Next.js App Router vs Pages Router: Which Should You Use?

The Pages Router: Battle-Tested and Familiar

The Pages Router has been around since the early days of Next.js. Files in the pages/ directory map directly to routes, and you export a React component as the default export. It is straightforward, well-documented, and works with every Next.js version.

The App Router: Server Components First

Introduced in Next.js 13 and stabilised in 14, the App Router lives in the app/ directory and enables React Server Components by default. This means components render on the server with zero JavaScript sent to the browser unless you explicitly opt in with "use client".

Key Differences

Data fetching changed significantly. The App Router uses async/await directly in server components instead of getServerSideProps or getStaticProps. Layouts, nested routing, and loading/error boundaries are built into the file-based routing system.

My Recommendation

Use the App Router for all new projects. It delivers better performance through server-side rendering by default and a much cleaner mental model for data fetching. The Pages Router is perfectly fine for maintaining existing projects, but its long-term future is uncertain.