# 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 one polished component, FilePond. For no
storage setup at all, UploadThing's hosted service.

This roundup compares six 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             |

## 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; see their pricing page for costs. 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.

## 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 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 <UpupUploader provider="aws" uploadEndpoint="/api/upload-token" />
}
```

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. 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`, and Uppy,
with its AWS S3 plugin. 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. FilePond supports chunked uploads to your server.

### Are these libraries free?

upup, react-dropzone, Uppy, FilePond and react-uploady are MIT-licensed.
UploadThing's SDK is MIT, but the service it uploads to is paid with a free
tier; see their pricing page.

## Related comparisons

- [upup vs Uppy](/docs/comparisons/upup-vs-uppy/)
- [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/)