React

React isn't the most innovative framework in 2026. It's the most practical. The ecosystem is unmatched, the hiring pool is deep, and the component model has proven itself across everything from marketing sites to real-time trading platforms.

Server Components and the App Router in Next.js have addressed React's biggest weakness — data fetching and server rendering — without abandoning the mental model that made it successful. The framework continues to evolve without breaking what works. That stability matters more than any benchmark comparison.