Why I Moved From Next.js to SvelteKit: A 2026 Migration Story

I spent 4 years in the React ecosystem. I loved it. Then I hated it. Then I found SvelteKit.

In 2024, Next.js was the "Industry Standard". If you weren't using the App Router, you were behind. In 2026, I am abandoning the standard.

Here is why I moved my entire SaaS production stack from Next.js 15 to SvelteKit 5, and why I'm never going back.

The React Fatigue

It started with useEffect. It ended with "Hydration Boundaries".

React was revolutionary because it made UI a function of state. But somewhere along the way, we lost the plot. We started needing a PhD in rendering cycles just to make a button click work.

The Breaking Point: I was debugging a Next.js 15 app. I had a Server Component that needed to pass data to a Client Component, which needed to update a global store, which needed to trigger a re-fetch on the server. the code was a mess of use server, use client, and revalidatePath.

I looked at it and thought: "Why is this so hard? I just want to toggle a dark mode."

The Svelte Epiphany

I tried SvelteKit on a weekend hackathon. It took me 10 minutes to realize I had been coding with weights on my ankles for years.

Svelte 5 Runes changed everything. In React:

const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
useEffect(() => {
  console.log(count);
}, [count]);

In Svelte 5:

let count = $state(0);
$effect(() => {
  console.log(count);
});

It looks similar, but the mental model is different. Svelte's reactivity is fine-grained. It doesn't re-render the whole component tree. It just updates the text node.

The Migration: Harder Than I Thought?

I expected pain. I got... mild inconvenience.

1. Routing

Next.js app/page.tsx -> SvelteKit routes/+page.svelte. This was easy. In fact, SvelteKit's layout system (+layout.svelte) makes way more sense than Next.js's nested layouts.

2. Data Fetching

Next.js has getServerSideProps, getStaticProps, and now Server Components. SvelteKit has load(). That's it. You export a load function in +page.server.js. It runs on the server. The data is available in the page. Done.

3. State Management

I deleted Redux. I deleted Zustand. Svelte's built-in stores are enough for 99% of apps. And with Svelte 5, you can just use a global $state object. It's shockingly simple.

The "Aha" Moments

There were three things that made me say "Okay, this is the future."

Scoped CSS: I stopped fighting with Tailwind class conflicts. <style> tags in Svelte are scoped to the component by default. It just works.
Animations: I wanted a list item to fade out when deleted. In React, I'd install framer-motion and write 20 lines of code. In Svelte: transition:fade. One line.
Forms: use:enhance turns a standard HTML form into a progressive enhancement masterpiece. No useState for every input field.

What I Miss About Next.js

It's not all sunshine.

The Ecosystem: React has a library for everything. Svelte is catching up, but you will find gaps.
Vercel's Golden Path: Next.js feels like it was built for Vercel. SvelteKit runs great on Vercel, but it doesn't feel quite as "native" (though it's close).
Hiring: If I post a job for a "React Developer", I get 100 applicants. "Svelte Developer"? Maybe 10.

Verdict

If you are building a massive enterprise app for a bank where you need to hire 50 devs next month, stick with Next.js. It's the safe choice.

But if you are a startup, an indie hacker, or a small team that values velocity over "industry standards"? Switch to SvelteKit.

I'm shipping features 2x faster because I'm spending 0% of my time fighting the framework. And in 2026, speed is the only competitive advantage that matters.