Lit vs Solid.js: Choosing the Best Lightweight UI Framework

When it comes to modern UI development, Lit and Solid.js are two powerful contenders in the lightweight JavaScript framework space.

  • Lit is a web component-based library that focuses on efficiency, reusability, and standards compliance.
  • Solid.js is a reactive UI framework with fine-grained reactivity that outperforms React in many benchmarks.

Both frameworks have unique advantages, and this article will help you decide which one fits your project best.

What is Lit?

Lit is a modern, lightweight JavaScript library for building fast and reusable web components. Developed by Google, it provides a declarative way to create UI components using web standards.

Key Features of Lit:

Lightweight (~5KB gzipped) – Minimal impact on performance.
Web Standards-Based – Uses the Web Components API, ensuring long-term stability.
Fast Rendering – Uses efficient DOM updates for optimal performance.
Reusable Components – Works with any framework (React, Vue, Angular, etc.).

When to Use Lit?

✔️ When you need framework-agnostic web components.
✔️ When you want fast rendering with minimal re-renders.
✔️ When you are working on enterprise applications with long-term maintainability in mind.

What is Solid.js?

Solid.js is a declarative JavaScript UI framework with fine-grained reactivity and compiles to highly efficient JavaScript. Unlike React, it doesn’t use a Virtual DOM but instead updates the real DOM directly.

Key Features of Solid.js:

Super Fast (~7KB gzipped) – Outperforms React, Vue, and even Svelte in benchmarks.
No Virtual DOM – Uses direct DOM updates for maximum performance.
Fine-Grained Reactivity – Uses reactive primitives like signals and effects.
Component-Based – Similar to React but without the performance overhead.

When to Use Solid.js?

✔️ When you need the fastest UI updates with minimal memory usage.
✔️ When you prefer a React-like syntax but with better performance.
✔️ When your project involves real-time updates, dashboards, or high-performance apps.

Key Differences Between Lit and Solid.js

Feature

Lit ⚡

Solid.js 🚀

Size

~5KB gzipped

~7KB gzipped

Rendering Approach

Web Components (Declarative)

Fine-Grained Reactivity

Virtual DOM?

❌ No

❌ No

Best for

Reusable UI components across projects

High-performance, interactive UIs

Learning Curve

Moderate (Web Components)

Easy for React developers

Reactivity

Template-based updates

Fine-grained, signal-based updates

Framework Dependency

Works with any framework

Standalone (React-like API)

Performance

Fast

Blazing fast 🔥

Performance Comparison: Lit vs Solid.js

📌 Benchmark Scores (Lower is Better):

Framework

Update Time (ms)

Memory Usage (MB)

Lit

7ms

2.3MB

Solid.js

4ms

1.6MB

Solid.js is faster than Lit due to its fine-grained reactivity.
Lit is better for reusable components and works well in enterprise applications.

“विकासस्य मार्गे सत्यं श्रमः आवश्यकः।”
(Translation: “On the path of progress, hard work is essential.”)

Just as choosing the right framework requires careful consideration, both Lit and Solid.js demand a thoughtful approach based on your project needs.

Which One Should You Choose?

🤔 Choose Lit if:
✔️ You need reusable web components that work across different frameworks.
✔️ You prefer standardized Web Components with a long lifespan.
✔️ You are working on enterprise applications that require future-proofing.

🔥 Choose Solid.js if:
✔️ You need real-time UI updates with minimal overhead.
✔️ You want a React-like API but with better performance.
✔️ You are building highly interactive applications (e.g., dashboards, SaaS, data-driven apps).

Final Verdict

Lit is best for building reusable, standards-based UI components.
Solid.js is best for performance-focused applications that require fine-grained reactivity.