data while aiming to keep rendering unchanged, per the README's description
- Plugin architecture with a default preset that can be tweaked or overridden
- Offers both a command-line interface and a programmatic API
SVGR
- Produces ready-to-use React components from a raw SVG file
- Offers several ways to run it: command line, Webpack loader, and Node.js API
- Has a browser playground and documentation at react-svgr.com
Not ideal for
SVGO
- People who need a graphical app; SVGO is a command-line tool and library with no visual interface shown in the README
- Anyone who cannot run Node.js or npm, since installation depends on them
- Users who need to keep every editor-specific detail in their SVG files, because optimization removes data by design
SVGR
- Projects that do not use React, since the output is React-specific
- People who only need a static SVG file displayed on a plain web page
- Users who need to edit SVG artwork itself; SVGR only converts the file format
Trade-offs
SVGO
- Requires Node.js and npm, yarn or pnpm to install, so it is less accessible to non-developers
- Configuration and plugin behavior take some reading of external docs to master
- The README is truncated here, so detailed limits and edge cases are not covered in this entry
SVGR
- The README is short and points to external docs for most setup detail
- Output depends on the SVG and options used, so the example may need review for complex files
- Command-line and build setup require Node.js familiarity
Getting started
SVGR
Run the command-line tool without installing it
npx @svgr/cli --icon --replace-attr-values "#063855=currentColor" -- icon.svgFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between SVGO and SVGR?
SVGO: Shrinks SVG image files by removing redundant data, via a Node.js library or command line. SVGR: Converts SVG icon files into React components you can import and use in code. SVGO suits web developers who want smaller svg icons and images loaded in pages, while SVGR suits react developers who import svg icons or logos into components.
Are SVGO and SVGR free?
SVGO: Free and open source. SVGR: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, SVGO or SVGR?
SVGR is easier to get started with (rated beginner); SVGO is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is SVGO or SVGR more popular?
SVGO has more GitHub stars (22.8k) than SVGR (11.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to SVGO and SVGR?
Other options people compare them with include Million.js, mo · js, react-loadable, Tamagui, visx.
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.