Simple Table vs. Ant Design Table

A comprehensive comparison of lightweight vs full-featured React data grid solutions
When you choose Ant Design for your React project, you're making a commitment to an entire design system—not just individual components. This comprehensive approach brings consistency and polished UI elements, but it also means that adding a simple table component requires pulling in the entire Ant Design ecosystem (126.3 kB minified + gzipped). For many teams, this raises a critical question: is the visual consistency worth the massive bundle size impact, especially when the table component itself lacks many advanced data grid features? Simple Table offers a different philosophy entirely. At just 35 kB (minified + gzipped), it delivers more data grid functionality than Ant Design Table while being much smaller. But the choice isn't just about file size—it's about architectural decisions that affect your entire application's performance, from initial load times to runtime memory usage. This comparison examines whether you can achieve both design consistency AND performance by choosing Simple Table, even within Ant Design projects. We'll explore styling strategies, bundle optimization techniques, and help you determine whether Ant Design Table's framework integration justifies its massive overhead for your specific use case.

Feature Comparison

Free
Paid
In Development
Not Available
FeatureSimple TableAnt Design Table
Virtualization
Infinite Scroll
Column Resizing
Column Reordering
Column Visibility
Column Pinning
Column Alignment
Column Sorting
Column Filtering
Advanced Filtering
Nested Headers
Aggregation Functions
Column Selection
Collapsible Columns
Column Editing
Row Selection
Row Grouping
Adjustable Row Height
Row Expansion
Cell Editing
Cell Highlighting
Cell Clicking
Custom Renderers
Live Updates
Cell Formatting
Cell Validation
Formulas
Data Binding
Context Menu
Comments
Global Search
Faceted Filters
Client-side Pagination
Server-side Pagination
Cursor-based Pagination
Value Getters/Setters
Cell Range Selection
Pivot Tables
Tree Data
Row Spanning
Master/Detail Views
Context Menu
Status Bar
Column Menu
Full Width Rows
Advanced Tooltips
Excel Export
Excel Import
CSV Export
CSV Import
Clipboard Operations
Advanced Keyboard Navigation
Accessibility Features
Multiple Themes
Custom Icons
TypeScript Support
Undo/Redo

Performance Comparison

MetricSimple TableAnt Design Table
Bundle Size35 kB (minified + gzipped)126.3 kB (minified + gzipped)

Summary

Simple Table is a lightweight, standalone data grid that provides essential features with minimal overhead. It's ideal for projects that need a performant table component without the weight of a full UI framework. With its 35 kB (minified + gzipped) bundle size, it offers a great balance of features and performance.Ant Design Table is part of the comprehensive Ant Design framework, offering a consistent look and feel with other Ant Design components. While it provides basic table functionality, it lacks many advanced data grid features that Simple Table offers. It comes with the overhead of the full framework (126.3 kB minified + gzipped) and requires additional customization for complex use cases.If you need a lightweight, standalone table component with advanced features, try Simple Table. If you're already using Ant Design and need a basic table with Ant Design styling, the Ant Design Table might be sufficient for simpler use cases.

Missing a Feature?

We're constantly working to improve Simple Table. If you need a feature that's not yet available, let us know! We prioritize features based on community demand.