here is no single best and worst frontend technology in the world. They are all just designed for different projects and tasks; many programmers accept this idea. For example, Jeff Delaney, the creator of the Fireship project, believes that every framework is good and bad by default. There is one touchstone you can say, which solution is the most preferred among devs. It is the popularity of technology.

In today's article, let us explain why Angular is so popular in modern application development and what led to it. Following the Q&A-style article format tradition, The Frontend Company team will do it in a nutshell, with statistical data, the framework's pros and cons, and answer FAQs.

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3rd most used web framework among pros

We said above that you could not categorize web frameworks as winners or losers. It will be an estimate with uncertainties. Nevertheless, The Frontend Company experts have come up with their algorithm for calculating the popularity of some technologies.

We always consider three factors:

1. Percentage of programmers using a particular framework.
2. Number of downloads and developers using the reviewed framework.
3. Amount of projects built based on the technology.

Beyond these measures, we judge Angular's popularity by your questions about this particular solution. Readers of our blog and clients often repeated the same issue: «Why Angular is so popular?». Lots of people genuinely wondered why, despite the plenty of technologies and libraries, Angular is one of the favorites of the web development world. We couldn't let this go unnoticed.

Q&A website Stack Overflow conducts annual surveys among its readers. In 2021, Angular ranked third most popular web framework. These days, 26,2% of pros choose it. Of the nearly 50,000 people surveyed, 13,000 chose the technology from Google.

According to GitHub, this framework is used by 2,3 million programmers. On this website, the technology gets 81,400 stars, and every month the number of Angular fans is only increasing. Moreover, almost 7 thousand companies have chosen this particular tool to develop their web services. Like Google, Amazon, Udemy, Tinder, Snapchat, and many others.

Essential: While planning this blog post, we realized that while wondering why Angular is so popular, some people mistake this framework for AngularJS. There's no need to confuse the two technologies, and in the article «Is AngularJS dead?» you can learn why this is important. Meanwhile, in this article, we shared why these frontend tools are often mixed up.

The main reasons why Angular is so popular

The Angular framework was developed by Google and introduced in September 2016. One of the main advantages of this technology since its release and until now is the frequent updates. The Angular team presents to programmers new updates almost every few months.

You can always find improved versions of the framework with bug fixes, added tools, and more on GitHub. At the time of writing, the tool version 13.3.8 has been released. But often, updates are not the only reason why Angular is so popular. At least five other things make developers choose this frontend technology. 

Reasons why Angular is so popular:

1. Support for mobile browsers: AngularJS didn't have this feature, so it was impossible to use web services on mobile devices. Fortunately, in Angular 2 devs have corrected this flaw, and users can seamlessly use services on smartphones. Even though some people consider the Angular framework cross-platform, it is not a correct definition. If you specifically need a mobile application based on Android, you have to go with Ionic. Angular itself does not have a mobile version of the framework like React  (React Native).
2. Strict structure and high speed: this technology has less flexibility than others. That is why the web framework helps programmers make fewer mistakes when working out the application's architecture and allows for the necessary clean code. Angular is also faster to work with because of one-way data binding, which also strongly influences the popularity of this solution.
3. Huge support from Google and developers: Google Corp. spares no effort in developing TypeScript-based technology and always offers something new. Coders can use many official toolkits, add-ons, and updates with fixed bugs thanks to such a massive input. Also, coders themselves actively help with the ongoing development of the framework and provide assistance with solving complex problems. The support of creators and devs is another reason why Angular is so popular.
4. Reactive programming options: this technology supports the RxJS library. With its help, coders can compose and receive asynchronous data; this is a definite plus for some web projects. 
5. Seamless breaking of modules into files: most web apps developed based on this framework are large. Therefore, the ability to break modules into files is a necessity. In this case, developers can assemble the modules they need from the files, if necessary, without doing too much.

These are the main aspects of why Angular is so popular. Our team would just like to add that this framework is also very stable and easy to work with for someone having a good background. On top of that, our programmers like the UI templates' simple and powerful syntax. It makes web projects look stylish and impressive. 

Angular has a complicated learning curve, so some coders choose the easier-to-learn technologies. However, when hiring an Angular developer, you must be a person with a solid technical background and a profound interest in the framework.

According to The Frontend Company, these were the primary reasons why Angular is so popular. If there's anything we forgot to add to this list, email us at info@thefrontendcompany.com And if you need the services of experienced Angular developers in different niches, you can order these services from our company. Our Managing Partner will be happy to consult you and tell you more about your opportunities when cooperating with us 

FAQ

Why Angular is more popular than React?

We cannot say definitely that Angular is more popular than ReactJS. In the Stack Overflow survey for 2021, React takes 1st place among web frameworks. If we are guided only by statistics or the number of downloads, React should be called a winner here. If we consider the question of why Angular is so popular when working with large projects, then the clear answer is its more strict structure. There are fewer chances of making mistakes with Angular at the first development stages. If you don't have enough experience with ReactJS, it is faster for coders to get things wrong with the application architecture.

Why do big companies use Angular?

Not all big fishes use this particular framework in their work. However, most companies focus on Angular because of the dedicated support from Google, programmers, and a wide range of tools. Besides, due to its structure, the technology is best suited for large enterprises and web apps with complex functionality. It is easier for programmers to implement numerous features thanks to official add-ons and toolkits; there is no risk from third-party software. It is the only explanation of why Angular is so popular.

What is ReactJS used for?

ReactJS is used to develop large and small web projects and differs from other tools of its incredible freedom of action. That is why React is actively used for building applications and services in e-commerce, social networks, messengers, and entertainment. The technology is also suitable for task scheduling and any other interaction projects.