Launching an idea costs 5M — it's expensive. How to save on your project? Spoiler: say no to React (sometimes)

Introduction

Teams often come to us after another vendor proposed heavy stacks and expensive client rendering where server templates and simple forms would do. Launches are already costly — architecture and JS surface area are a fair place to save.

Below is a practical take on SSR (including HTMX) versus CSR (React/Vue): where you gain speed, where you pay twice, and how to avoid billing for the wrong tool.

up to 40%

budget savings on first release with the right rendering model

Two rendering models

SSR builds HTML on the server; the browser receives a ready page. CSR ships a shell and a large bundle that constructs the UI in the browser.

For content- and form-heavy products SSR is usually cheaper to build and easier to maintain. CSR shines when you need deep, frame-critical interactivity on first paint.

When React is right — and when it is not

Document-class editors, rich visual experiences, streaming — client territory. Typical marketing sites, portals, reporting — often win with server rendering and targeted JS.

The full article with comparison tables and a case study is being migrated into MDX; this file anchors SEO and the blog index.