More UI Libraries

Other Popular UI Libraries

While Tailwind CSS and Material UI are among the most popular choices, there are many other excellent UI libraries available. Each has its own strengths and use cases.

Component Libraries

Ant Design

Ant Design is an enterprise-level UI design language and React UI library.

Key Features:

• 50+ high-quality React components
• Designed for enterprise applications
• Comprehensive design guidelines
• International support (i18n)
• Strong TypeScript support
• Powerful theming

Installation:

yarn add antd

Usage:

import { Button, DatePicker, Space } from 'antd';

function App() {
  return (
    <Space>
      <Button type="primary">Primary Button</Button>
      <DatePicker />
    </Space>
  );
}

Best For:

• Enterprise applications
• Admin dashboards
• Data-heavy applications
• Complex forms

Chakra UI

Chakra UI is a simple, modular and accessible component library.

Key Features:

• Accessible by default
• Dark mode support
• Highly composable
• Responsive styles
• Theme customization
• TypeScript support

Installation:

yarn add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react @emotion/styled framer-motion

Usage:

import { ChakraProvider, Button, Box } from '@chakra-ui/react';

function App() {
  return (
    <ChakraProvider>
      <Box p={4}>
        <Button colorScheme="blue">Click me</Button>
      </Box>
    </ChakraProvider>
  );
}

Best For:

• Accessibility-focused projects
• Modern web applications
• Projects requiring flexibility
• Teams valuing developer experience

Mantine

Mantine is a fully featured React components library.

Key Features:

• 100+ customizable components
• Dark theme support
• TypeScript based
• Hooks library included
• Form management
• Rich notifications system

Installation:

yarn add @mantine/core @mantine/hooks

Usage:

import { MantineProvider, Button } from '@mantine/core';

function App() {
  return (
    <MantineProvider>
      <Button variant="filled">Click me</Button>
    </MantineProvider>
  );
}

Best For:

• Feature-rich applications
• Projects needing many components
• TypeScript projects
• Teams wanting comprehensive solutions

CSS Frameworks

Bootstrap

Bootstrap is the most popular CSS framework.

Key Features:

• Mobile-first responsive design
• Extensive component library
• Grid system
• JavaScript plugins
• Customizable via Sass
• Large community

Installation:

yarn add bootstrap

Usage:

import 'bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css';

function App() {
  return (
    <button className="btn btn-primary">Click me</button>
  );
}

Best For:

• Quick prototyping
• Traditional web applications
• Teams familiar with Bootstrap
• Projects needing wide browser support

Bulma

Bulma is a modern CSS framework based on Flexbox.

Key Features:

• Pure CSS (no JavaScript)
• Flexbox-based layout
• Modular architecture
• Responsive by default
• Easily customizable
• Clean syntax

Installation:

yarn add bulma

Usage:

import 'bulma/css/bulma.css';

function App() {
  return (
    <button className="button is-primary">Click me</button>
  );
}

Best For:

• CSS-only solutions
• Flexbox-based layouts
• Projects avoiding JavaScript dependencies
• Simple, clean designs

Headless UI Libraries

Headless UI

Headless UI provides unstyled, accessible UI components.

Key Features:

• Fully accessible
• Unstyled by design
• Works with Tailwind CSS
• React and Vue support
• Composable components

Installation:

yarn add @headlessui/react

Usage:

import { Menu } from '@headlessui/react'

function MyDropdown() {
  return (
    <Menu>
      <Menu.Button>Options</Menu.Button>
      <Menu.Items>
        <Menu.Item>
          {({ active }) => (
            <a className={active ? 'bg-blue-500' : ''}
               href="/account">
              Account
            </a>
          )}
        </Menu.Item>
      </Menu.Items>
    </Menu>
  )
}

Best For:

• Custom design systems
• Tailwind CSS projects
• Projects needing accessibility
• Full styling control

Radix UI

Radix UI provides low-level UI primitives.

Key Features:

• Unstyled components
• Accessibility built-in
• Composable primitives
• Full keyboard navigation
• Focus management
• TypeScript support

Installation:

yarn add @radix-ui/react-dialog

Usage:

import * as Dialog from '@radix-ui/react-dialog';

function MyDialog() {
  return (
    <Dialog.Root>
      <Dialog.Trigger>Open</Dialog.Trigger>
      <Dialog.Portal>
        <Dialog.Overlay />
        <Dialog.Content>
          <Dialog.Title>Title</Dialog.Title>
          <Dialog.Description>Description</Dialog.Description>
        </Dialog.Content>
      </Dialog.Portal>
    </Dialog.Root>
  )
}

Best For:

• Building design systems
• Accessibility-first projects
• Custom component libraries
• Shadcn foundation

Comparison Table

Choosing the Right Library

Consider these factors:

1. Project Type:

   • Enterprise app → Ant Design
   • Modern web app → Chakra UI, Mantine
   • Material Design → Material UI
   • Custom design → Tailwind CSS, Shadcn

2. Team Experience:

   • Beginners → Bootstrap, Chakra UI
   • Experienced → Tailwind CSS, Radix UI
   • Enterprise teams → Ant Design, Material UI

3. Customization Needs:

   • Full control → Tailwind CSS, Headless UI
   • Some customization → Material UI, Chakra UI
   • Quick setup → Bootstrap, Ant Design

4. Bundle Size Concerns:

   • Small bundle → Tailwind CSS, Shadcn
   • Acceptable size → Chakra UI, Mantine
   • Large but feature-rich → Material UI, Ant Design

5. Accessibility Priority:

   • Critical → Chakra UI, Radix UI, Headless UI
   • Important → Material UI, Mantine
   • Basic → Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS

Mixing Libraries

You can combine different approaches:

Common Combinations:

• Tailwind CSS + Headless UI
• Tailwind CSS + Radix UI (Shadcn)
• Material UI + Custom CSS
• Bootstrap + Custom components

Be Careful Of:

• Style conflicts
• Increased bundle size
• Maintenance complexity
• Inconsistent design language

Resources

• Ant Design
• Chakra UI
• Mantine
• Shadcn
• Bootstrap
• Bulma
• Headless UI
• Radix UI

Conclusion

Each UI library has its strengths:

• Need speed? → Bootstrap, Chakra UI
• Need customization? → Tailwind CSS, Shadcn
• Need components? → Material UI, Ant Design
• Need accessibility? → Chakra UI, Radix UI
• Need enterprise features? → Ant Design, Material UI

Choose based on your project requirements, team expertise, and long-term maintenance considerations.