# 8 Best React File Upload Libraries Compared **The short answer:** for a complete React uploader that sends files straight to your own S3-compatible bucket, with cloud drives and resumable uploads, use upup or Uppy. For a bare drop target you style yourself, use react-dropzone. For modular hooks, react-uploady. For hooks and a server route with components you own, Better Upload. For one polished component, FilePond. For no storage setup at all, UploadThing's hosted service. If your app already uses PrimeReact, its FileUpload component is the smallest step. **Try it first:** the [live React demo](/react/#demo) uploads a real file from your browser, and the [React quickstart](/docs/quickstarts/react/) gets it running in your app. This roundup compares eight React file upload libraries on the features that decide most projects, then shows how to pick one. ## Comparison table | Library | Drag and drop | Cloud drives | Resumable | Direct-to-S3 | Image editing | License | Bundle approach | | --------------------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- | | upup | Yes | Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box | Yes (tus or S3 multipart) | Yes (presigned URLs) | Yes | MIT | Headless core + React UI; heavy features load on demand | | react-dropzone | Yes | No | No | You build it | No | MIT | One small hook; no upload code | | Uppy | Yes | Many, via Companion | Yes (tus or S3 multipart) | Yes (AWS S3 plugin) | Yes (Image Editor plugin) | MIT | Modular plugins; install only what you use | | FilePond | Yes | No | Chunked uploads to your server | Not built in | Crop/resize plugins; full editor is Pintura (commercial) | MIT | Vanilla JS core + React adapter + plugins | | UploadThing | Yes | Not built in | Yes (since v7) | No, files go to UploadThing | Not built in | MIT SDK; hosted service is paid | SDK packages talking to a hosted service | | react-uploady | Yes | No | Yes, with its tus package | Not built in | No | MIT | Many small `@rpldy/*` packages; hooks-first | | Better Upload | Yes | No | S3 multipart parts; no documented resume after a reload | Yes (presigned URLs) | No | MIT | React hooks + a server route; components copied in | | PrimeReact FileUpload | Yes | No | No | Not built in (custom upload handler) | No | v11+: PrimeUI License (paid, with a free community tier); v10 and earlier: MIT | Part of the PrimeReact component suite | ## The libraries ### upup upup is an MIT-licensed uploader with a ready-made React component (`@useupup/react`) on top of a framework-agnostic core. It uploads directly to S3-compatible storage with presigned URLs, either from your own signing endpoint (client mode) or through `@useupup/server` (server mode, which adds multipart and cloud-drive transfers). Users can pick files from the device, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, a camera, a screen capture or a link, and edit images before upload. Heavy extras such as HEIC conversion and tus are optional dependencies loaded only when you enable them. See the [React file uploader](/react/) page for a three-step setup. ### react-dropzone react-dropzone is a hook, `useDropzone`, that turns any element into a drop target and returns the accepted and rejected `File` objects. It deliberately does nothing else: no upload requests, progress or previews. That makes it tiny and flexible, and makes you responsible for the whole upload path. See [upup vs react-dropzone](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-react-dropzone/). ### Uppy Uppy, from Transloadit, is a modular uploader: a core plus plugins for the Dashboard UI, sources (webcam, screen capture, remote drives) and destinations (tus, XHR, S3). Remote sources run through Companion, a Node server you host. It has React bindings and is the most feature-rich option here. See [upup vs Uppy](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-uppy/). ### FilePond FilePond is a single, carefully animated upload component with a React adapter. It posts files to your own server endpoint, supports chunked uploads, and extends through plugins for previews, validation and image transforms. See [upup vs FilePond](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-filepond/). ### UploadThing UploadThing is a hosted upload service with an open-source TypeScript SDK and React components. You define a file router on your server, and files are stored on UploadThing's infrastructure. It is the fastest route when you'd rather not run a bucket. For what it costs next to your own bucket, see [UploadThing pricing and self-hosted costs](/docs/comparisons/uploadthing-pricing/). See [UploadThing vs S3](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-uploadthing/). ### react-uploady react-uploady is a hooks-first React upload library split into many small `@rpldy/*` packages: the uploader, a drop zone, previews, chunked uploads, tus-based resumable uploads and more. You install the pieces you need and build the UI yourself from its hooks and components. ### Better Upload Better Upload (`@better-upload/client` and `@better-upload/server`, also written better-upload or betterupload) uploads files from React directly to an S3-compatible bucket. A server route defined with `route()` checks file types, sizes and auth and signs the presigned URLs, hooks such as `useUploadFiles` do the upload, and the interface is a set of shadcn/ui components that you copy into your project and edit. Multipart uploads are one route option. It has no cloud-drive sources, camera or image editor, and its documentation does not describe resuming an interrupted upload after a reload. See [upup vs Better Upload](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-better-upload/). ### PrimeReact FileUpload FileUpload is one component in the PrimeReact suite. It offers drag and drop, multiple files, automatic upload, progress, and size and type validation, and it posts to a URL you give it or, with `customUpload`, hands the files to your own `uploadHandler`. Version 11 splits it into composable parts such as `FileUpload.Root` and `FileUpload.Trigger`, plus a headless `useFileUpload` hook; version 10 is a single component with basic and advanced modes. PrimeReact 10 and earlier are MIT-licensed. Version 11 moved to PrimeTek's PrimeUI License, which is free for individuals and eligible small organizations, paid otherwise, and requires a license key. It's the natural choice if PrimeReact is already your component library. For the license details and a migration example, see [PrimeVue and PrimeReact FileUpload alternatives](/docs/comparisons/primevue-primereact-fileupload-alternatives/). ## How to choose - **You want it working today, on your own bucket:** upup or Uppy. Both ship a full UI and upload straight to S3-compatible storage. - **Your users keep files in Google Drive or Dropbox:** upup or Uppy. Uppy needs its Companion server; upup's server mode handles drive transfers in `@useupup/server`, and client mode can fetch drive files in the browser. - **You have a design system and want to build the UI:** react-dropzone for selection only, react-uploady for selection plus upload hooks, or upup's headless core. - **You want hooks and a server route, with components you own:** Better Upload, or upup's headless hooks. - **You already use PrimeReact:** start with PrimeReact FileUpload and switch only if you need S3, cloud drives or resumable uploads. - **You don't want to run storage at all:** UploadThing. Check their pricing page against your expected volume and egress. - **You upload very large files:** pick a library with resumable uploads: upup, Uppy, react-uploady (tus) or UploadThing. - **You need image editing before upload:** upup or Uppy have it built in. ## Minimal upup example Install the package: ```sh npm i @useupup/react ``` Render the uploader and point it at an endpoint that returns a presigned URL: ```tsx 'use client' import { UpupUploader } from '@useupup/react' import '@useupup/react/styles' export default function Uploader() { return } ``` upup requires React 19. The [React quickstart](/docs/quickstarts/react/) covers the endpoint, and [Code Examples](/docs/code-examples/) has a ready-to-copy presign handler. For Next.js, `@useupup/next` bundles the component and the server handlers; see the [Next.js quickstart](/docs/quickstarts/next/). ## FAQ ### What is the best file upload library for React? For a complete uploader against your own storage, upup or Uppy. For the smallest possible building block, react-dropzone. For a hosted service, UploadThing. For hooks and a server route with components you own, Better Upload. Inside a PrimeReact app, PrimeReact FileUpload. The table above shows the trade-offs. ### Is react-dropzone enough on its own? Only if you write the rest. react-dropzone handles selecting files; you still need upload requests, progress, retries, error states and a storage backend. ### Which React upload libraries upload directly to S3? upup, with presigned URLs from your endpoint or `@useupup/server`, Uppy, with its AWS S3 plugin, and Better Upload, with presigned URLs from its server route. The others either upload to your server or to a hosted service, or leave it to you. ### Which React upload libraries support resumable uploads? upup (tus or S3 multipart), Uppy (tus or S3 multipart), react-uploady (tus) and UploadThing. Better Upload sends large files as S3 multipart parts, but its documentation does not describe resuming after a reload. FilePond supports chunked uploads to your server. ### Are these libraries free? upup, react-dropzone, Uppy, FilePond, react-uploady and Better Upload are MIT-licensed. UploadThing's SDK is MIT, but the service it uploads to is paid with a free tier; see their pricing page. PrimeReact is MIT through version 10; version 11 moved to the PrimeUI License, which is free for individuals and eligible small organizations and paid otherwise. ## Related comparisons - [upup vs Uppy](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-uppy/) - [upup vs Better Upload](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-better-upload/) - [UploadThing vs S3: a self-hosted alternative](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-uploadthing/) - [Best Vue file upload libraries](/docs/comparisons/best-vue-file-upload-libraries/) - [Best Angular file upload libraries](/docs/comparisons/best-angular-file-upload-libraries/) - [Best Svelte file upload libraries](/docs/comparisons/best-svelte-file-upload-libraries/) - [Best vanilla JavaScript file upload libraries](/docs/comparisons/best-vanilla-js-file-upload-libraries/)