Objective Evaluation
Framer Motion vs GSAP: Which Should You Use in React?
Framer Motion (now Motion) follows React state with springs and gestures. GSAP follows a timeline you direct, in any framework. Where each wins, and where CSS is the better answer.
Updated November 2026
The fundamental architectural difference
Motion, formerly Framer Motion, is a React animation library: you declare the target state and it handles springs, gestures, layout animations and exits. GSAP is a framework-agnostic engine built around tweens and timelines, which makes long sequences, scroll-driven scenes and non-React pages easier to control. For a React product interface driven by component state, Motion is usually the shorter path; for a page where twenty things move in a deliberate order, or where the code is not React, GSAP fits better. Both are free: the Motion packages are MIT-licensed, and GSAP became free for everyone after Webflow acquired it.
Side-by-side comparison
Feature & Capability Breakdown
| Dimension | Motion (Framer Motion) | GSAP | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animation model | Declarative: animate to a target, or between variants | Imperative: tweens collected on a timeline | Tie |
| Framework fit | React, Vue and vanilla JavaScript | Any framework, Webflow, WordPress or plain HTML | Tie |
| Springs and gestures | Springs, plus hover, tap, focus and drag with momentum | Easing-led tweens; drag and physics come from plugins | Motion (Framer Motion) |
| Timelines and sequencing | Sequences from variants, delays, keyframes and stagger | A real timeline: labels, nesting, seek, reverse, timeScale | GSAP |
| Scroll animation | useScroll, useTransform and whileInView in React | ScrollTrigger, including pinning and scrub | GSAP |
| Layout and exit | layout, layoutId and AnimatePresence for unmounting components | Flip for layout changes; exits are handled by hand | Motion (Framer Motion) |
| React integration | Motion components and motion values that skip re-renders | useGSAP() from @gsap/react, with refs and cleanup | Motion (Framer Motion) |
| Measured size | 80 KB gzip in our September 2026 test; LazyMotion can cut the initial load | 71 KB gzip in the same test; plugins add more | GSAP |
| License | Core packages MIT; Motion+ is a separate paid product | Free for everyone, plugins included | Tie |
When to choose GSAP
- The motion is a sequence: an intro, a product tour or a scroll-scrubbed scene with many steps.
- The code is not React: a marketing site, WordPress, Webflow or plain HTML.
- You need ScrollTrigger, SplitText, MorphSVG or Flip, which are part of GSAP now.
When to choose Motion (Framer Motion)
- The animation is a reaction to component state: open, selected, loading, error.
- A gesture can be interrupted and the motion has to keep its velocity.
- Components mount and unmount, and the exit should animate.
- Layouts shift, lists reorder, or an element has to travel between two places.
We make ExodeUI, a different approach: states, springs and inputs live in one open .exode file that a runtime plays in React, SwiftUI, Flutter and other frameworks. It is not a replacement for either library when the motion only exists on the web. How ExodeUI differs
Direct Answers