Should I Use Javascript Or Typescript With React?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: Use JavaScript when you are building a small‑to‑medium React application, the team is already comfortable with plain JavaScript, and you need to ship quickly without adding a compilation step.
• Good fit: Choose TypeScript when the codebase is expected to grow, multiple developers will maintain it, and you want static type checking to reduce bugs during refactoring.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: If the team has little to no TypeScript experience and the project deadline is very tight, the learning curve may slow delivery.
• Warning sign: If the majority of required third‑party libraries lack type definitions, you may spend significant time writing or fixing typings.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• JavaScript: Zero‑configuration, works out of the box with React, and most developers already know it.
• TypeScript: Provides static typing, better editor IntelliSense, and catches many errors at compile time, improving long‑term maintainability.

Cons

• JavaScript: No compile‑time type safety, which can lead to runtime bugs that are harder to trace in larger projects.
• TypeScript: Adds a compilation step, requires additional tooling, and imposes a learning curve for developers unfamiliar with static typing.

Decision Checklist

• Do you have existing TypeScript expertise or are you willing to spend time learning it?
• Is the project size or expected lifespan large enough to benefit from static type checking?
• Are the external libraries you rely on well‑typed or easy to type yourself?

Alternatives to Consider

You can stay with JavaScript and augment it with JSDoc comments to get some type‑checking support in modern editors, or you could adopt Flow as an alternative static type system. Another pragmatic path is to start the project in JavaScript and migrate to TypeScript incrementally once the codebase stabilises.

Final Recommendation

For new, medium‑to‑large React projects with a team that either already knows TypeScript or is prepared to adopt it, TypeScript is generally the better choice because of its safety and tooling benefits. For small, fast‑prototype work, tight deadlines, or teams without TypeScript experience, plain JavaScript remains a perfectly valid option. In either case, evaluate the factors above and consider consulting a senior developer or architect for high‑stakes, production‑critical applications.