React useState vs useReducer: When Should You Use Each?

React useState vs useReducer: When Should You Use Each?

Both hooks do the exact same job — they hold state and trigger a re-render when it changes. The real question isn't "which one is more powerful," it's how you want to describe an update : with useState , the caller hands over the next value directly — setCount(count + 1) says "the count is now this." With useReducer , the caller hands over a description of what happened — dispatch({ type: 'increment' }) says "this occurred," and one function, the reducer, is the only place that decides what it means for the state. Once that distinction clicks, most "which hook do I reach for" questions answer themselves. The 10 demos below are all real, running React — click a button, dispatch an action, watch a log — so you can see each hook's actual behavior instead of reading about it secondhand. Several place the same feature under both hooks so the difference isn't a claim, it's something you can click through and feel. Every embed al…