Infinite Scroll vs Virtual Scrolling

Developers should use infinite scroll for content-heavy applications like social media feeds, e-commerce product listings, or news aggregators where users engage in exploratory browsing meets developers should use virtual scrolling when building applications that display large lists, tables, or grids, such as data dashboards, social media feeds, or e-commerce product listings, to prevent performance bottlenecks like slow rendering and high memory consumption. Here's our take.

Infinite Scroll

Nice Pick

Developers should use infinite scroll for content-heavy applications like social media feeds, e-commerce product listings, or news aggregators where users engage in exploratory browsing

Pros

• It enhances user experience by reducing interruptions from page loads and keeping users engaged longer
• Related to: javascript, ajax

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Virtual Scrolling

Developers should use virtual scrolling when building applications that display large lists, tables, or grids, such as data dashboards, social media feeds, or e-commerce product listings, to prevent performance bottlenecks like slow rendering and high memory consumption

Pros

• It is essential for creating smooth user experiences on both web and mobile platforms, especially when dealing with thousands of items, as it minimizes DOM manipulation and enhances scroll performance
• Related to: react-virtualized, vue-virtual-scroller

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Infinite Scroll if: You want it enhances user experience by reducing interruptions from page loads and keeping users engaged longer and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Virtual Scrolling if: You prioritize it is essential for creating smooth user experiences on both web and mobile platforms, especially when dealing with thousands of items, as it minimizes dom manipulation and enhances scroll performance over what Infinite Scroll offers.

The Bottom Line

Infinite Scroll wins

Developers should use infinite scroll for content-heavy applications like social media feeds, e-commerce product listings, or news aggregators where users engage in exploratory browsing