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Create React App (CRA) is deprecated for new projects, but existing apps have not stopped working. React says they remain in maintenance mode. For a new app, React recommends a framework in most cases; for a deliberately client-rendered app where you want to choose the surrounding tools yourself, Vite is a focused alternative. Next.js is a framework option when integrated routing and the ability to add server or static rendering are useful. The best choice depends on what your app needs and which responsibilities your team wants to own.
What does “Create React App is dead” actually mean?
React announced on February 14, 2025, that it was deprecating CRA for new apps. The announcement cites the lack of active maintainers and limitations that made it difficult to build high-performance production apps. That is not the same as saying existing CRA applications have stopped running or that support was immediately removed.
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React’s announcement says: “Today, we’re deprecating Create React App for new apps, and encouraging existing apps to migrate to a framework, or to migrate to a build tool like Vite, Parcel, or RSBuild.” It also says CRA “will continue working in maintenance mode,” and notes that a version compatible with React 19 was published. Read React’s deprecation announcement.
Should you use Vite or Next.js?
Choose based on the application structure you want, not on a claim that one tool is universally faster or better. The official guidance does not establish a universal winner or provide a benchmark comparing them.
#1 Best Overall
| Choice | Good fit | What you take on |
|---|---|---|
| Stay on CRA for now | An existing app that is stable and has no immediate feature or maintenance reason to move. | Continue with a deprecated tool in maintenance mode; it is not React’s recommended direction for new apps. |
| Vite | A client-rendered React app where you want a focused development and build tool and are comfortable choosing the rest of the application stack. | Select or retain your own routing, data-fetching, and other application-level solutions. |
| Next.js | An app that benefits from integrated routing or may need static generation, server rendering, streaming, or other framework capabilities. | Adopt a broader framework and account for its configuration and migration work. Server features are optional. |
Choose Vite when the app should stay client-rendered
Vite provides a development server, hot module replacement (HMR), and a production build that outputs assets. It is a build tool, not a complete React framework. If your app needs routing or data loading, you choose those pieces and decide how they work together. React explicitly recognizes starting from scratch with a build tool such as Vite when a team’s constraints or preferences call for that approach. See React’s guidance on creating a React app.
Choose Next.js when framework capabilities are useful
Next.js integrates routing and gives you options for rendering and data behavior, including static generation, request-time rendering, and streaming. Those capabilities do not mean every page must use server rendering: a Next.js app can begin as a client-rendered SPA, and rendering can vary by route. React recommends frameworks for most new apps, especially when routing is needed, because frameworks can coordinate routing with concerns such as data fetching and code splitting.
Next.js can also be deployed as a static export, but that excludes server features. Its hosting options include Node.js or Docker environments, self-managed servers, and static hosting for exported output; a particular hosting provider is not required. Read the Next.js CRA migration guide.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat should you use instead of Create React App for a new project?
For most new applications, start by evaluating a framework, as React recommends. Choose Next.js if its integrated routing and optional rendering approaches fit your needs. Choose Vite if you have a reason to build a client-rendered app from a smaller foundation and want to select routing and data tools independently.
Vite’s official guide lists React and React with TypeScript starter templates. It documents scaffolding with npm create vite@latest. The guide currently lists Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+ as a requirement, with some templates potentially requiring a newer version; verify the live Vite guide before starting because version requirements can change.
How do you migrate an existing CRA app?
Do not treat deprecation as a reason to rewrite a working application immediately. First identify why you want to move: maintenance concerns, a planned feature, deployment needs, or a desire to adopt a framework. Then choose whether you need a build-tool replacement or a broader framework.
Inventory the CRA-specific behavior
Before changing the build setup, record what the app depends on. Pay particular attention to:
- Its router, route patterns, and any assumptions about direct navigation to nested URLs.
- Environment variables exposed to browser code, plus any proxy rules.
- Service-worker behavior, including whether it is registered and how updates are handled.
- Custom webpack or Babel settings, TypeScript configuration, and test setup.
- The CRA
homepagevalue, public asset paths, and deployment assumptions.
These items can affect migration scope; no fixed timeline applies without inspecting the project.
If you choose Vite
- Scaffold a React project with
npm create vite@latestand select a React template, or configure Vite in the existing repository. - Move or adapt application code and assets, then explicitly configure the routing and data-fetching approaches the app needs.
- Check environment-variable handling, proxy behavior, public paths, service-worker behavior, tests, and production deployment output against the existing app.
Vite’s guide documents its starter templates and setup options at vite.dev/guide.
If you choose Next.js
The Next.js migration guide recommends an incremental approach: first get the existing app running as a client-only SPA, then adopt framework capabilities later. Its SPA phase does not require immediately replacing the current router.
- Set up the Next.js configuration and root layout, carrying over the existing HTML shell as appropriate.
- Use a catch-all route for the SPA phase so the existing app can keep handling its routes while it runs inside Next.js.
- Update the project scripts and migrate browser-exposed environment variable names from
REACT_APP_toNEXT_PUBLIC_. - Verify route behavior, asset paths, environment handling, service-worker behavior, and deployment output before changing rendering or routing decisions.
- Once the SPA is working, adopt Next.js routing, data-loading, static-generation, or server-rendering features where they solve a real requirement.
The official guide flags custom CRA homepage values, service workers, proxy settings, webpack or Babel configuration, and TypeScript configuration as areas that may need special handling. Follow the current Next.js migration instructions for the precise setup.
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Does choosing Next.js mean you must use server rendering?
No. Next.js supports client-side rendering and static-site generation as well as server capabilities. A team can start by running the app as a client-only SPA, then decide whether particular routes benefit from build-time or request-time data fetching, static output, or streaming. Static export is another option when server features are not needed, though it excludes those features.
Best Value
Which choice gives you more control?
Vite leaves more application-level decisions to your team: it handles development and building, while you select routing, data fetching, and related libraries. That can suit an existing SPA or a team that wants a deliberate, modular stack. Next.js brings more of those concerns into a framework, which can simplify an integrated approach but also means adopting framework conventions and migration work.
Neither choice dictates one hosting provider. React says recommended frameworks can run as static apps on a CDN or static host; Next.js also supports Node.js or Docker providers, self-hosting, and static export. Match the deployment model to the app’s actual use of server features.
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