Redux vs Zustand: Which State Management Tool is the GOAT?

When building React apps, managing state becomes one of the biggest challenges. There are many tools out there, but two of the most popular are Redux and Zustand.

Let’s understand both in simple words and figure out which one is the GOAT for your project.

What is Redux?

Redux is a state management library that has been around for a long time. It helps manage global state in React apps.

✅ Pros of Redux:

• Predictable: State changes follow strict rules.

• Big ecosystem: Tons of tools, middleware, and dev tools.

• Community support: Huge number of tutorials, plugins, and help available.

• Time-travel debugging: See how your state changed step by step.

❌ Cons of Redux:

• Boilerplate code: You write a lot of extra code (actions, reducers).

• Steep learning curve: Beginners may find it confusing.

• Verbose: Simple things can become complex.

What is Zustand?

Zustand (German for “state”) is a small, fast, and modern state management library created by the team behind Jotai and React Spring.

✅ Pros of Zustand:

• Super simple to use: No boilerplate, no reducers.

• Tiny size: Very lightweight.

• Easy to learn: Just a few lines of code to manage global state.

• Flexible: Works with React, Next.js, and more.

• No provider needed: You don’t need a Context Provider wrapper.

❌ Cons of Zustand:

• Smaller ecosystem: Not as many plugins or middlewares as Redux.

• Newer: Not as battle-tested as Redux in huge enterprise apps (yet).

🐐 So, Who’s the GOAT?

• If you want a lightweight, fast, and easy-to-use tool — Zustand is the GOAT. 🏆

• If you're building a complex enterprise app with strict structure — Redux still holds strong. 💪

But honestly? Zustand is becoming the new favorite for many devs, especially in 2025. It’s simple, elegant, and just works.

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💡 Final Thoughts

Don’t just follow the hype — choose the tool that fits your app’s needs and your team's comfort level. If you're just starting or love writing clean code, try Zustand. If you're already used to Redux or need powerful dev tools and middleware, stick with Redux.

Both are great — it just depends on what kind of GOAT you need. 🐐