Pros of ui-grid

• More feature-rich with advanced functionalities like grouping, tree view, and custom cell templates
• Better performance for large datasets due to virtual scrolling
• More active development and community support

Cons of ui-grid

• Steeper learning curve due to its complexity
• Heavier and may impact page load times
• Requires more configuration for basic use cases

Code Comparison

Smart-Table basic usage:

<table st-table="displayedCollection" st-safe-src="rowCollection">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th st-sort="firstName">First name</th>
      <th st-sort="lastName">Last name</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr ng-repeat="row in displayedCollection">
      <td>{{row.firstName}}</td>
      <td>{{row.lastName}}</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

ui-grid basic usage:

<div ui-grid="gridOptions" class="grid"></div>

$scope.gridOptions = {
  enableSorting: true,
  columnDefs: [
    { field: 'firstName' },
    { field: 'lastName' }
  ],
  data: myData
};

Smart-Table is more straightforward for simple use cases, while ui-grid requires more JavaScript configuration but offers greater flexibility and features.

Pros of ag-grid

• More feature-rich with advanced functionalities like pivoting, grouping, and aggregation
• Better performance for handling large datasets
• Extensive documentation and community support

Cons of ag-grid

• Steeper learning curve due to its complexity
• Larger bundle size, which may impact initial load times
• Some advanced features require a paid enterprise license

Code Comparison

Smart-Table:

<table st-table="displayedCollection" st-safe-src="rowCollection">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th st-sort="firstName">First name</th>
      <th st-sort="lastName">Last name</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr ng-repeat="row in displayedCollection">
      <td>{{row.firstName | uppercase}}</td>
      <td>{{row.lastName}}</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

ag-grid:

<ag-grid-angular
    style="width: 500px; height: 500px;"
    class="ag-theme-alpine"
    [rowData]="rowData"
    [columnDefs]="columnDefs">
</ag-grid-angular>

Smart-Table is simpler to set up and use, especially for basic table needs. It integrates well with AngularJS and provides essential sorting and filtering capabilities. ag-grid offers more advanced features and better performance for complex use cases, but comes with a steeper learning curve and potentially higher costs for enterprise features.

Pros of Handsontable

• More feature-rich with advanced functionalities like cell merging, filtering, and custom cell types
• Better performance for large datasets due to virtual rendering
• Extensive documentation and active community support

Cons of Handsontable

• Larger file size and potentially higher memory usage
• Steeper learning curve due to more complex API
• Commercial license required for some features

Code Comparison

Smart-Table:

<table st-table="displayedCollection" st-safe-src="rowCollection">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th st-sort="firstName">First name</th>
      <th st-sort="lastName">Last name</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr ng-repeat="row in displayedCollection">
      <td>{{row.firstName}}</td>
      <td>{{row.lastName}}</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Handsontable:

const container = document.getElementById('example');
const hot = new Handsontable(container, {
  data: [
    ['', 'Ford', 'Volvo', 'Toyota', 'Honda'],
    ['2016', 10, 11, 12, 13],
    ['2017', 20, 11, 14, 13],
    ['2018', 30, 15, 12, 13]
  ],
  rowHeaders: true,
  colHeaders: true,
  filters: true,
  dropdownMenu: true
});

Pros of SlickGrid

• More feature-rich and powerful, with advanced functionalities like frozen columns and rows
• Better performance for handling large datasets (100,000+ rows)
• More customizable with a wider range of plugins and extensions

Cons of SlickGrid

• Steeper learning curve due to its complexity
• Less modern and more challenging to integrate with current frontend frameworks
• Requires more setup and configuration compared to Smart-Table

Code Comparison

Smart-Table basic usage:

<table st-table="displayedCollection" st-safe-src="rowCollection">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th st-sort="firstName">First name</th>
      <th st-sort="lastName">Last name</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr ng-repeat="row in displayedCollection">
      <td>{{row.firstName | uppercase}}</td>
      <td>{{row.lastName | uppercase}}</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

SlickGrid basic usage:

var grid;
var columns = [
  { id: "title", name: "Title", field: "title" },
  { id: "duration", name: "Duration", field: "duration" }
];
var options = {
  enableCellNavigation: true,
  enableColumnReorder: false
};
grid = new Slick.Grid("#myGrid", data, columns, options);

Pros of bootstrap-table

• More extensive feature set, including pagination, sorting, and filtering out of the box
• Better documentation and examples, making it easier for developers to implement
• Larger community and more frequent updates, ensuring better long-term support

Cons of bootstrap-table

• Heavier footprint, which may impact page load times for smaller projects
• Steeper learning curve due to the abundance of features and options
• Less flexibility for custom styling compared to Smart-Table's minimalist approach

Code Comparison

Smart-Table:

<table st-table="displayedCollection" st-safe-src="rowCollection">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th st-sort="firstName">First name</th>
      <th st-sort="lastName">Last name</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr ng-repeat="row in displayedCollection">
      <td>{{row.firstName | uppercase}}</td>
      <td>{{row.lastName}}</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

bootstrap-table:

<table data-toggle="table" data-url="data1.json">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th data-field="id">ID</th>
      <th data-field="name">Item Name</th>
      <th data-field="price">Item Price</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
</table>

Both libraries offer easy-to-use table implementations, but bootstrap-table provides more built-in features with less custom JavaScript required. Smart-Table focuses on simplicity and integration with AngularJS, while bootstrap-table offers a more comprehensive solution for various frameworks and use cases.