GraphQL and Falcor are two libraries developed to tackle the same problems in modern web/mobile apps: managing complex data requirements. GraphQL is a declarative, strongly typed application-level query language that fits between backend and frontend, while Falcor has a simple premise of representing all data as one giant JSON model and querying it like a graph database. Both have similarities in layering between front-end and backends, caching, and fetching data in one call to the server, but differences in power, complexity, and implementation ease. GraphQL is more powerful but has a steeper learning curve and requires more choices, while Falcor is easier to learn but limited in scope. Ultimately, the choice depends on the application's needs, with GraphQL being suitable for flexible features and Falcor for simplicity. The author suggests that Apollo aims to bring the simplicity of Falcor to GraphQL without sacrificing its power.