# Comparisons

Source: /tuil/docs/introduction/comparisons
Locale: en

Understand when to use tuil, Ink alone, Blessed, or raw terminal output.



## tuil and Ink [#tuil-and-ink]

Ink is tuil's renderer, not a competitor. Use Ink alone when a small program only
needs React components and input. Add tuil when the application needs consistent
lifecycle, focus, events, routes, forms, workflows, plugins, themes, semantic
tests, or portable stories.

| Capability                      | Ink               | tuil + Ink |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------- | ---------- |
| React reconciliation            | Yes               | Yes        |
| Terminal rendering and input    | Yes               | Yes        |
| Application lifecycle           | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Typed event routing             | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Focus scopes and restoration    | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Routes, guards, and loaders     | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Forms and workflows             | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Plugins and extension points    | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Semantic queries and stories    | Application-owned | Built in   |
| Source-owned component registry | No                | Yes        |

## tuil and Blessed-style widget systems [#tuil-and-blessed-style-widget-systems]

Blessed-style libraries provide an imperative widget tree and screen manager.
tuil favors React reconciliation, typed services, declarative composition, and
Ink's ecosystem. Choose a widget system when direct screen mutation or its
specific widget set is the primary requirement.

## tuil and raw ANSI output [#tuil-and-raw-ansi-output]

Raw ANSI output is ideal for tightly bounded prompts, spinners, or formatters.
It minimizes abstraction, but the application owns cursor state, redraws,
teardown, input arbitration, accessibility semantics, testing, and capability
fallbacks.

## Decision guide [#decision-guide]

* Choose **raw output** for a linear command with little or no persistent state.
* Choose **Ink** for a focused React interface with a small behavior surface.
* Choose **tuil + Ink** when the terminal is an application platform rather than
  a single prompt.