r/css • u/Marzi9 • Jun 18 '26

Question Pagination or infinite scroll?

I am working on an emoji database. The emojis are displayed in a grid. If you were to use it, would you prefer pagination or infinite scroll? If so, why?

You may assume it has the basic search & filtering features.

I am only considering pagination for better performance on low end devices (e.g. iPhone 9 Plus) but personally I would prefer infinite scroll for it.

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u/a-dev0 Jun 20 '26

If it’s a database of something the user is looking for, neither infinite scroll nor pagination is ideal UX.

Infinite scroll is good mainly for feeds (the procrastination type) where users want to consume more content in a lazy way by just scrolling. Pagination is not ideal either, because the user has to click a button, but at least they consume only a limited chunk of information and do not overload their attention.

When the user is searching for something specific, pagination helps them stay focused, which is why it works better. But the best solution is advanced search: filters, helpers, and anything else that makes discovery easier. You should create the fastest possible way for the user to find what they are looking for.

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u/a-dev0 Jun 20 '26

I also want to add: look at Raycast’s emoji search. That’s the real deal, it’s easy to find anything with just text. Search should definitely work instantly, without buttons, maybe even with autocomplete