HTMX vs React
Security & risk comparison · Updated October 2026
How does HTMX compare to React on security, AI-readiness, and total cost of ownership? We scored both across 7 dimensions using NVD/NIST CVE data, GitHub metrics, and our census of the Tranco top 100,000.
HTMX scores 79/100 overall versus React's 71/100. HTMX has 1 total CVEs compared to React's 20, giving it a smaller vulnerability surface. (Source: WebPulse framework scoring, NIST NVD and CISA KEV, updated October 2026)
Who actually runs HTMX and React
Share of sites with an identified platform, from WebPulse's scan of the Tranco top 100,000 and our Common Crawl census.
| Where | HTMX | React |
|---|---|---|
| Top 1,000 | 0.0% (0) | 5.1% (11) |
| Top 10,000 | 0.5% (14) | 3.2% (81) |
| Top 100,000 | 0.4% (107) | 2.1% (573) |
| Wider web | 0.1% | 0.8% |
Highest-ranked sites on HTMX
- actu.fr#1,298
- ssstik.io#1,447
- freedesktop.org#3,290
- codeberg.org#3,719
- ollama.com#4,226
Highest-ranked sites on React
- github.com#29
- ok.ru#314
- alibaba.com#316
- nike.com#637
- 2gis.com#640
Detected from each homepage's HTML, headers and cookies in September 2026. Methodology
| Metric | HTMX | React |
|---|---|---|
| Total CVEs | 1 | 20 |
| Critical CVEs | 0 | 2 |
| Exploited (KEV) | 0 | 0 |
| CVEs last year | 0 | 3 |
| Avg CVSS | 2.0 | 4.5 |
| Security score | 95/100 | 80/100 |
HTMX scores 79/100. Verdict: Recommended.
React scores 72/100. Verdict: Acceptable.
Data sourced from NVD/NIST CVE database, GitHub API, and WebPulse framework scanner. Scores calculated using a 7-dimension model covering security, performance, ecosystem health, AI-readiness, developer experience, market trajectory, and cost of ownership. Updated October 2026.