Why I Prefer Nuxt as a React Developer

When I reach for Nuxt instead of Next.js, the first thing that pulls me in is how complete and integrated it feels. The framework makes a lot of decisions for me, and those decisions usually line up with what I want. Routing, layouts, meta handling, API routes, middleware and SSR all feel like one connected system rather than a collection of separate tools. Coming from React, where I often end up picking libraries and wiring things together, Nuxt feels like the whole machine is already tuned and ready.

Developer Experience

Nuxt’s DX has a certain smoothness that’s hard to ignore. The nested layout system is clean and predictable, and the file-based routing feels more mature. Vue’s templating plus its reactivity model also makes dealing with UI logic a bit more straightforward. It reduces the noise, so complex components don’t feel as heavy as they sometimes do in React.

Module and Server Architecture

The Nuxt module ecosystem feels curated in a way that gives me confidence. Modules behave consistently, and the framework absorbs them naturally. The server side is also a huge factor. Nitro gives the project a unified full-stack feel and makes running the same code across Node, Bun, Deno or edge runtimes almost effortless. It removes the friction of thinking about deployment environments.

Tooling

Nuxt Devtools and Vue Devtools together give a kind of clarity that’s hard to replicate in React without a stack of plugins. Inspecting state, routes, server endpoints or performance becomes something I can do comfortably without chasing configuration.

Downsides

Nuxt still comes with trade-offs. The ecosystem is smaller than React’s, so sometimes I don’t have the luxury of thousands of ready-made packages. Adapting to Vue’s mindset takes a moment as well, even though the learning curve isn’t painful. Next.js also has more enterprise momentum behind it, so for very large or heavily corporate projects, it might feel like the safer bet. And while Nuxt’s opinions make development smoother, they can also feel limiting if you really enjoy assembling everything yourself the way React encourages.

Summary

For me, Nuxt offers a more cohesive, guided and polished experience, while Next leans more into flexibility and ecosystem power. Nuxt feels like a framework that already solved the small problems for me, and Next feels like a toolbox where I put those solutions together myself.