Animation libraries have become essential tools for creating engaging user interfaces in React applications. While Framer Motion has dominated the React animation space for years, Motion One emerged as a lightweight alternative that challenges the status quo. Both libraries offer declarative APIs and powerful animation capabilities, but they take fundamentally different approaches to solving the same problems.
Architecture and Bundle Size
The most significant difference between these libraries lies in their underlying architecture. Framer Motion builds on top of React's component model, providing a comprehensive animation framework tightly integrated with React's lifecycle. The library weighs in at approximately 32KB minified and gzipped, which includes its entire feature set.
Motion One takes a different path. Built on the Web Animations API (WAAPI), it provides a framework-agnostic core that React bindings wrap around. The base Motion library is just 4KB, while the React-specific @motionone/react package adds another 2KB. This architectural decision results in a dramatically smaller footprint—roughly 85% smaller than Framer Motion.
1// Framer Motion approach
2import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
3
4function FadeInBox() {
5 return (
6 <motion.div
7 initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
8 animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
9 transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}
10 >
11 Content
12 </motion.div>
13 );
14}
15
16// Motion One approach
17import { Motion } from '@motionone/react';
18
19function FadeInBox() {
20 return (
21 <Motion
22 initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
23 animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
24 transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}
25 >
26 <div>Content</div>
27 </Motion>
28 );
29}The bundle size difference matters most for mobile applications and sites where every kilobyte counts toward performance metrics. Teams working on content-heavy sites or mobile-first applications often find Motion One's smaller footprint compelling.
Animation API and Developer Experience
Framer Motion provides an extensive API surface with specialized components for different use cases. The motion component can wrap any HTML element or React component, offering props like whileHover, whileTap, whileInView, and gesture controls out of the box.
1import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
2
3function InteractiveCard() {
4 return (
5 <motion.div
6 whileHover={{ scale: 1.05 }}
7 whileTap={{ scale: 0.95 }}
8 drag
9 dragConstraints={{ left: -100, right: 100 }}
10 className="card"
11 >
12 <h3>Drag me or hover</h3>
13 </motion.div>
14 );
15}Motion One provides a more minimal API focused on core animation primitives. While it doesn't include built-in gesture handlers, it integrates well with libraries like @use-gesture/react when those features are needed. The philosophy centers on keeping the core small and composable.
1import { Motion } from '@motionone/react';
2import { useGesture } from '@use-gesture/react';
3
4function InteractiveCard() {
5 const [style, setStyle] = useState({});
6
7 const bind = useGesture({
8 onDrag: ({ offset: [x] }) => setStyle({ x }),
9 });
10
11 return (
12 <Motion
13 animate={style}
14 whileHover={{ scale: 1.05 }}
15 transition={{ duration: 0.2 }}
16 {...bind()}
17 >
18 <div className="card">
19 <h3>Drag me or hover</h3>
20 </div>
21 </Motion>
22 );
23}Performance Characteristics
Both libraries leverage hardware-accelerated CSS properties when possible, but their performance profiles differ in specific scenarios. Motion One's reliance on WAAPI means animations run on the compositor thread by default when animating transform and opacity properties. This provides consistent 60fps animations with minimal JavaScript overhead.
Framer Motion uses its own animation engine that provides more control over timing and complex animation sequences. The library includes features like automatic layout animations and shared element transitions that require JavaScript-driven calculations. For simple animations, the performance difference is negligible. Complex orchestrations or layout animations show where each library's strengths lie.
1// Framer Motion's layout animations
2import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
3
4function ExpandableCard({ isExpanded }) {
5 return (
6 <motion.div
7 layout
8 initial={{ borderRadius: 10 }}
9 animate={{
10 height: isExpanded ? 'auto' : 60,
11 borderRadius: isExpanded ? 20 : 10
12 }}
13 transition={{ layout: { duration: 0.3 } }}
14 >
15 {/* Content */}
16 </motion.div>
17 );
18}The layout prop in Framer Motion automatically animates position and size changes, even when triggered by content changes or DOM reflows. Motion One doesn't include this feature natively, requiring developers to implement layout animations manually using FLIP techniques or similar approaches.
Spring Physics and Timing Functions
Framer Motion ships with sophisticated spring physics that feel natural and responsive. The spring animations automatically adjust their duration based on the distance traveled and provide realistic motion that responds to interruptions mid-animation.
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1import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
2
3function SpringButton() {
4 return (
5 <motion.button
6 whileTap={{ scale: 0.9 }}
7 transition={{
8 type: "spring",
9 stiffness: 500,
10 damping: 30
11 }}
12 >
13 Click me
14 </motion.button>
15 );
16}Motion One takes a different approach to springs. The library uses the spring easing function from Motion, which approximates spring physics using duration-based animations. While this doesn't provide the same physics-based interruption handling, it performs better and integrates seamlessly with WAAPI.
1import { Motion } from '@motionone/react';
2import { spring } from 'motion';
3
4function SpringButton() {
5 return (
6 <Motion
7 whileTap={{ scale: 0.9 }}
8 transition={{
9 easing: spring({ stiffness: 500, damping: 30 })
10 }}
11 >
12 <button>Click me</button>
13 </Motion>
14 );
15}Variants and Animation Orchestration
Framer Motion's variant system provides powerful tools for coordinating animations across multiple elements. Variants define named animation states that can propagate through component trees, enabling complex choreography with minimal code.
1import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
2
3const containerVariants = {
4 hidden: { opacity: 0 },
5 visible: {
6 opacity: 1,
7 transition: {
8 staggerChildren: 0.1
9 }
10 }
11};
12
13const itemVariants = {
14 hidden: { y: 20, opacity: 0 },
15 visible: { y: 0, opacity: 1 }
16};
17
18function StaggeredList({ items }) {
19 return (
20 <motion.ul
21 variants={containerVariants}
22 initial="hidden"
23 animate="visible"
24 >
25 {items.map(item => (
26 <motion.li key={item.id} variants={itemVariants}>
27 {item.text}
28 </motion.li>
29 ))}
30 </motion.ul>
31 );
32}Motion One doesn't include a built-in variant system. Developers working with Motion One typically manage animation states through React state and props, which provides more explicit control but requires more boilerplate for complex orchestrations.
Mobile and Cross-Platform Considerations
For React Native applications, Framer Motion offers framer-motion-3d and works with react-native-reanimated through community adapters, though support varies. The library wasn't designed with React Native as a primary target.
Motion One's architecture makes it web-specific—it depends on WAAPI, which doesn't exist in React Native. Teams building cross-platform applications need separate animation solutions for native platforms, though the imperative animate function from Motion can work with custom drivers.
Mobile web performance differs between the libraries. Motion One's smaller bundle and WAAPI foundation typically provide better performance on lower-end mobile devices. Framer Motion's JavaScript-driven animations may cause jank on devices with limited processing power, particularly when animating multiple elements simultaneously.
Production Trade-offs
Choosing between these libraries depends on specific project requirements. Framer Motion excels in applications requiring sophisticated animation orchestration, layout animations, or gesture-driven interfaces. The comprehensive API reduces the need for additional libraries, and the variant system simplifies complex animation sequences.
Motion One suits projects prioritizing bundle size and performance. Applications with simpler animation needs, content-focused sites, or progressive web apps benefit from the minimal footprint. The library requires more manual work for advanced features, but this explicitness can lead to more maintainable code in some contexts.
Both libraries integrate well with modern React patterns. They support concurrent rendering in React 18+, work with Server Components (with appropriate client boundaries), and provide TypeScript definitions. Neither library causes hydration mismatches when used correctly, though both require care when animating on mount to avoid flickers.
Key Considerations
The landscape of React animation libraries continues evolving. Framer Motion remains the go-to choice for feature-rich applications where animation is central to the user experience. Its comprehensive API, excellent documentation, and active community make it reliable for production use.
Motion One represents a compelling alternative for teams conscious of bundle size and performance. The library's minimal footprint and WAAPI foundation provide excellent performance characteristics, particularly on mobile devices. However, developers should expect to write more code for advanced features that Framer Motion handles automatically.
The choice ultimately depends on project constraints. Applications with complex animation requirements benefit from Framer Motion's batteries-included approach. Projects prioritizing performance and bundle size, or those with simpler animation needs, find Motion One's lightweight architecture advantageous. Both libraries have earned their place in the React ecosystem, serving different needs within the animation space.
