Infinite Table vs Handsontable
Handsontable is a spreadsheet-like grid with formulas and Excel-style editing. Infinite Table is a data grid for exploring large datasets, with grouping, pivoting and server-side loading.
Facts last verified on November 11, 2026, with a source link for each one.
Handsontable is built to feel like a spreadsheet: Excel-like shortcuts, a fill handle, merged cells, comments, undo and redo, validators and formulas through HyperFormula. It also has native Excel export and thorough accessibility documentation. If your users edit data the way they would in Excel, it is a strong fit.
Infinite Table is built for reading and analysing data: row grouping with aggregations, pivoting, tree data, master-detail and lazy loading from a server, with every piece of state exposed as a prop. Handsontable doesn't group rows by value, pivot or render detail rows, and its server-side data loads one page at a time.
The licenses differ a lot. Handsontable's free license is for non-commercial use only, and commercial licenses are priced per end user, through sales. Infinite Table is free for commercial use with a footer, or $395 per developer per year without it.
When to choose which
Choose Handsontable if
- Your users need a spreadsheet: formulas, a fill handle, merged cells, comments, undo and redo.
- You need Excel and CSV export, or clipboard copy and paste, built in.
- You need documented accessibility (Handsontable publishes a WCAG 2.2 conformance report) or right-to-left layouts.
- You use Angular or plain JavaScript as well as React and Vue.
Choose Infinite Table if
- You need row grouping with aggregations, pivoting or master-detail.
- You load large datasets from a server in batches as the user scrolls.
- You want to use the grid commercially for free (with a footer), or at a published per-developer price.
- You want a declarative API: columns, sorting, grouping and selection as controlled or uncontrolled props.
Features
22 of the 30 features below are built into Infinite Table, every one in the free package. Handsontable has 20 built in, and 6 more partly or as headless logic, counting its most complete edition (Non-commercial and evaluation license). Each Handsontable entry links to its documentation.
- Built in
- Partial / with limits
- Logic only (headless)
- Not available
- Pro = needs that paid edition
| Feature | Infinite TableFree with footer · $395 per developer per year | HandsontableSame features in every edition |
|---|---|---|
| Rendering | ||
| Row virtualizationOnly the visible rows are rendered, out of the box. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Column virtualizationOnly the visible columns are rendered, out of the box. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Columns | ||
| Multi-column sortingBuilt-in sorting UI, including sorting by several columns. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Column filtersBuilt-in filter UI: a filter row, header filters or a filter menu. | ||
| Column resizingUsers drag to resize columns. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Column reorderingUsers drag and drop columns to reorder them. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Column pinningPin (freeze) columns to the left or right. | Yessource | |
| Column groupsMulti-level, grouped column headers. | Yessource | |
| Column menuA built-in column header menu (sort, hide, pin...). | Yessource | Yessource |
| Grouping and analysis | ||
| Row groupingGroup rows by one or more columns, with expand and collapse. | Yessource | NoNo grouping by column value; the NestedRows plugin shows parent and child rows from nested data.source |
| AggregationsAggregated values (sum, average...) for groups or totals. | Yessource | |
| PivotingPivot rows into dynamically generated columns. | Yessource | No |
| Tree dataHierarchical (tree) rows. | Yessource | |
| Master-detailExpandable detail rows with custom content or a nested grid. | Yessource | No |
| Server data | ||
| Lazy loadingLoad rows from a server in batches as the user scrolls. | Yessource | PartialThe DataProvider plugin (17.1+) loads one page at a time with the pager; loading on scroll is not documented.source |
| Server-side sort, filter and groupBuilt-in support for sorting, filtering and grouping on the server. | PartialDataProvider sends paging, single-column sorting and filters to your server; no grouping.source | |
| Pagination UIA built-in pager. | Yessource | |
| Editing and interaction | ||
| Cell editingInline cell editing with built-in editors. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Row selectionSelect rows, including checkbox selection. | Yessource | |
| Cell selectionSelect multiple cells or ranges of cells. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Keyboard navigationMove between cells with the keyboard. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Context menuA built-in cell or row context menu. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Row drag and dropReorder rows by dragging them. | No | Yessource |
| Export and charts | ||
| ClipboardCopy (and paste) cells, built in. | No | Yessource |
| CSV exportBuilt-in export to CSV. | No | Yessource |
| Excel exportBuilt-in export to Excel (.xlsx). | No | |
| Integrated chartsChart grid data from inside the grid. | No | |
| Styling and accessibility | ||
| Theming with CSS variablesTheme the grid through CSS custom properties or design tokens. | Yessource | Yessource |
| Documented accessibilityARIA roles and screen reader support, documented by the vendor. | NoKeyboard navigation is built in, but ARIA roles and screen reader support are not documented. | Yessource |
| Right-to-leftRight-to-left layout support. | No | Yessource |
Side by side
Licensing and pricing
List prices as published by each vendor, in US dollars. Follow the source links for the full terms.
| Edition | License | List price | Conditions | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite Table | Commercial (EULA) | $395 per developer per yearVolume discounts: 5% from 3 developers, 10% from 5, 15% from 10. For 20 or more developers, email us.source | Every feature is free to use, in any product, as long as the "Powered by Infinite Table" footer stays visible. A license removes the footer and adds email support. | Development licenses only: no deployment, application or SaaS licenses. |
| Non-commercial and evaluation license | Proprietary (non-commercial) | Freesource | Non-commercial use only: education, research, personal use, testing and demos. In a business it covers evaluation, not production. | – |
| Handsontable commercial license | Commercial | Contact sales (no public list price)Priced by the number of end users of your applications, as a subscription or a perpetual license, with a support plan.source | 45-day trial. | Covers internal and customer-facing apps. SaaS, OEM and redistribution terms are not published. |
| Handsontable + HyperFormula bundle | Commercial | Contact sales (no public list price)Adds a commercial license for the HyperFormula formula engine (otherwise GPLv3).source | – | – |
Bundle size and dependencies
Every dependency is code you ship and a package you have to trust and keep updated. Infinite Table has none.
| Package | JS, min + gzip | CSS, min + gzip | Runtime dependencies | From other publishers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite Table for React@infinite-table/infinite-react@10.1.4 | 145 kB | 5.7 kB | 0 | 0 |
| Infinite Table for Vue@infinite-table/infinite-vue@10.1.4 | 126 kB | 5.4 kB | 0 | 0 |
| Handsontable@handsontable/react-wrapper@18.1.2 + handsontable@18.1.2 | 355 kB | 22.8 kB | 0 | 0 |
Measured on November 11, 2026 with the latest versions on npm. Runtime dependencies: every package that npm install adds besides the grid's own packages and the framework, including required peer dependencies. JS / CSS: esbuild 0.25.10 bundle of the minimal getting-started usage, minified, React or Vue left out, gzip level 9 (kB = 1,000 bytes). Fonts and images are not counted. Numbers include required peers such as a design system, so they are lower if your app already ships those. The measurement script is open source: run it to reproduce or update these numbers.
Framework support
| Framework | Infinite Tablesource | Handsontablesource |
|---|---|---|
| React | Yes | Yes |
| Vue | Yes | Yes |
| Angular | No | Yes |
| JavaScript | No | Yes |
- Infinite Table: React 18+ (@infinite-table/infinite-react) and Vue 3.4+ (@infinite-table/infinite-vue), same features and version.
Key differences
Spreadsheet vs data grid
Handsontable's model is a sheet: rows are identified by their position, and sorting, filtering and moving are stored as index changes. Formulas, validators and cell meta data are first class.
Infinite Table's model is a dataset: rows have a primary key, and <DataSource> derives sorted, filtered, grouped and pivoted views from your data, locally or on the server.
Migrating from Handsontable
A Handsontable grid with three columns and an initial sort, next to the same grid in Infinite Table.
Handsontable
import { HotTable, HotColumn } from '@handsontable/react-wrapper';
import { registerAllModules } from 'handsontable/registry';
import 'handsontable/styles/handsontable.min.css';
import 'handsontable/styles/ht-theme-main.min.css';
registerAllModules();
type Car = { id: number; make: string; model: string; price: number };
const data: Car[] = [
{ id: 1, make: 'Tesla', model: 'Model Y', price: 64950 },
{ id: 2, make: 'Ford', model: 'F-Series', price: 33850 },
];
export function Cars() {
return (
<HotTable
themeName="ht-theme-main"
data={data}
colHeaders={true}
columnSorting={{ initialConfig: { column: 0, sortOrder: 'asc' } }}
height={500}
licenseKey="non-commercial-and-evaluation"
>
<HotColumn data="make" title="Make" />
<HotColumn data="model" title="Model" width={200} />
<HotColumn data="price" title="Price" type="numeric" />
</HotTable>
);
}Infinite Table
import { DataSource, InfiniteTable } from '@infinite-table/infinite-react';
import type { InfiniteTablePropColumns } from '@infinite-table/infinite-react';
import '@infinite-table/infinite-react/index.css';
type Car = { id: number; make: string; model: string; price: number };
const data: Car[] = [
{ id: 1, make: 'Tesla', model: 'Model Y', price: 64950 },
{ id: 2, make: 'Ford', model: 'F-Series', price: 33850 },
];
const columns: InfiniteTablePropColumns<Car> = {
make: { field: 'make', header: 'Make' },
model: { field: 'model', header: 'Model', defaultWidth: 200 },
price: {
field: 'price',
header: 'Price',
renderValue: ({ value }) => <b>{value}</b>,
},
};
export function Cars() {
return (
<div style={{ height: 500, display: 'flex' }}>
<DataSource<Car>
primaryKey="id"
data={data}
defaultSortInfo={{ field: 'make', dir: 1 }}
>
<InfiniteTable<Car> columns={columns} />
</DataSource>
</div>
| Handsontable | Infinite Table |
|---|---|
<HotColumn data="make"> or columns | columns (an object keyed by column id) with field |
title, colHeaders | header |
width, colWidths | defaultWidth, defaultFlex, or the columnSizing prop |
renderer | renderValue or render |
| rows identified by index | primaryKey on <DataSource> |
columnSorting.initialConfig | defaultSortInfo, sortInfo on <DataSource> |
NestedRows (__children) | <TreeDataSource> and <TreeGrid> |
DataProvider plugin | a data function on <DataSource>, with lazyLoad |
licenseKey | licenseKey |
What Handsontable does well
- It looks and feels like a spreadsheet: Excel-style shortcuts, a fill handle, merged cells, comments and undo/redo. source
- Excel-compatible formulas through the HyperFormula engine (about 400 functions). source
- A deep editing toolkit: many cell types and editors, sync and async validators, custom React editors. source
- Native .xlsx export that keeps data types, styles, merged cells and frozen panes, plus CSV export. source
- Strong accessibility documentation: it targets WCAG 2.2 A/AA and publishes a conformance report. source
- Zero runtime dependencies in the current release, too. source
FAQ
Is Handsontable free for commercial use?
No. Its free license key, non-commercial-and-evaluation, covers non-commercial use (education, research, personal use, testing and demos); in a business it only covers evaluation. Commercial licenses are sold through sales and priced by the number of end users. Infinite Table can be used commercially for free, with a "Powered by Infinite Table" footer.
Does Infinite Table support formulas like Handsontable?
No. Infinite Table has no formula engine. Handsontable integrates HyperFormula, with about 400 Excel-compatible functions. In Infinite Table you compute values with a column valueGetter, or in your data.
Does Handsontable support row grouping and pivoting?
Handsontable's docs don't describe grouping rows by column value or pivoting. Its NestedRows plugin shows parent and child rows from nested data. Infinite Table has row grouping, aggregations and pivoting built in.
Is Infinite Table good for spreadsheet-style editing?
It has inline editing, Excel-like editing (start typing to edit) and cell selection, but no fill handle, formulas, undo and redo, or clipboard paste. For a spreadsheet experience, Handsontable is the better fit.
Is Infinite Table free to use?
Yes. Every feature is free to use, in any product and in production, as long as the "Powered by Infinite Table" footer stays visible. A license removes the footer and adds email support: $395 per developer per year, with volume discounts and no deployment or application licenses. See pricing.
How many dependencies does Handsontable have, compared to Infinite Table?
Infinite Table has 0 runtime dependencies: installing it adds one package. Handsontable adds 0 (0 from other publishers), counting required peer dependencies but not React. Measured on November 11, 2026 with the latest versions on npm.
How big is Handsontable compared to Infinite Table?
Bundling the minimal getting-started usage with esbuild, minified and gzipped, without React: Infinite Table 145 kB of JavaScript, Handsontable 355 kB. CSS is measured separately; the table above has both.
Try Infinite Table
npm i @infinite-table/infinite-react for React, or npm i @infinite-table/infinite-vue for Vue. Every feature is in the package.
Other comparisons
Sources
Sources and corrections
Every statement about another product links to the vendor's own documentation, pricing or license page. Handsontable facts were last verified on November 11, 2026. Prices are list prices as published; taxes, discounts and quotes can differ. Products change quickly, so please check the vendor's site before you buy.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? We'll fix it: open a correction issue, edit the data on GitHub or email us.
Official links for Handsontable: website, docs, pricing, license, repository.