1. Select2

A jQuery-based replacement for select boxes, supporting searching, tagging, remote data sets, infinite scrolling, and many other highly used options.

Framework Support:

  • React: Indirect support through wrappers like react-select2-wrapper.
  • Angular: Integration possible via directives or third-party wrappers.
  • Vue.js: Wrappers like vue-select2 are available.

Github Stars: 26,000+

NPM Weekly Downloads: ~597,343

Bundle size: Approximately 27 KB (minified)

First Release: March 2012

Latest Release: January 28, 2020 (v4.0.13)

Website: https://select2.org

Github: https://github.com/select2/select2

Live Demo:

A Searchable, Grouped Time Zone Selector with Select2

2. Choices.js

Choices.js is a lightweight, dependency-free JavaScript library for creating customizable, multi-select dropdowns, tag inputs, and autocomplete fields. It offers great flexibility, modern styling, and accessibility, making it perfect for enhancing forms without relying on jQuery.

Framework Support:

  • React: Can be integrated with custom wrappers.
  • Angular: Integration possible via directives.
  • Vue.js: Can be integrated with custom components.

GitHub Stars: 6,400+

NPM Weekly Downloads: ~179,897

Bundle Size: approximately 78 KB (minified)

First Release: October 2016

Latest Release: February 2025 (v11.0.6)

Website: https://choices-js.github.io/Choices

Github: https://github.com/Choices-js/Choices

Live Demo:

A Searchable, Grouped Time Zone Selector with Choices.js

3. Tom Select

Tom Select is a lightweight, feature-rich JavaScript library for creating customizable select boxes, autocomplete inputs, and tag inputs. It supports remote data loading, keyboard navigation, and multi-select, making it a great alternative to Select2 with a modern, dependency-free design.

Framework Support:

  • React: Official React wrapper available.
  • Angular: Integration possible through custom directives.
  • Vue.js: Official Vue wrapper available.

GitHub Stars: 1,800+

NPM Weekly Downloads: ~91,842

Bundle Size: approximately 53 KB (minified)

First Release: November 2020

Latest Release: February 2025 (v2.4.3)

Website: https://tom-select.js.org/

Github: https://github.com/orchidjs/tom-select

Live Demo:

A Searchable, Grouped Time Zone Selector with Tom Select

4. React Select

React-Select is a beautiful, flexible and highly customizable dropdown library for React. It supports searchable, async, multi-select, and grouped options, making it perfect for handling large datasets. With built-in accessibility and theming, it’s a go-to choice for modern React applications.

Framework Support:

  • React: Specifically designed for React applications.

GitHub Stars: 27,900+

NPM Weekly Downloads: ~4,328,556

First Release: November 2020

Latest Release: July 2018 (react-select@5.10.1)

Website: https://react-select.com

Github: https://github.com/JedWatson/react-select

Live Demo:

A Searchable, Grouped Time Zone Selector with React Select

5. Downshift

Downshift is a lightweight, headless dropdown and autocomplete library for React. It provides flexible, accessible, and customizable components to build select boxes, autocomplete inputs, and comboboxes without enforcing any styles. Perfect for developers who want full control over the UI while ensuring WAI-ARIA accessibility.

Framework Support:

  • React: Specifically designed for React applications.

GitHub Stars: 12,200+

NPM Weekly Downloads: ~1,335,528

First Release: August 2017

Latest Release: August 2024 (v9.0.8)

Website: https://www.downshift-js.com

Github: https://github.com/downshift-js/downshift

Live Demo: