Leptos vs Dioxus

Architecture comparison 2 projects Built from source-audited deep dives

Both let you write the whole app in Rust with server functions. Leptos is web-first: fine-grained signals with no virtual DOM, server-side rendering with hydration, and thin Axum or Actix integrations. Dioxus is cross-platform: one virtual DOM with renderers for web, desktop, mobile, SSR and LiveView, plus its own dx CLI for hot-patching and bundling.

Leptos Dioxus

Leptos: Rust · MIT
Dioxus: Rust · Apache-2.0
Updated: 2026-10-02

Which one should you pick?

Pick Leptos if…

You are building a web app where SSR, hydration and SEO matter
You want fine-grained reactivity without a virtual DOM
You want to choose between Axum and Actix Web for the server

Pick Dioxus if…

The same Rust UI has to ship on web, desktop and mobile
You want one CLI for hot reload, Rust hot-patching and bundling for every platform
You prefer a React-like rsx! component model with a virtual DOM

Side by side

Attribute	Leptos	Dioxus
Written in	Rust JavaScript TypeScript	RustHTMLJavaScript
License	MIT	Apache-2.0
Frontend	Leptos WebAssemblytachysreactive_graph	Dioxus WebAssemblywry / taoNative renderer
Backend & APIs	server_fnAxum Actix-web Tokio	Axum Tokio
Data & persistence	none	none
Infrastructure & deploy	GitHub Actionscargo-makeNix	dx CLIGitHub Actions Playwright Nix
Key decisions	Framework split into reactive, rendering and server layers Server functions as the client-server boundary Server-agnostic core with Axum and Actix integrations	One component model, many renderers The CLI is part of the framework, not an add-on Subsecond hot-patching of Rust code
Audited	08fe6e2 · 2026-10-02	b2ed8c3 · 2026-10-02

How they differ

Rendering model

Leptos has no virtual DOM. Signals from reactive_graph update the exact nodes that depend on them, and the tachys renderer produces DOM in the browser or HTML strings on the server. Dioxus keeps a virtual DOM in packages/core and swaps renderers: WebAssembly (packages/web), the OS WebView through wry and tao (packages/desktop), SSR, LiveView, and an experimental native renderer.

Server side

Both compile annotated Rust functions into server endpoints. Leptos uses server_fn with pluggable codecs (JSON, rkyv, miniserde, serde-lite) and integrates with Axum or Actix Web through integrations/*. Dioxus’ fullstack crates build on Axum and add SSE, WebSockets, streaming and file uploads.

Tooling

Leptos uses cargo-leptos and per-crate cargo-make tasks, with change-aware CI in the repository. Dioxus ships the dx CLI in the same workspace: dx serve for hot reload, --hotpatch for subsecond Rust patching, and dx bundle for web, desktop and mobile packages.

Maturity

On the audited main branches, Leptos is at 0.8 (Rust 1.88+) and Dioxus at 0.8 alpha, with 0.7 as its released line. Agent-ready rules for a Leptos app are in Leptos full-stack. For a JavaScript UI with a Rust core on desktop, see Tauri + React.

Frequently asked questions

Does Leptos or Dioxus use a virtual DOM?

Dioxus does: packages/core diffs component output and hands mutations to a renderer. Leptos does not: its reactive_graph crate updates exactly the DOM nodes that read a signal, and the tachys renderer outputs DOM or HTML strings.

Can Leptos build desktop or mobile apps?

Leptos targets the web. The repository includes a tauri-from-scratch project that wraps a Leptos UI in Tauri for desktop. Dioxus ships its own desktop renderer on wry and tao and documents Android and iOS support through dx.

Which has server-side rendering?

Both. Leptos treats SSR with hydration as its core model and supports islands. Dioxus has packages/ssr and fullstack crates on Axum with server functions, SSE and WebSockets.

Which is better for SEO?

Leptos, by design: pages render to HTML on the server and hydrate, with leptos_meta managing title and meta tags from components. Dioxus fullstack can also render on the server, but its focus is cross-platform reach.

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