What’s the difference between `useRef` and `createRef`?

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I was going through the hooks documentation when I stumbled upon useRef.

Looking at their example…

function TextInputWithFocusButton() {
  const inputEl = useRef(null);
  const onButtonClick = () => {
    // `current` points to the mounted text input element
    inputEl.current.focus();
  };
  return (
    <>
      <input ref={inputEl} type="text" />
      <button onClick={onButtonClick}>Focus the input</button>
    </>
  );
}

…it seems like useRef can be replaced with createRef.

function TextInputWithFocusButton() {
  const inputRef = createRef(); // what's the diff?
  const onButtonClick = () => {
    // `current` points to the mounted text input element
    inputRef.current.focus();
  };
  return (
    <>
      <input ref={inputRef} type="text" />
      <button onClick={onButtonClick}>Focus the input</button>
    </>
  );
}

Why do I need a hook for refs? Why does useRef exist?

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