Quick Comparison

	Zustand	Redux (Toolkit)
Bundle size	~1KB	~11KB
Boilerplate	Minimal	More (slices, reducers)
DevTools	Supported	Excellent
Middleware	Simple	Extensive
Learning curve	Very low	Moderate

When to Use Zustand

• Small to medium apps
• You want minimal boilerplate
• You prefer simplicity
• You don’t need time-travel debugging

When to Use Redux

• Large apps with complex state
• You need excellent DevTools
• Your team already knows Redux
• You need middleware (sagas, thunks)

Zustand Example

import { create } from 'zustand';

const useStore = create((set) => ({
  count: 0,
  increment: () => set((s) => ({ count: s.count + 1 })),
}));

function Counter() {
  const { count, increment } = useStore();
  return <button onClick={increment}>{count}</button>;
}

Verdict

Zustand for most new React projects — it’s simpler and smaller. Redux Toolkit for large apps that need its ecosystem and DevTools.

Related resources

• React complete guide