3 open-source options compared for file upload library for React, with live GitHub data on each.
Last updated Repo data refreshed 24 Oct 20263 options
Our pick · uppy
Our pick is Uppy for most React applications requiring a file upload library. This MIT-licensed project, described as an open-source file uploader for web browsers, offers a comprehensive, feature-rich, and user-friendly experience right out of the box with a polished UI. For simpler cases needing only a drag-and-drop input, React-Dropzone provides an excellent, lightweight solution. Developers requiring advanced features like chunking or React Native compatibility will find React-Uploady to be a powerful, MIT-licensed choice for modern file uploading.
Uppy vs react-dropzone vs React Uploady: side by side
★ 31,035 starsLicence: MITLast commit 24 Oct 2026Latest release 16 Oct 2026TypeScript
A modular, full-featured file uploader that provides a complete UI and handles various data sources and advanced upload scenarios.
Best for: Applications requiring a robust, visually appealing, and feature-rich file upload solution with advanced capabilities and minimal UI development effort.
What's good
Offers a comprehensive suite of features including multiple file sources (local, cloud, camera), progress bars, and retry mechanisms.
Highly modular architecture allows developers to cherry-pick necessary components, optimizing bundle size for specific needs.
Comes with a polished, accessible, and ready-to-use UI, significantly reducing development time for a full upload experience.
Actively developed and supported by Transloadit, ensuring continuous updates and a large resource base.
Watch out for
Can be overkill and complex to configure for very simple file selection use cases due to its extensive capabilities.
Has a steeper learning curve to fully understand and utilize its modular system and various plugins.
The opinionated UI, while excellent, might require more effort to deeply customize beyond basic themes.
★ 1,251 starsLicence: MITLast commit 20 Oct 2026Latest release 26 Nov 2025JavaScript
A highly customizable and extensible React upload library focusing on progressive uploads, chunking, and fine-grained control over the upload flow.
Best for: Developers needing fine-grained control over the upload process, requiring advanced features like chunking or progressive uploads, and developing for both web and React Native.
What's good
Offers advanced upload features like chunking, progressive uploads, retries, and cancellation built into its core.
Provides a highly extensible API, allowing for custom upload connectors and deep integration with existing systems.
Supports both web and React Native, offering a consistent API for multi-platform development.
Designed for performance and reliability, particularly beneficial for handling large files efficiently.
Watch out for
Has a smaller community and fewer stars compared to alternatives like Uppy, potentially leading to less community support and fewer examples.
The powerful API can be more verbose and requires a more detailed understanding to leverage its advanced features.
Its provided UI components are functional but might need significant styling to match custom application designs, less out-of-the-box polish than Uppy.
"Dormant" means no commit pushed to the default branch in the last 12 months. "Archived" means the maintainers have marked the repository read-only on GitHub. "Deprecated" means the project's README says it is deprecated or no longer maintained. Stars, licence, commit and release dates come from the GitHub API (GitLab for projects developed there) and are cached for up to 24 hours. The written analysis is AI-assisted and checked against that data.
Frequently asked questions
Are Uppy, react-dropzone and React Uploady actively maintained?
Uppy, react-dropzone and React Uploady are active: each has had a commit in the last 12 months (most recent: Uppy on 24 Oct 2026, react-dropzone on 24 Oct 2026, React Uploady on 20 Oct 2026). Status is checked against GitHub daily.
What licences do Uppy, react-dropzone and React Uploady use?
Uppy: MIT; react-dropzone: MIT; React Uploady: MIT. Check each project's licence file before use.
Which is easiest to learn: Uppy, react-dropzone or React Uploady?
By our estimate (1 = easiest, 5 = steepest): Uppy 3/5, react-dropzone 2/5, React Uploady 3/5. react-dropzone has the gentlest learning curve. This is ExploreGit's AI-assisted estimate, not a measured figure.
