Do you use the best Web UI libraries?

Don't waste time evaluating which Web UI (Component) libraries to use. If you're already using React, we recommend going with shadcn/ui – as it's the most extensible and strikes a balance between flexibility and simplicity. For other environments, or for the easiest experience, go with Bootstrap.

When using Bootstrap it's best to opt for the framework specific integration of Bootstrap, for example Angular users would opt for NgBootstrap.

shadcn/ui – customized with V0 (Recommended)

This is the best choice for React ecosystems. Shadcn/ui is more recent, but changed the game. It puts the components totally under your control since the code lives in your repository, and still acts like a seperate library by utilising path aliases.

It builds off radix-ui and TailwindCSS (the industry standard CSS framework).

While Shadcn/ui is largely copying their component code into your project, they have a CLI which is recommended over manual installation.

To install/update all Shadcn/ui components at once, you can use the npx command: npx shadcn@latest add -a -y -o.

Hybrid approach - Combines the benefits of a traditional UI library with flexibility, letting you customize components without being locked into specific styles or functionality
Modern design system - Comes with clean, accessible, and responsive components that follow modern design principles

V0 is the premier frontend code generation tool by Vercel. It has partnered with shadcn/ui to allow you to extend the clean, modern shadcn components in a myriad of ways. It's also integrated with the shadcn/ui path alias conventions. For more info, see the related rule on generating mockups with V0.

In effect, these technologies together let you quickly build your own custom component library for any React application.

Video – Why Everyone Loves Shadcn UI Right Now (1 min)

For a more in depth look, see the video later on.

Bootstrap

Bootstrap has been the go-to general-purpose component library for years.

Wide adoption - It’s the most popular library, meaning more community support, tutorials, third-party plugins, and better integration
Framework agnostic - Works seamlessly with JS, Angular, React, Vue, or even pure HTML/CSS
Optimized ports - Specialized ports exist for frameworks like React Bootstrap

While Bootstrap is a safe and reliable choice, it does have drawbacks, such as limited customizability and heavy reliance on CSS overrides to achieve bespoke designs.

You can see the popularity of various frameworks at star-history.com.

If you want to find a better fit

First consider the import type – some component libraries, such as shadcn/ui, use a "copy and paste" style of code sharing, while others (Bootstrap) have typical import behaviour (hiding implementation details behind their APIs). The latter kind are typically easier to use, but harder to extend.

There's also a divide in terms of maintenance responsibility – if you copy and modify code into your project, you'll have update code to newer versions yourself.

Alternatively, package imports may be upgraded and maintained by the community, but you have to be conscious of any API changes.

When evaluating a component library, also keep in mind:

Community support - Does it have an active user base, comprehensive documentation, and external resources like tutorials and plugins?
Integration - How well does it work with your current tech stack (e.g., React, Angular, Vue)?
Performance - Does it maintain fast load times and responsiveness, even with complex components?

Deep Dive: Front-End Development with shadcn/ui and Next.js

Video – Modern Websites - Why Everyone is Choosing Next.JS & the Best Headless UI Library, from 11:08 (10 mins)

Popular component libraries (ordered by stars)

Bootstrap - The most popular HTML, CSS, and JavaScript framework for developing responsive, mobile-first projects on the web
Material UI (MUI) - A popular React UI framework following Google’s Material Design guidelines
Ant Design - A comprehensive React-based UI framework with a strong focus on enterprise applications
shadcn/ui - Beautifully designed components that you can copy and paste into your apps. Accessible. Customizable. Open Source
Chakra UI - A modular and accessible component library for React with a focus on design flexibility
Mantine - A flexible and fully accessible UI library with 100+ customizable components and hooks for React
PrimeReact - A comprehensive collection of components for React, part of the PrimeFaces family
NextUI - A modern React UI library optimized for dark mode by default with customizable components
React Suite - A set of React components built for middle and back-office applications
KendoUI - Offers advanced HTML and jQuery controls for data grids, charts, and more