We built Hummingbird as a real, complete solution to the frontend problems faced during Tailwind projects, i.e., messy classes, bloated code, huge runtime, and more. It’s a Tailwind UI library that solves those exact pain points through component classes, CSS variable-based theming, Bootstrap-backed JavaScript, a minimal API, and more. You get a clean, semantic markup and predictable customization without compromising flexibility and speed.

Every time we build a UI with raw Tailwind, we run into common frontend issues, such as fewer reusable components, consistency breaking down at scale, and repeated overrides. Flexibility is valuable, but without structure, it can quickly become maintenance overhead.

That’s what pushed us to build Hummingbird. It’s a Tailwind UI library designed to be a complete solution that brings structure to Tailwind’s utility model without taking away the control developers actually need. The goal is not to replace Tailwind’s utility power, but to structure it so the components remain consistent without sacrificing developer control.

A raw Tailwind button looks like this:

<button class="inline-flex items-center justify-center px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-white bg-blue-600 rounded-md shadow-sm hover:bg-blue-700 focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500 focus:ring-offset-2 disabled:opacity-50 disabled:cursor-not-allowed transition-colors duration-200"> 
      Click me 
</button> 

Now, think of applying a “danger” variant consistently across 12 components, or supporting dark mode without doubling the class count, or handing this codebase to a new developer. You end up with either a CSS extraction layer, which defeats Tailwind’s purpose, or inconsistent one-off implementations.

Hummingbird is our answer to that. It provides predefined components, extensible styling as needed, and an API that keeps customization predictable. The goal is to combine Tailwind’s flexibility with a structured component system that scales without introducing unnecessary complexity.

Here’s how we approached it.

Component Classes on Top of Utilities

The first decision we had to make was where to sit in the stack. Too low, and we’d just be documenting Tailwind patterns. Too high, and we’d be building another opinionated component library that locks you in when you need to go your own way.

So, we landed on a middle ground — semantic component classes built from Tailwind’s utilities internally, but used as simple, stable class names.

<button class="btn btn-primary">Click me</button>

Here, .btn and .btn-primary encapsulate the right utility composition for that context. But because Tailwind utilities still apply on top, you’re never blocked when you need to customize further:

<button class="btn btn-primary rounded-full px-8">Pill button</button>

The variant system handles the common case. Utilities handle everything else.

Reduced Code Writing

One thing we didn’t expect was how much this decision improved code composability and reduced writing burden. Compare writing and maintaining components in raw utility classes versus in Hummingbird’s component classes, as shown in the screenshot below. The difference shows up immediately in how easy it is to scan, edit, and extend code.

Semantic class names make intent obvious. You’re not reading 20 utilities to figure out what an element is supposed to be. You write less code, and what you write is easier to reason about.

Easy Theming

Most theming systems grow bloated over time – too many design tokens, too many override layers, and unclear ownership of visual decisions. That increases cognitive load, slows onboarding, and makes small brand updates unnecessarily expensive.

We wanted to avoid that. Built on Tailwind CSS v4, Hummingbird uses a minimal semantic-token approach, reducing override noise and maintenance costs. It provides more control over the entire theming system with less effort, ensuring a seamless, faster development experience.

For example, you can use the theme variables like --color-primary and --shadow-md via standard Tailwind utilities like bg-primary, text-primary, and shadow-md in your markup. No additional configuration or separate theming layer required.

Hummingbird also allows straightforward theme overrides. You can override any styles globally using a theme variable by redefining them in a @theme { ... } block after importing the CSS.

/* Global */
@theme {
 /* Background colors */
  --background-color-subtle: var(--color-gray-50);
  --background-color-muted: var(--color-gray-100); 
  --background-color-default: var(--color-white);
  --background-color-highlight: var(--color-gray-200); 
  --background-color-emphasis: var(--color-gray-300);
}

/* Component-specific */
.btn {
  --btn-bg: var(--background-color-highlight);
  --btn-color: var(--text-color-default);
  --btn-hover-bg: var(--color-hover);
  --btn-disabled-bg: var(--color-disabled);
  --btn-disabled-color: var(--color-disabled-color);
}

For multiple themes, such as light, dark, or any custom themes, scope your overrides with @variant<ThemeName>{}.

/*for multiple theming*/
@theme {
  --color-primary: var(--color-blue-500);
  --color-secondary: var(--color-purple-500);
}
@variant dark {
  --color-primary: var(--color-blue-400);
  --color-secondary: var(--color-purple-400);
}
@variant forest {
  --color-primary: var(--color-blue-600);
  --color-secondary: var(--color-purple-600);
}

Color scheme changes are now just variable swaps. Component-level overrides don’t affect anything outside that component.

Interactive Components & JavaScript

In most setups, adding interactive components requires writing separate scripts for each interaction. The more components you add, the more scripts you write, and it becomes repetitive fast. To address this, we built Hummingbird’s logic on a proven foundation instead of starting from scratch.

Hummingbird adapts Bootstrap’s JavaScript core, a stable, reliable system for UI behavior. It uses a Data API approach with built-in TypeScript support, allowing you to add interactivity by simply adding data attributes to your HTML. No additional script is needed to initialize a dropdown or trigger an offcanvas. The behavior is declarative and predictable.

<div class="dropdown">
  <button class="btn btn-subtle-neutral" type="button" data-bs-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">
         Dropdown
  </button>
  <ul class="dropdown-menu">
    <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Profile</a></li>
    <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">My Account</a></li>
    <li><a class="dropdown-item" href="#">Dashboard</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>

JavaScript API

If you need more control, such as manually customizing behavior, Hummingbird lets you do so with component-specific modules.

For example, if you’re designing a Modal component:

import Modal from "@hummingbirdui/hummingbird";
const openBtn = document.querySelector("[data-open-demo-modal]");
const myModal = new Modal(".modal");
openBtn.addEventListener("click", () => {
  myModal.show();
});

We also made a deliberate decision to keep the JavaScript API minimal. No complex plugin system to learn, no configuration overhead. Just use the methods you actually need:

const myCarouselElement = document.querySelector('#myCarousel')
const carousel = new hummingbird.Carousel(myCarouselElement, {
  interval: 2000,
  touch: false
})

This initializes a carousel component, sets it to auto-advance every 2 seconds, and disables touch control for each component.

Bundle Strategy: Keep It Clean

Hummingbird supports both ESM and CJS builds. ESM is used by modern bundlers like Vite, Rollup, and Webpack 5+. CJS is used in Node.js or older tooling that relies on require(). The bundler automatically selects the right one based on your project’s configuration. So, no manual configuration is required.

Components are individually importable, so unused ones don’t end up in the bundle, keeping it optimized. Pick the specific JavaScript plugin you need for your design.

import { Modal, Dropdown } from "@hummingbirdui/hummingbird"; 

Getting Started in One Command

We wanted the setup experience to make as easy as building with it. Hummingbird offers a quicker setup using flags, such as --yes, -- ts, -t, etc. Getting from zero to a running project looks like this:

npx create-hummingbird-app@latest my-app --yes
cd my-app
npm run dev

Here, the --yes skips all prompts and sets up Vite + Vanilla JS with Tailwind and Hummingbird pre-configured.

If you require TypeScript support instead of vanilla JS, you run the following:

npx create-hummingbird-app@latest -t vite --ts

This installs the default TypeScript template (Vite-ts).

For Manual installation, you can follow the steps below:

Step1: Install Tailwind CSS

Ensure the project is set up with Tailwind CSS.

• Install Tailwind CSS Packages as a Vite plugin via npm

    npm install tailwindcss @tailwindcss/vite

• Add the Vite plugin @tailwindcss/vite to your vite.config.ts file
• Import Tailwind CSS through your main CSS file

    @import "tailwindcss";

Step2: Install Hummingbird

Install Hummingbird via a preferred package manager:

npm install @hummingbirdui/hummingbird

Step3: Import CSS

Import Hummingbird styles in the main CSS file (e.g., styles.css).

@import "tailwindcss";
@import "@hummingbirdui/hummingbird";

Step4: Initialize JS plugins

Include Hummingbird JavaScript at the end of the HTML body.

<script src="../path/to/@hummingbirdui/hummingbird/dist/hummingbird.bundle.min.js"></script>

Alternatively, if using a build system (like Vite or Webpack), import Hummingbird directly into the JavaScript entry file.

import '@hummingbirdui/hummingbird';

Framework Integration

The component class approach is framework-agnostic at the CSS level. In React:

<button className="btn btn-primary">Click me</button>

In Vue:

<button class="btn btn-primary">Click me</button>

Same classes, different frameworks, no additional configuration required. For JavaScript-dependent components, initialize them in the appropriate lifecycle hook, such as useEffect in React, onMounted in Vue. The Framework Guides cover the specifics.

Accessibility

Unlike CSS-only component libraries, where ARIA attributes have to be wired up manually, Hummingbird’s interactive components include them out of the box. It allows developers to build without requiring them to start from scratch or rely on framework-specific solutions.

Components like modals, dropdowns, and tooltips work across touch, mouse, and keyboard inputs and are readable by screen readers. In some cases, developers may need to layer on additional ARIA behaviors depending on the specific interaction being built, but the baseline is covered.

On color contrast, the default palette is designed to meet WCAG’s recommended ratios, 4.5:1 for text and 3:1 for non-text elements. Custom themes still need to be verified independently. The .sr-only class visually hides elements while keeping them accessible to screen readers. This is useful for labels, descriptions, or context that only assistive technology users need.

RTL Support

Hummingbird components automatically adapt to RTL layouts when dir=”rtl” is set on the root element:

html:

<html dir="rtl">

  ...

</html>

For directional spacing and alignment, logical classes are the right approach. Use ms-* and me-* for margins, ps-* and pe-* for padding, and text-start/text-end for alignment. Avoid left-* and right-* – these are direction-specific and break in RTL. Use start-* and end-* instead.

When building interfaces that need to support both LTR and RTL, the ltr: and rtl: variants let you apply styles conditionally:

html:

<div class="ltr:ml-3 rtl:mr-3"> 

  ... 

</div>

For projects building RTL layouts, the same convention applies to your own markup. Avoid left-* and right-*; use start-* and end-* so the layout responds correctly when the direction changes.

So, Why Hummingbird as A Tailwind System?

Our goal is to build a Tailwind component library that removes the trade-offs between development speed and time. A feature-rich UI component library that creates balance with design consistency, empowering developers to create high-quality, scalable applications. Not so low that you’re managing 30 utility classes per element. Not so high that customization requires working around the library.

Moreover, we aim to deliver one of the most sensible Tailwind systems built on a component-class layer, configured via CSS variables, and extensible with utilities when you need to go further.

If you want consistent components, runtime theming, interactive behavior, and the flexibility to reach for raw utilities when you need to, this architecture makes all of that possible at once. Just open your terminal and type: npx create-hummingbird-app@latest my-app --yes.

And get started, the documentation covers the rest.

The post Building A Tailwind UI Component Library: How We Built Hummingbird appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Migrating a Bootstrap project to Tailwind CSS or MUI generally includes removing Bootstrap and SCSS files, installing the new framework’s packages, and rewriting classes or rebuilding components. Also, there’s a prerequisite for MUI — setting up a React application. However, understanding their respective styles can help you choose between Tailwind and MUI based on your development practices.

For Bootstrap’s overly Bootstrap-y design and complex customization practice, devs are migrating from Bootstrap to more flexible design systems. Considering the web development trend, Tailwind CSS seems to be the most in-demand one. Additionally, MUI remains a major player for React-based UI work.  

Tailwind CSS has quickly become one of the most preferred choices, thanks to its utility-first approach and design freedom. On the other hand, Material UI (MUI) remains a strong option for React developers who prefer a ready-made component system aligned with Material Design.  

Let’s walk through steps to convert static Bootstrap projects into Tailwind CSS or Material UI, based on my research and practical insights from the in-house dev team. From available research and practical experience, the goal is to help you determine the most suitable path for your project’s needs. 

From my experience, you can start with recognizing your approach towards using Bootstrap, as-

• Developers familiar with Bootstrap may find the transition to Tailwind CSS a natural progression, potentially simplifying future explorations of other UI libraries. 
• For projects requiring a component-based framework, MUI is a compelling choice, noting that proficiency in React fundamentals is recommended.

How to Migrate a Project from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS?

Migration from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS requires a mindset shift first. It’s about learning a new way of thinking, like moving from presets to utility classes.   

Bootstrap’s designing approach asks, “What’s the class name for this component?” While Tailwind CSS takes a different approach with “Which utilities describe my style?”  

Also, Bootstrap and Tailwind have different configurations. So, while migrating to Tailwind CSS, you’ll need to configure your project for it.  

Here, I’ve outlined some easy steps to help you make a smooth transition from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS. 

1. Research and Planning
   Understand the differences in approach and philosophy between the two frameworks. For example: understanding Tailwind’s utility-first philosophy and classes. Then, evaluate your current project structure and identify areas for improvement.
2. Removing Bootstrap & SCSS Files
   Uninstall the Bootstrap package from your project. Since Tailwind uses its own configuration system, you won’t need the SCSS files created for Bootstrap customization. So, you can delete them too.
3. Installing Tailwind CSS
   • Install Tailwind CSS Packages as a Vite plugin via npm
     npm install tailwindcss @tailwindcss/vite
   • Add the Vite plugin @tailwindcss/vite to your vite.config.ts file
   • Import Tailwind CSS through your main CSS file
     @import "tailwindcss";
4. Translating the Classes
   Converting your Bootstrap styles to Tailwind’s utility classes. You can do this in two ways:
   • Delete all your Bootstrap classes and replace them with utility classes for the corresponding styles. Example:
     Spacing in Bootstrap: .mt-3 (margin-top 1rem)
     Spacing in Tailwind CSS: mt-4 (margin-top 1rem, but customizable scale)
   • Modify the styles inside the Bootstrap classes using utility classes, keeping the same class names unchanged in your markup. This way, you can avoid rewriting styles for all components everywhere and enjoy control over your design without redundancy. 

How to Shift from Bootstrap to MUI?

Material UI is a React component library that provides prebuilt, styled UI elements such as buttons, cards, and grids. So, there is no direct migration way from Bootstrap to Material UI. Instead, it will require 2 major steps: 

• Converting Bootstrap into React or React-Bootstrap
• Migrating to Material UI 

If you’re already experienced with React or React-Bootstrap, ignore the first step and directly work on migrating to MUI.

How to Convert a Bootstrap Project to React?

Before using Bootstrap with React, you need to set up a React application. We’re going to use React-Bootstrap to convert a Bootstrap project to React. Follow the steps below:

• Setting Up a React Application
  • Create a React project using the Vite plugin and start it in a local server. 
    npm create vite@latest my-app 
cd my-app 
npm install
npm start
    NB: To work with React, you need Node.js installed on your system. If you don’t have it yet, download it from nodejs.org.
  • Then, install React-Bootstrap in your React project. 
    npm install react-bootstrap bootstrap 
  • Next, import Bootstrap styles into the src/index.js (or src/App.js) file.  
    import 'bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css'; 
    It will include the Bootstrap CSS file in your app and allow you to start using its styles.
• Break HTML into Components
  React lets you write component code once and keep UI parts in their own file, ensuring reusability, maintainability, and dynamic behavior.  
  So, while working with React, break your static HTML Bootstrap files and split them into React components like Navbar, Footer, or Card. For example, create a file named Navbar. Paste the code below in it:
  // Navbar.jsx 
import React from "react"; 
function Navbar() { 
  return ( 
    <nav>My Site<nav> 
); 
} 
export default Navbar;         //allows other files to use this component 
}
  Here, <nav> is an HTML tag for navigation. The return function renders whatever is written inside.
  To use the component, add:
  // App.js 
import React from "react";  
import Navbar from "./Navbar";        // import the Navbar component 
function App() { 
  return (  
  <div> 
    <Navbar />    // use the function as a React component  
  </div> 
); 
} 
export default App;
  It’ll help the migration to Material UI or other UI library smoother. 
• Remove jQuery plugins
  React uses a virtual DOM, which handles automatic updates and efficient rendering by changing only what’s necessary in the UIs. So, you don’t need jQuery plugins in React. Just replace inline scripts with state or props, and React will efficiently update the DOM.
• Optimize Assets
  Optimize your files in React style. Put images in /public or src/assets. Clean up unused CSS/JS from the old Bootstrap setup.

You got a React project ready to start migrating to MUI. Now, moving on to the actual transition from Bootstrap to MUI.

Build with Aurora — control your project like a pro! Purchase at $59.

How to Migrate from React/React-Bootstrap to MUI?

You’ve already completed the hardest part of moving from static HTML/jQuery or Bootstrap into React components. From there, shifting to MUI becomes much easier because both React-Bootstrap and MUI are React-first UI libraries.

1. Remove Bootstrap Dependencies
   Delete the Bootstrap and React-Bootstrap packages from your file. MUI will configure the project with its built-in configuration, so you can also delete the SCSS file.
2. Install MUI Packages
   Install MUI packages in your project using npm.
   npm install @mui/material @mui/styled-engine-sc styled-components
3. Theme Configuration (Optional)
   MUI lets you override its default styles through theme configuration. By defining a custom theme, you create a central style system that applies globally, so you don’t have to repeat CSS on each component.
   import { createTheme } from "@mui/material/styles"; 
const Palette = { 
  primary: { main: "#1976d2" }, 
  background: { default: "#ffffff", paper: "#f5f5f5" }, 
  text: { 
   primary: "#000000", 
    secondary: "#555555", 
  }, 
};
 // Create theme 
const theme = createTheme({ 
  palette: { ...Palette }, 
  typography: { 
    fontFamily: "Inter, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif", 
  }, 
}); 

   This is a simple MUI theme configuration example. Here, we defined a custom color palette Palette, set a global font family, and then used createTheme to generate themes that can be applied with MUI’s ThemeProvider across the application easily.

Shifting away from Bootstrap may feel like a big step, but it’s really about choosing a proper workflow. The right choice depends on your design needs and how deep you want to go with React or utility classes. Whether you pick Tailwind CSS for flexibility or MUI for a preset React component system, the streamlined switch can give you more control and modern development practices while still offering complete freedom.

The post Drop Defaults, Embrace Flexibility – Migrating from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS & MUI  appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Affiliate marketing pairs up perfectly with WooCommerce because you only pay for results. Affiliates earn commissions when they bring in actual sales. This creates a scalable, performance-based structure where affiliates and WooCommerce store owners both get benefits with zero risk.

To help you increase your WooCommerce sales with affiliates and grow your affiliate marketing program, this piece explores five proven ways to increase WooCommerce sales through affiliates.

What is Affiliate Marketing in WooCommerce?

Affiliate marketing in WooCommerce is a marketing strategy that allows WooCommerce store owners to partner up and hire affiliates to promote their products. In return, they have to pay a commission, which they can set as per their business model.

But why affiliate marketing works well with Woocommerce online stores? Or what would online store owners gain from it? 

Affiliate Marketing is an effective revenue sharing strategy that you can use to grow your WooCommerce store and increase sales. It helps you expand your product and store’s visibility online and saves the cost of paid advertisements. You don’t have to pay any upfront cost to affiliates for promoting your products. You only pay the commission for the referral and sales.

The affiliate programs are highly scalable and also come with SEO benefits for ranking your online store higher and get more leads, traffic, credibility and trust. 

The affiliate functionality doesn’t come in-built with WooCommerce, so you have to use dedicated plugins like AffiliatePress. It is a powerful WordPress affiliate plugin for managing your affiliate marketing program as it integrates with WooCommerce seamlessly.  Let’s get started understanding the tips to increase your sales with affiliates.

5 Tips to Maximize Sales with Affiliates

1. Optimize Affiliate Performance

Optimize affiliates’ performance by letting them know which products sell and convert the best. With AffilitesPress, affiliates can monitor real-time clicks, sales, and commissions from their dashboard. This helps affiliates focus on what drives the most results and optimize their performance.

To maximize affiliate performance, you can:

• Show which products sell the most.

Use affiliate marketing plugins to show your affiliates their best-selling product on their dashboard. With this report, they can easily understand their target audience’s interests and keep promoting those products to get maximum sales.

• Offer affiliates with pre-built creatives, coupons and unique links.

Offers unlimited creatives for your affiliates, such as banners, images, text links and HTML creatives, by which they can promote your products on their social media channels.

• Run A/B tests on product pages using a fast WooCommerce theme.

Use a high-converting WooCommerce theme, and do split tests on product page design to help boost conversions. Make sure product pages are visually eye-catching, responsive, and built for quick checkout.

2. Incentivize Affiliates to Sell More

Motivating affiliates to sell more is the best way to boost sales with affiliates. Setting up tiered commission structures as affiliates earn higher percentages once they reach certain sales milestones creates a sense of competition.

 The common ways for incentivizing affiliates focus are:

• Offer tiered commissions 
• Launch bonus campaigns during major sales events.
• Run limited-time bonus campaigns, e.g., “extra 5% commission during Black Friday”.
• Customize and give a performance bonus. It encourages affiliates to sell more and perform more.

Using AffiliatePress, you can also set customer commission rates per product, category, and performance. It enables you to set tiered commission, multi-level commission, recurring commission, lifetime commission, etc. 

3. Improve Your WooCommerce Store’s Conversion Rate 

Unlike other marketing strategies, if your WooCommerce store doesn’t convert well, then affiliates will also lose interest in your affiliate program. Generally, the conversion rates come between 10% to 30% for eCommerce, which leads to around 100 to 300 conversions per 1000 referral visitors.

So to build trust of visitors, choose a theme that makes your websites looks genuine. Like ThemeWagon’s WooCommerce themes offer tons of stunning and fast UI themes with responsive designs and quick checkout optimizations.

This helps boost your online store’s conversion rates with:

• faster loading time
• Mobile first UI/UX
• Simple checkout process
• Clean and modern product pages
• Fully customizable and easy integration
• SEO friendly themes

4. Strengthen Affiliate Relationships

Affiliates show better sales results if they are teamed up in a long-term relationship. Affiliates are not just salespeople, they’re partners in your business. The better your relationship with affiliates, the better they promote and sell your products. 

Strengthening an affiliate relationship is possible by:

• Communicating regularly.
• Sharing updates, newsletters, and product launch news.
• Creating a community among affiliates.
• Offering exclusive previews or special discounts for affiliates.

5. Analyze and Report

Analysis and reporting are vital to grow your affiliate programs and increase sales. With these reports, you can identify what’s working and where improvements are required. Here are some points that you can do by using the collected data:

• Identify best performing affiliates & give them rewards.
• Discover and highlight best-selling products.
• Detect conversion bottlenecks that slow down sales.
• Build smart strategies based on data.

Conclusion

Running a WooCommerce store and selling products is a complex challenge. And with increasing competition, getting high sales is tough, but with affiliate marketing, you can easily overcome it.

So to increase your sales with affiliates, you have to focus on both affiliate performance and store optimization. Our balanced approach brings these two together. Popular WordPress affiliate plugins give you the data to double down on your top performers, while a ThemeWagon WooCommerce theme ensures your traffic converts well at the same time.

Next, keep your affiliates engaged and motivated by rewards and competitive commission. Last but not least, build strong and long term relationships with your affiliates.

And when your affiliate sales start to fall back, remember it’s not always affiliates’ fault. Your store’s own conversion rates and affiliate management system matter as well. Think about it before making any decision.

The post How to Increase Sales with Affiliates in WooCommerce appeared first on ThemeWagon.

The leading alternatives after the shutdown of the Bootstrap marketplace start with its previously consistent top author – ThemeWagon, followed by ThemeForest, Creative Tim, BootstrapMade, Gridgum & others. They offer services including dedicated audience, multi-framework reach, built-in credibility and more, providing developers a better way to share and grow their designs.

With the official Bootstrap marketplace shutdown, developers are turning to alternative platforms to promote their website templates. Several established marketplaces and independent stores offer comprehensive collections of premium themes that provide similar services to Bootstrap or even more. They also support multiple tech stacks, making them compatible with larger commercial platforms. 

In today’s post, we’ll explore a curated list of the standout marketplace alternatives to Bootstrap. While making the list, we considered factors such as data privacy, licensing, and distribution options, making it easier for you to find the most suitable platforms that best fit your goals. 

Bootstrap Marketplace Closed: Where to get premium Bootstrap templates now

The end of the Bootstrap Marketplace doesn’t mean the end of templates. Developers, designers, or website template authors can still find high-quality themes – including dashboards, UI kits, business or eCommerce templates on other trusted marketplaces. Instead, it’s a shift that helps you reach broader audiences and offer more flexibility with your branding.

With the marketplace closed,  

Criteria for choosing a website template marketplace: If you are a new freelancer or planning to launch a startup, you can consider the followings before choosing a template marketplace —

✓ Template quality & variety
✓ Pricing & licensing transparency 
✓ Support, updates & documentation 
✓ Audience reach (for sellers) 
✓ Payment security and trust factors

Boost your creativity with a gorgeous premium template bundle — now 88% off! 

Now, let’s check out the top user-friendly Bootstrap marketplace alternatives that’re designed to deliver seamless and efficient services for your website templates. They’re committed to ensure security and support with a rich audience and regular updates.

ThemeWagon

ThemeWagon is an independent marketplace with dedicated developers and designers that promotes diversity and new ideas. They have consistently been the top author with the most popular themes for Bootstrap Marketplace users. They provide top-notch designs with responsive layouts, ensuring reliable support for helpful guides for premium templates.

Additionally, the creative platform offers –

Suitable for developers seeking high performance & privacy.  

ThemeForest (Envato Market)

ThemeForest, part of the larger Envato Market, offers thousands of Bootstrap-based themes alongside other frameworks. It’s one of the strongest marketplaces that sells HTML templates, WordPress themes, Shopify templates, React, Vue, marketing landing pages, and more.

In addition it’s a globally trusted platform including –

Perfect for designers seeking options from Bootstrap to beyond.

Creative Tim

This is a go-to alternative for developers. The platform provides premium and free UI kits, dashboards, built on various frameworks. Moreover, Creative Tim creates and maintains all of its templates in-house, ensuring consistent quality.

In addition, it provides a high-quality design system that provides –

Top choice for startups, SaaS teams & product designers.

Wrapmarket

Wrapmarket is the new name of WrapBootstrap. It’s a Bootstrap-based platform, featuring high-quality templates with a clean, modular code structure that are easily integrated. Besides, it’s a curated marketplace for web templates, delivering enhanced customer experience.

Additionally, the dedicated Bootstrap marketplace offers –

Ideal for Bootstrap developers seeking premium quality & performance.

Colorlib

Colorlib specializes in WordPress themes built on HTML5 and Bootstrap. The platform is ideal for a broad range of sites including business, agency, educational, and personal portfolios. Additionally, they update their templates and add new ones daily. 

Furthermore, the credible platform provides –

Ideal for agencies seeking community-supported WordPress & Bootstrap themes. 

BootstrapMade

Another Bootstrap-focused platform, offering both free and premium themes, with a focus on professional and business websites. The platform delivers lightweight, easily customizable, and responsive templates, designed and maintained by their in-house team. 

The Bootstrap-based marketplace also offers-

Great for agencies and freelancers who want control & simplicity. 

UIdeck

UIdeck is another creative platform for developers and designers with impactful products. With a growing focus on Tailwind and a collection of Bootstrap themes, it’s a valuable platform if you need both Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap in one place. Besides, they offer lightweight and functional start-up-focused themes.

Furthermore, the business-focused platform includes –

Best for developers and startup, requiring quick & affordable templates.

Gridgum Marketplace

Gridgum focuses on responsive templates for industries like education, real estate, and small businesses. The marketplace includes mostly premium themes on different categories such as – WordPress themes, Bootstrap themes, or Dashboard templates etc.

Moreover, it’s a smaller marketplace that includes –

Ideal for solo developers and agencies creating functional business websites. 

BootstrapDash

Focused on dashboards and UI components, BootstrapDash delivers professional-grade admin templates. All products are built and sold by their in-house team. Besides, the platform offers both free and premium licensing options with updates.

Moreover, the platform provides –

Ideal for developers seeking data-heavy, admin-focused & quick front-end UI. 

GrayGrids

GrayGrids is a template provider that showcases various framework-based templates (HTML, Bootstrap, Next.js) for developers and designers. It’s another resourceful platform that offers premium templates alongside a selection of free options.

Moreover, the user-focused marketplace ensures –

Suitable for startups needing affordable Bootstrap & Tailwind CSS web templates.

Bootstrap Template Marketplaces: Quick Comparison

Here’s a simple comparison summary of the most famous alternatives, helping you choose which might be better for you:

As Bootstrap’s official marketplace has stepped aside, it opens opportunities for many alternatives. They are already offering a wide range of resources, stronger privacy standard and support to keep projects moving forward. Furthermore, exploring these platforms can broaden your skills, which can help build your confidence and stand out in a competitive edge.

That’s all for today, see you in the next post! Happy Developing!

Need assistence meeting your project deadline?

With 12+ years of experience in website templates, we take on-demand projects and deliver duly for utmost customer satisfaction. Our team is experienced in contractual front-end development (React/Vue), back-end development (Laravel/Node.js), UX/UI design, search engine optimization (SEO), and more. 

Mail to: reza@themewagon.com to get a quote.

The post Beyond Bootstrap: The Best Platforms to Find Top-Notch Premium Website Templates 2025 appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Tailwind CSS offers scalable consistent design, making it a favorite among developers.Its improved performance & full design freedom with reusable utility classes ensure complete control, making it a popular alternative to Bootstrap. It also offers better framework compatibility that helps build an intuitive layout faster.

Tailwind vs Bootstrap has become an emerging topic as Bootstrap’s popularity declines, largely due to its inability to keep pace with the modern web evolution. As a result, developers started searching for alternatives to Bootstrap. However, Tailwind CSS is being considered as one of the most favorite in that list among many developers.  

Tailwind’s “utility-first” approach addresses many of Bootstrap’s drawbacks, like limited customization, bloated CSS files, Bootstrap-like design, and more. It also delivers optimized performance and a seamless developer experience, making it a preferred one.

But, why Tailwind CSS of all other CSS frameworks? 

Tailwind stands out for its flexibility and utility-first workflow that adapts to any tech stack without the constraints common in other frameworks. This makes the framework a smarter choice over Bootstrap.

Let’s take a look at the core of Tailwind CSS, and what’s making it the first choice nowadays among developers! 

Utility-First Design Philosophy: A New Web Standard

Utility classes are a mix of single-purpose presentational classes. These classes are predefined (like p-4 for padding, text-center for text alignment, bg-blue-500 for background color etc.) which are easier to maintain. 

It allows you to build better UIs faster without switching between HTML and CSS files and worrying about custom class names, unlike the traditional CSS approach. 

For example, in traditional CSS, styling a heading requires creating a class, remembering its name, and carefully modifying it later to avoid affecting other elements: 

//traditional CSS

.title {  
text-align: center;  
color: #ff0000;  
padding: 16px;  
} 

Tailwind CSS releases you from this hassle. As all the styling is visible and in one file through utility classes, you can just read the classes and modify them directly in the markup.

//in Tailwind CSS

<h1 class="text-center text-red-500 p-4">Your Title</h1>

Additionally, it allows reusing the predefined utility-classes for new features without regenerating CSS, keeping file sizes minimal and preventing bloated stylesheets.

Why it’s a new standard in web development? Because it — 

• Adopts a complementary design system – moving away from traditional component-based frameworks. 
• Supports modern workflow integration – works perfectly with modern frameworks and build tools. 
• Provide design consistency at scale – reusable classes maintain uniform spacing, colors, and typography. 

Migrate faster with our Step-by-Step Bootstrap-to-Tailwind Guide.

Complementary Design System 

Unlike frameworks that follow Bootstrap’s component-based approach, Tailwind’s utility-first philosophy introduces a genuinely different methodology. It addresses core complaints about traditional CSS frameworks, such as naming conflicts, bundle size, and maintenance of old projects.  

It also includes state variants (hover, focus), responsive variants (md:, lg:) that offer more control over styling states and responsiveness.  

Besides, it simplifies designing dark mode using dark:class, RTL support with logical properties, and provides modern features that ensure more control than just inline styling.

Modern Workflow Integration

Tailwind CSS integrates seamlessly with modern build tools and other front-end frameworks, such as React, Vue, and Svelte. Many developers find Tailwind faster to work with once they learn the utility classes. In addition, the modern ecosystem offers pre-built components (Flowbite, DaisyUI, HyperUI, etc.) that also build intuitive interfaces, ensuring smooth framework compatibility. 

Design Consistency at Scale  

In large-scale or team-based projects, tailwind helps maintain consistent spacing, typography and colors that help build design consistency. 

It includes size as height and width utility, gap to handle spacing between elements, or font-weight utilities like font-medium, text-xl for typography, and more.  

Then, color in tailwind follows a consistent structure, where it includes the property name or utilities we want to style (bg* for background), followed by a hyphen and add the shade.

{utility name}-{color}-{shade} 
example: bg-white-500 

These are easier to maintain across the whole project and makes the code portable between different project with consistency.

Level up your project with the right CSS Framework for faster development.

Tailwind CSS vs Bootstrap

Web development has shifted toward tools offering greater flexibility, speed, and control, leaving Bootstrap struggling to keep up. 

Tailwind’s utility-first approach empowers developers with a high degree of creativity and design variation, making it surpass the Bootstrap in popularity. Here’s how the framework solves Bootstrap’s limitations:

Besides, tailwind allows you to build your own without needing to fight with the default styles or complex overriding. Simply, design the interface and implement the utility classes accordingly. 

The reality is that Tailwind isn’t just an alternative to Bootstrap, thanks to its design flexibility and developer-first approach. It helps developers to compose interfaces from utility classes, leading to more maintainable and customizable codebases. Therefore, the framework has witnessed a remarkable increase in popularity and usage among developers globally.

Happy Development!

The post Breaking the Bootstrap Mold: Why Devs Are Shifting from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Aurora is a premium MUI React admin and web app template designed by ThemeWagon, primarily for the MUI Store. It is developed with 12+ years of expertise in web templates and applications.   

Aurora is a lightweight theme with an intuitive layout, providing effective workflow for your admin panels. The powerful Material UI React template streamlines your developer experience, assuring fast development. Besides, Aurora ensures full responsiveness, so your design will look perfect on everything from small screens to large ones. 

Features of Aurora MUI React Template 

Aurora is a feature-rich template with a pragmatic design. It includes all the necessary components to provide extensive user-centric solutions, prioritizing functionality and real-time impact over unnecessary complexity. The key feature of Aurora includes: 

• 35+ Pre-Built pages 
  • Starter Page 
  • Notification Page 
  • 2 Event Pages 
  • 5 Authentication Pages 
  • Error 404 page 
  • Account Page 
  • Pricing Page 
  • FAQ Page 
  • And More 
• 3 Homepage Layouts 
• 5 Authentication Pages 
• Detailed Admin & Customer Modules 
• 4 Pre-built Apps  
  • ECommerce 
  • Chat 
  • Kanban 
  • email 
• 10 Customizable Layout Options 
• 6 Customizable Navigation Styles 
  • 2 Text Directions 
  • 3 Navigation Menu Styles 
  • 2 Side Navbar Shapes 
  • 2 Navigation Color Modes 
• Collapsible Side Navigation Bar 
• Light & Dark Modes 
• 100+ Widgets 
• Multilingual Design 
• Clean Codebase 
• Page-Speed-Optimized 
• Different Table Variants 
• Extensive Color Palettes 
• Completely Responsive 
• Easy Customization 
• Cross-browser Compatible 
• 50+ Customized Material UI Components 
• Dedicated pages under each app & module 

Dynamic Layout with Live Customizer 

The beautiful webapp template has an intuitive layout with a vertical customizer on the center-right of the dashboard. It enables real-time customization, enhancing user engagement on the site. Also, the live customizer includes different options for creating enjoyable navigation across the pages, providing a playful interface. There are- 

• 2 Theme modes – Light & Dark 
• 2 Text Directions – LTR & RTL 
• 3 Navigation Bar Menu – Side navbar, Topnav, & Combo 
• 3 Side Navigation Bar Sizes – Default, Slim, & Stacked 
• 2 Navigation Bar Colors – Default & Vibrant 

Primary Technology Stack 

Unlike other popular CSS frameworks, Material UI boosts consistent visual hierarchy, and you can leverage it all from Aurora. Let’s get an insight-into why Aurora is going to be your go-to solution for intuitive dashboard design:

• Material UI: Built using the pre-built components of the latest Material UI version. 
• Vite: Utilizes Vite for a faster and optimized development streamlining workflow. 
• React: Utilizes React and React Hooks for a dynamic and responsive user interface. 
• MUI X: Streamlines workflow for complex and data-rich applications. 
• React Router DOM: Handles routing and navigation seamlessly. 
• E-Charts & Mapbox: Provides powerful charting and mapping capabilities. 
• React Hook Form & Yup: Manages form validation and state with ease. 
• React Context API: Manages global state effectively. 
• Axios & SWR: Handles HTTP requests and data fetching with custom configurations. 
• Third-Party Libraries: Integrates various libraries for utilities, services, and UI components. 

Library & Plugins 

• Material UI v6.1.1 
• Vite 
• Iconyfy Icons 
• ECharts   
• Mapbox   
• MUI X 

Figma Design Resources 

Check out the Figma Design File to get insight into the complete design of Aurora. 

Documentation 

Need a step-by-step guide to start? Save your time with an easy documentation to quickly learn and use Aurora. You’ll find all the information including installation to development here. 

Support & Updates 

Purchasing a license will get you access to our technical support. Contact us to get updates about new versions. 

Prompt us at info@themewagon.com for additional help. We are always here to help you. 

FAQs About Aurora Premium MUI React Template

With 12+ years of experience in website templates, we take on-demand projects and deliver duly for utmost customer satisfaction. Our team is experienced in contractual front-end development (React/Vue), back-end development (Laravel/Node.js), UX/UI design, search engine optimization (SEO), and more. 

Mail to: reza@themewagon.com to get a quote. 

The post Introducing Aurora: A Premium MUI React WebApp & Admin Template by ThemeWagon appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Bootstrap’s popularity is declining due to its limitations and lack of flexibility. Its drawbacks range from bloated CSS files, over-dependency on the Grid, generic design, dependency on JavaScript, to advanced customization difficulties. While CSS Grid and CSS Custom Properties replace Bootstrap’s grid system, additional CSS frameworks speed up development for current developers. As a result, Bootstrap is being outdated in the long run.

In today’s fast-evolving web development landscape, Bootstrap is experiencing a noticeable decline in popularity. Once a performance king with a massive community and plug-and-play components, it’s now making developers to look elsewhere for its default look and limited flexibility.  

As developers grow more experienced and design priorities continue to shift, Bootstrap’s limitations are becoming harder to ignore.  

In this blog, we’ll explore the drawbacks of Bootstrap and uncover the key reasons why it’s losing momentum in modern frontend development.

Design intuitive layouts! Learn the symmetric design system of MUI Grid!

Bootstrap’s Limitations: Why It’s Falling Behind

Although Bootstrap has set trends over the years, it comes with some limitations. The framework’s component styles and utility classes enforce a specific design approach, leading to an opinionated design system. This limits customization and slows down the adoption of modern development practices. 

Some of these limitations are key reasons behind Bootstrap’s declining popularity:

Bootstrap’s Popularity: What’s Driving the Decline   

Today’s web development is all about design freedom, easy framework integration, and smooth developer experiences. Bootstrap has faced difficulties to keep up with these new priorities for its imperative styling model. Which is why, developers have gradually moved away, and the framework has seen a steady decline in popularity. 

Bootstrap’s declining popularity is caused by several key factors that reflect the evolving landscape of modern web development. Let’s check them out:   

Emphasis on Custom Styles

Bootstrap sites often look identical, unless heavily customized. Deep customization requires heavy overriding of the default styles and modifying the SaaS variables. So, the effort it takes to ‘un-Bootstrap’ a design often becomes tiring. Therefore, it doesn’t help enough to create websites for distinctive brand identities.  

Businesses like Spotify, Stripe, and Airbnb have already stopped using framework-based design. Industries are more focused on branding with unfamiliar or unique visual languages that set them apart from their rivals. 

Besides, while efficient with the component-heavy approaches, Bootstrap makes it challenging to achieve truly custom web designs without significant overrides. 

Take control of your front-end — customize everything! Start at $59.

Compatibility with Other Frameworks

Bootstrap’s core interactive components like modals, dropdowns, tooltips, carousels, offcanvas menus, and collapsible sections rely heavily on JavaScript to function. It creates –

• Framework Conflicts: When working with modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular, Bootstrap’s native JavaScript (written in vanilla JS or jQuery in earlier versions) can conflict with component lifecycles or reactivity. 
• Extra Payload: Even in Bootstrap 5 (which removed jQuery), many components still require you to include Bootstrap’s own JavaScript bundle. That adds more bytes to the final build. 

React Bootstrap, ng-bootstrap, and Vue-Bootstrap exist to bridge the gap, but they add complexity and don’t always provide seamless integration that native solutions offer. You can’t just use one part without importing the whole library. 

Moreover, many developers prefer framework-specific declarative UI logics and responsiveness across the frameworks, while Bootstrap still uses imperative APIs that trigger actions in JavaScript manually. 

Evolution of CSS Layout Modules 

Bootstrap’s popularity risen because it solved one of the biggest problems – layout, thanks to its powerful Grid system. But now, CSS layout modules ensure more flexibility and layout control than Bootstrap’s pre-defined Grid. 

The native CSS features like – Flexbox, CSS grid, or Box Model simplifies creating complex layouts with less CSS overrides. They adapt automatically without specifying any breakpoints and provides more sophisticated responsive design. 

Additionally, modern CSS features like container queries and responsive units such as clamp(), min(), and max() provide developers full design control without extra tools, while Bootstrap chose to stick with Flexbox for its core grid system.    

Slow Adaption with New Design Trends 

As web development evolves rapidly, projects are getting more complex. In this situation, developers require faster and stable updates or releases of their favorite frameworks. Unfortunately, Bootstrap seems to have struggled to deal with the new dev expectations. 

Despite new updates such as improved utility classes or the removal of jQuery dependencies, Bootstrap is increasingly seen as outdated in modern web development standards.    

While frameworks like Tailwind CSS release frequent updates with new utilities and improvements, Bootstrap’s major releases are less frequent and sometimes lag behind modern CSS features and design trends. 

Explore the best Free & Premium Admin & Dashboard Templates to use in 2025!

Now, you might be thinking, “Many projects still run just fine using Bootstrap’s utility classes, so isn’t it still popular?” 
Even if there are many challenges, Bootstrap is used by nearly 27% of websites according to recent statistics, indicating its ongoing popularity in specific use cases.

However, there are some Bootstrap sites that will still need rapid maintenance for the next 10 years. Hence, it’s true that the framework is aging. Also, if it doesn’t reinvent radically, there is a chance that this powerful CSS framework may be considered as an outdated practice in web development.

The post From Go-To to Outgrown: Why Bootstrap Isn’t the First Choice for Devs in 2025 appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Web frameworks such as React, Tailwind CSS, MUI, and Chakra UI offer comprehensive UI libraries that enable seamless development while preserving user freedom. Most of them are open-source, ensuring seamless access to high-quality features. Some also include pro versions with advanced or premium features, providing greater scalability for your website development.

• Copy-paste simplicity with zero setup: HyperUI, DaisyUI, Shadcn
• Full styling freedom with logic only: Headless UI, Radix UI, HeroUI
• Enterprise-grade, data-heavy UIs: Ant Design, MUI, PrimeReact
• Components with rich hooks & theming: Mantine, Chakra UI, DaisyUI
• Tailwind-native with modern tooling: Flowbite, DaisyUI, HeroUI

As the ecosystem grows, choosing the right UI library is no longer just about popularity. A library that works well for faster projects may feel limiting as your app grows. On the other hand, more flexible options often require additional setup early on. Therefore, it’s necessary to understand the design philosophy, level of customization, design consistency, and other factors to choose the right UI library for your workflow.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the handpicked list of the best open-source UI libraries in 2026.  

By the end of your reading, you’ll get a clear concept of the core differences and strengths of these libraries, which can help you select the right one for your next project.

How we selected these UI libraries

We curated this list based on the following criteria:

• Regular updates
• Active Community Support
• Real-world applications
• Developer Experience
• Ease of use & maintained codebases

Additionally, the list balances popularity with practicality, featuring both top libraries and established enterprise-grade solutions, as well as specialized tools.

The Most Sensible Open-Source Tailwind UI Library – Hummingbird is live!

Open-Source UI Libraries: A Quick Overview

Open-source UI libraries are freely available collections of interface components whose source code is publicly accessible. Unlike proprietary solutions, you can inspect, modify, and contribute to them without licensing restrictions.  

Why Use Open-Source UI?

Open-source UI libraries come with a set of practical advantages worth understanding before you pick one. Such as — 

• Community-driven quality: Libraries like React, Tailwind CSS, and shadcn/ui are battle-tested by thousands of developers across diverse projects. Bugs get caught faster, features evolve organically, and solutions reflect real-world needs rather than vendor assumptions.  

• Transparency and control: You can read the exact code running in your application, audit security yourself, and customize components without waiting for vendor approval. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in, no surprise pricing changes.  

• Cost and flexibility: They provide zero licensing fees, unlimited customization, and the freedom to fork if your needs diverge. When issues arise, active communities on GitHub and Discord often provide faster support than traditional tickets.  

Therefore, open-source UI libraries provide production-grade tools without the constraints of proprietary software, ensuring compliance with standards.

Since we have a basic understanding of open-source UI libraries, we’ll move on to the curated list of the top ones. Let’s get started!

Hummingbird

Built on the latest Tailwind CSS, Hummingbird is a feature-rich, open-source user interface framework from ThemeWagon. It offers well-structured UI components for scalable web apps, facilitating quick development. It is designed to be one of the most sensible and developer-friendly UI libraries for a flawless experience. It also has plug-and-play integration, a wide range of versions, and an architecture that prioritizes performance, usability, and simplicity.

Developer Experience with Hummingbird

Available Components

• 320+ reusable components
• Semantic Tailwind component system 
• Uses Bootstrap JavaScript core for interactive components

Framework Support

• Works with React, Vue, Vanilla JS, or any framework
• Faster setup via CLI
  npx create-hummingbird-app@latest my-app --yes
• ESM and CJS are built for modern & legacy tooling
• Framework-specific integration guides available

Customization Practice

• Semantic component classes built on Tailwind utilities
  <!-- Semantic classes & utilities -->
<button class="btn btn-primary rounded-full px-8">
Button Component
</button>
• Minimal CSS variable theming
  /* Theme customization */
@theme {
--color-primary: var(--color-blue-500);
--background-color-default: var(--color-white);
}

@variant dark {
--color-primary: var(--color-blue-400);
}
• Extend with Tailwind utilities as required

Learning Curve & API

• Low learning curve for Bootstrap & Tailwind users
• Semantic class names reduce code writing
• Data attributes for interactive components
• JavaScript API for programmatic control

TypeScript Support

• Full TypeScript support
• Built-in type definitions for JavaScript API
• Component-specific TypeScript modules available

Accessibility & Performance

• WCAG-compliant color contrast by default
• ARIA attributes included in interactive components
• RTL support via dir="rtl"
• Tree-shakeable components for optimized bundle size

When to Choose Hummingbird

Headless UI

Headless UI is an unstyled component library built by the creators of Tailwind CSS. The open-source UI library leverages logic-ready UI components, eliminating styling constraints. Additionally, it offers lightweight, flexible, and production-ready solutions for a wide range of design requirements. 

Developer Experience with Headless UI

Available Components

• Limited but focused component set (20+ components)
• Covers essential interactive components: modals, dropdowns, toggles, tabs

Framework Support

• Available for React and Vue.js
  #for React
npm install @headlessui/react
#for Vue
npm install @headlessui/vue
• Smoothly integrates with modern SSR frameworks (Next.js, Nuxt.js, etc.)

Customization Practice

• Complete design control
• Immediate component access after installation
  npm install @headlessui/vue
/*main.css file*/
import { Input } from '@headlessui/react'
function Example() {
  return <Input name="full_name" type="text" />
}
  This code builds an input section, where you could use the Input component instantly after the installation.
  
• Custom styling through className props and CSS-in-JS method
  import { Button } from '@headlessui/react'
export default function Example() {
  return (
    <Button className={customStyle}>
      Click me
    </Button>
  )
}
  Like CSS-in-JS, this code calls the Button in a function and lets you style it with the className props. 

Learning Curve & API

• Deeper CSS knowledge and design concepts 
• Beginner-friendly Documentation
• Consistent API across all components 
• Predictable naming conventions 
• Requires compound component pattern knowledge 

TypeScript Support 

• Excellent TypeScript support out of the box 
• Full type definitions included 
• Generic components support proper typing 
• IntelliSense works perfectly in VS Code 

Accessibility (a11y) & Performance

• Lightweight & efficient
• Reduces your bundle size by shipping with no CSS
• Consistent ARIA, keyboard navigation & screen reader support

When to Choose Headless UI

Flowbite

Flowbite is a UI library that offers both open-source and pro versions and supports native Tailwind CSS projects. It provides modern UIs, typography, RTL support, and DataTables for a seamless developer experience. Moreover, the latest Flowbite offers new AI tools utilizing LLMs, along with additional modern tools. 

Developer Experience with Flowbite

Available Components 

• Limited free components (over 56 UIs) 
• Advanced components require Flowbite Pro

Flowbite Pro: The Pro version offers two types of editions. 

1. Developer Edition, recommended for professional and enterprise-level development. This edition features a variety of UI blocks, core UI components, admin dashboards, landing pages, Figma file editing, and more.  

2. Design Edition, which provides a comprehensive design system with an upgraded Figma toolkit. It features variants, a style guide, auto-layout, and more. 

Here’s the pricing table for the different editions: 

Framework Support

• Native compatibility through framework-specific packages
• Framework-specific implementation. Example:
   #For React
npx create-flowbite-react@latest;
#For Next.js
npx create-flowbite-react@latest -t nextjs;

Customization Practice

• Uses native CSS variables for natural customization
• Requires post-installation setup by importing the Flowbite plugin in the main CSS [input.css] file
  # index.css file
@import "tailwindcss";
@plugin "flowbite/plugin";
@source "../node_modules/flowbite";
• Offers many variable namespaces for custom styling
   Example: Variable namespace for colors: --color-{name}
@theme {
--color-primary-100: #eff6ff;
--color-primary-200: #dbeafe;
}
  This is a list of two custom colors attributed to the primary variable name. The utility class names, such as bg-primary-100 will now use these colors with Tailwind.

Learning Curve & API

• Basic to moderate Tailwind CSS customization
• Straightforward API for easy component switching 
• Built on plain HTML & Tailwind, no deep abstraction layers

TypeScript Support

• Written in JS with optional TypeScript Support
• Features built-in type declarations for all components
• Works as pure JavaScript without TypeScript
  Example:
  #Flowbite without TypeScript
import { Modal } from 'flowbite'
const modal = new Modal(element, options);      // No types required
#Flowbite with TypeScript
import { Modal } from 'flowbite'
import type { ModalOptions, ModalInterface } from 'flowbite'
const modal: ModalInterface = new Modal(element, options);     // Types enforced
  Hence, Flowbite does not depend entirely on TypeScript to function.

 Accessibility (a11y) & Performance

• All components follow WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
• Robust feature support:
  – Typography
  – RTL
  – HUGO integration (a static site generator with taxonomy-based file organization) 
  – Rapid asset pipeline
• AI-driven component generation with the latest LLM feature.

When to Choose Flowbite

DaisyUI

It is another popular open-source UI library that works through the Tailwind CSS plugin. The component library adds semantic class names to Tailwind CSS without compromising its utility-first approach.  It’s also a framework-agnostic UI library that works everywhere Tailwind CSS is supported.  

Developer Experience with DaisyUI

Available Components 

• Offers over 63+ free components (59 unique) 
• All components are free and open-source 
• Elements are built considering accessibility

Framework Support

• Works with any framework supporting Tailwind CSS 
• Easier to migrate between frameworks 
• Simple setup with plugin installation. 
  #app.css file
@import "tailwindcss";
@plugin "daisyui";

Customization Practice

• Uses Tailwind’s native configuration
• CSS custom properties for hassle-free customization
  Example1:
  <button className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-600 focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-300">
Click me 
</button>
  Example2:
  <button className="btn btn-primary">
Click me 
</button>
  Example1 uses multiple Tailwind utility classes to style the button, which can clutter the markup and reduce readability. Whereas Example2, with btn btn-primary from daisyUI abstracts the styles into semantic class names, making the code cleaner, more readable, and easier to maintain.
• Built-in theme support with 38 different themes (like cupcake, dark, dracula, etc.)
• Includes base styles, utilities, and variables for practical usage of the library
• Offers Theme Generator tool to design & export custom themes

Learning Curve & API

• Gentle learning curve for Tailwind CSS users
• Class-based API with no extra props or JS to learn
• Semantic, accessible class names that are easy to remember
• Basic understanding of semantic HTML and framework setup required

TypeScript Support

• No additional type definitions required
• Uses standard HTML attributes and CSS classes

Accessibility (a11y) & Performance

• Enhanced accessibility and simplicity 
• Zero third-party dependencies
• WCAG-friendly & improved ARIA-attributes roles
• Fully compatible with Tailwind CSS v4
• Instant theme switching via data-theme attribute, without altering the code

When to Choose DaisyUI

HyperUI

The next one is HyperUI. The library contains ready-to-use components built for Tailwind CSS projects. Simply copy the UIs directly into your project without installing any additional packages or dependencies. Besides, it’s a fast, lightweight solution ideal for prototypes and straightforward layouts.

Developer Experience with HyperUI

Available Components 

• 200+ free components with categorized libraries
• Written in plain HTML with utility classes 
• No JavaScript or framework dependency

Framework Support 

• Copy-paste integration, no installation needed
• Compatible with any frontend framework using Tailwind CSS

Customization Practice 

• Simple customization by editing utility classes or Tailwind config
• No additional theming, variant, or styling API required
  #a HyperUI component
<button class="inline-flex items-center rounded bg-indigo-600 px-4 py-2 text-white hover:bg-indigo-700">
  Click me
</button>
#Customized by directly editing Tailwind classes
<button class="inline-flex items-center rounded bg-emerald-500 px-6 py-3 text-white hover:bg-emerald-600">
  Custom Button
</button>

Learning Curve & API

• Low learning curve
• No built-in JS API
• Beginner-friendly with Tailwind basics  

TypeScript Support 

• No TypeScript support needed (since it’s markup)
• Usable in any TypeScript-based project

Accessibility (a11y) & Performance 

• No setup required
• Skips repetitive work of designing base UI code
• Provides flexibility with editable open-source codes

When to Choose HyperUI

HeroUI

HeroUI (formerly NextUI) is a React UI library built on Tailwind CSS and React Aria, offering a variety of accessible, logic-ready components. With over 99k weekly downloads, the UI library is well-supported and growing. It provides fully styled, accessible React components that integrate seamlessly with Tailwind and help you build UIs faster, without sacrificing performance or customization.

Developer Experience with HeroUI

Available Components

• 50+ core UI components & patterns
• Community-driven regular updates 

Framework Support

• Compatible only with React 
• Works with Next.js, Vite, Remix 
• CLI for automated npm-based installation
  Example:
  #CLI installation
npx heroui-cli@latest upgrade --all --beta  
#Manual installation
npm install @heroui/react@beta  

Customization Practice 

• Built on Tailwind CSS utility classes for easy styling customization 
• Supports CSS-in-JS and styled-components patterns 
• Theme-based customization through configuration files and the heroui plugin
• Component-level style overrides using className props
  <CircularProgress 
      classNames={{ 
        svg: "w-36 h-36 drop-shadow-md",
        indicator: "stroke-white", 
        track: "stroke-white/10", 
        value: "text-3xl font-semibold text-white", 
      }} 
      value={70} 
      strokeWidth={4} 
      showValueLabel={true} 
/>
  Here, the component slots: svg, indicator, track, and value were customized using the classNames props that create a custom CircularProgress component overriding the styles.

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate learning curve 
• Familiarity with React & Tailwind CSS is a plus
• Consistent API patterns across components
• Well-documented API with clear prop interfaces

TypeScript Support 

• Fully-typed TypeScript API
• Type-safe theme customization 
• Strong type definitions for props & callbacks 
• Complete IntelliSense & compile-time error detection

Accessibility & Performance

• WCAG compliant with proper ARIA attributes
• Default keyboard navigation & screen reader support
• Zero runtime styles – all CSS generated at build time
• Optimized animations via Framer Motion
• Individual package installation reduces bundle size

When to Choose HeroUI

MUI

MUI (Material UI) is a comprehensive React component library, boasting 93K+ GitHub stars and powering thousands of production apps. Unlike Tailwind CSS component libraries, MUI provides enterprise-grade components with Material Design principles baked in. Its framework-like capabilities often lead to confusion with CSS frameworks. However, at its core, MUI is a component library that offers an advanced solution for UI/UX design, positioning itself as an all-in-one solution for React applications that need polish, consistency, and scalability.

Developer Experience with MUI

Available Components

• 80+ components covering most UI needs
• Advanced features requiring Pro or Premium licenses
• Layout components with a responsive grid system 
• Icons library with 2000+ Material Design icons 

Framework Support

• React-focused framework compatibility
• Built-in support for Next.js App Router and Pages Router
• SSR support with proper configuration
• React 19 required for the latest versions (MUI v6+)

Customization Practice

• Customization via sx prop (inline styling), styled() API, or theme-aware styling
  <Button sx={{ 
backgroundColor: 'primary.main', 
borderRadius: 4 
}}>
  Custom Button
</Button>
  Here, we declared a JavaScript object using the theme-aware value primary.main inside the sx prop. So, the button gets a background color from MUI theme (theme.palette.primary.main). It ensures color consistency across the app.
• Offers global customization using createTheme ()
  const theme = createTheme({
  palette: {
    primary: {
      main: '#1976d2',
    },
  },
});
  This will create a new theme named “theme” with the declared color palette.
• Theme-based customization with createTheme()

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate to steep learning curve
• React props & component pattern is required
• Standardized slot pattern with consistent API

TypeScript Support

• Comprehensive type definitions
• Full IntelliSense support in modern IDEs
• Requires TypeScript 4.9 or higher for optimal type safety
• Type-safe theme customization and component props

Accessibility (a11y) & Performance

• Screen reader-friendly components
• Proper ARIA attributes & keyboard navigation
• Supports React Server Components (RSC)
• Tree-shaking support to reduce bundle size
• Zero-runtime CSS extraction at build time
• Container queries utility for responsive designs

When to Choose MUI

Chakra UI

It is another comprehensive React component library with advanced components, including a combobox and a download trigger. The component library is popular for its variety of charts. Besides, Chakra UI is built with developer experience in mind and fully supports TypeScript. 

Developer Experience with Chakra UI

Available Components

• Comprehensive library with 70+ components
• Advanced enterprise-grade components

Framework Support

• React-only library with full Next.js support
• Supports App Router and RSC
• Works seamlessly with SSR frameworks

Customization Practice

• Direct styling through component props without CSS
• Built-in themes with tokens for global customization
• Reusable variant system for consistent styling
  import { Button } from ‘@chakra-ui/react’
  #Style props approach
<Button colorScheme="blue" size="lg" p={4}>
  Click me
</Button>

#Theme customization
import { createSystem, defaultConfig } from '@chakra-ui/react'
export const system = createSystem(defaultConfig, {
  theme: {
    tokens: {
      colors: {
        brand: { value: '#3182ce' }
      }
    }
  }})
  This code defines reusable theme tokens in Chakra UI and shows styling with props.

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate learning curve
• Steeper if unfamiliar with prop-based styling approach
• Consistent API patterns across all components
• Well-documented with clear examples

TypeScript Support

• Excellent IntelliSense & autocomplete
• Type-safe theme customization
• Exported prop types for extending components

Accessibility & Performance

• WAI-ARIA compliant 
• Automatic focus management 
• Zero runtime styles with an externalized styling engine
• Native CSS animations (no Framer Motion dependency)

When to Choose Chakra UI

Ant Design

Ant Design (AntD) is a comprehensive React UI component library designed for enterprise-level applications. It offers a polished design system, rich component set, and strong internationalization support. Built and maintained by Alibaba, it provides high-quality defaults and robust TypeScript support, making it ideal for business dashboards and complex workflows.

Developer Experience with Ant Design

Available Components

• 60+ high-quality, production-ready components
• Fully free and MIT-licensed components
  • Forms with built-in validation 
  • Tables with sorting/pagination
  • Charts (via AntV), DatePickers, Modals, Uploads, etc. 
  • RTL support, tree components, and layout utilities
• New upgrades: Enhanced semantic structure, improved Table with virtualization

Framework Support

• React-only library (React 19 recommended)
• Full Next.js support, including App Router & Server Components

Customization Practice

• Centralized theming using design tokens (colorPrimary, borderRadius)
• Applied globally via ConfigProvider
• Styles are generated at runtime with CSS-in-JS
  example:
  <ConfigProvider
  theme={{
    token: { colorPrimary: '#1DA57A' },
  }}
>
  <App />
</ConfigProvider>
  Here, changing the colorPrimary token updates the primary color across all components.

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate to steep learning curve
• Requires React & CSS-in-JS styling familiarity
• Consistent API patterns
• Detailed documentation

TypeScript Support

• Full TypeScript support with complete type definitions
• Excellent IntelliSense and autocomplete
• Strong type safety across all components
• Generic components support proper typing

Accessibility & Performance

• Partially WAI-ARIA-compliant with ongoing improvements
• v6 eliminates runtime overhead using CSS variables
• Tree-shaking support for reduced bundle size
• React Compiler enabled in bundled outputs

When to Choose Ant Design

Mantine

This is another React component library that offers more than 120 components. All the UIs are fully featured and include rich theming, hooks, form management, and accessibility out of the box. Also, the open-source UI library supports both server-side rendering and client-side apps, and integrates seamlessly with Vite and Next.js.

Developer Experience with Mantine

Available Components

• Comprehensive library
• 50+ hooks for common use cases
• Covers all essential UI patterns such as
  • Forms, Data Display, Navigation,
  • Feedback, Overlays, Typography, etc.

Framework Support

• React-only library (React 18+ required)
• Compatible with SSR frameworks (Next.js, Remix, etc.)

Customization Practice

• PostCSS-based styling with CSS modules
• Uses style props for quick prototyping
• Theme configuration through MantineProvider
import { Button, MantineProvider } from '@mantine/core'
// Theme customization
<MantineProvider
  theme={{
    primaryColor: 'blue',
    defaultRadius: 'md',
  }}
>
  <Button>Click me</Button>
</MantineProvider>

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate learning curve
• Easier for React developers familiar with hooks
• Comprehensive documentation with code playgrounds
• Predictable API patterns across components

TypeScript Support

• Full TypeScript support with complete type definitions
• Excellent IntelliSense & autocomplete
• Type-safe theme configuration

Accessibility & Performance

• Strong accessibility foundation
• Lightweight – minimal bundle size 
• Built-in dark theme support
• PostCSS-based styling

When to Choose Mantine

Radix UI

Radix UI is a headless React component library that provides unstyled, accessible primitives. While styled libraries come with pre-built designs, or copy-paste collections like Shadcn/ui with ready-made styles, Radix UI gives you the building blocks to create your own design system from scratch. You get WAI-ARIA compliance, keyboard navigation, and focus management out of the box, but styling is entirely your responsibility.

Developer Experience with Radix UI

Available Components

• 30 components + 5 utilities
• Recent additions – Form, OneTimePasswordField, PasswordToggleField 
• Foundation for Shadcn/ui & many libraries

Framework Support

• React-only (React 16.8+)
• Full SSR support
• Works with Next.js, Remix, Vite, Gatsby

Customization Practice

• Completely unstyled – behavior and accessibility only
• Granular access to each component part
• Composable with asChild prop
• Works with any styling approach (CSS Modules, Styled Components, Utilities)
  import * as Dialog from 'radix-ui'
// full control over styling
<Dialog.Root>
  <Dialog.Trigger className="your-btn-class">
    Open
  </Dialog.Trigger>
  <Dialog.Portal>
    <Dialog.Overlay className="your-overlay" />
    <Dialog.Content className="your-content">
      <Dialog.Title>Title</Dialog.Title>
         {/* Your content */}
    </Dialog.Content>
  </Dialog.Portal>
</Dialog.Root>

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate learning curve
• Steeper for developers new to headless UI
• Consistent API across all primitives
• Excellent documentation with accessibility details

TypeScript Support

• Full TypeScript support
• Fully-typed API
• Excellent IntelliSense
• Type-safe props

Accessibility & Performance

• Strong WAI-ARIA design pattern
• Zero styling overhead
• Tree-shakeable
• Minimal bundle – only behavior logic
• Handles accessibility edge cases automatically

When to Choose Radix UI

PrimeReact

PrimeReact is an enterprise-focused React component library with 80+ feature-rich components designed for data-heavy applications. It prioritizes comprehensive functionality over simplicity, offering advanced data tables, charts, trees, and complex form components out of the box. Also, it’s part of the PrimeTek ecosystem with commercial support options, making it a popular choice for corporate dashboards and admin panels.

Developer Experience with PrimeReact

Available Components

• Enterprise library with 80+ components
• Latest update offers – OrgChart, Gallery, CommandMenu, InputTags, DatePicker
• PrimeBlocks (400+ UI blocks), PrimeFlex, PrimeIcons included

Framework Support

• React-only library
• Next.js support with TypeScript templates
• Works with all React frameworks

Customization Practice

• Styled & unstyled modes
• Theme Designer with 500+ variables
• CSS modules for customization
  import { Panel } from 'primereact/panel'
import styles from './customPanel.module.css'

export default function CustomPanel() {
  return (
    <Panel header="Custom Header" className={styles.myPanel}>
      <p>Content goes here</p>
    </Panel>
  )
}

Learning Curve & API

• Moderate to steep learning curve
• Well-documented with extensive examples
• Consistent API across components

TypeScript Support

• Full TypeScript support
• Complete type definitions
• Excellent IntelliSense

Accessibility & Performance

• Tree-shakeable imports
• Responsive and touch-optimized
• Keyboard navigation & screen reader support

When to Choose PrimeReact

Shadcn

Shadcn is a collection of reusable React components built on Radix UI primitives and styled with Tailwind CSS. Unlike traditional UI libraries that require npm installation, Shadcn lets you add 50+ pre-styled components directly to your codebase using a CLI tool. So, you own the code, customize freely, and avoid the dependency headaches while bridging the gap between building from scratch and being constrained by a package.

Developer Experience with Shadcn

Available Components

• 60+ official components
• Covers forms, data display, Spinner, Item & more
• Built on Radix UI or Base UI primitives
• Registry directory for community components

Framework Support

• React (Next.js, Vite, TanStack Start, v0)
• Vue version available (shadcn-vue)

Customization Practice

• Components live in your project
• Modify directly in files
• CSS variables or Tailwind utilities for theming
• CLI handles formatting based on the config

Learning Curve & API

• Low to moderate learning curve
• Requires Tailwind CSS & React familiarity
• Well-documented with CLI automation
• Understanding of Radix/Base UI is beneficial

TypeScript Support

• Full TypeScript support
• Type definitions included
• IntelliSense support
• Type-safe props

Accessibility & Performance

• Built on accessible primitives (Radix UI/Base UI)
• WAI-ARIA compliant with keyboard navigation
• Minimal bundle – only what you use
• Zero runtime overhead (pure Tailwind CSS)
• SSR/RSC compatible

When to Choose Shadcn

In conclusion, all of these libraries are actively maintained and offer modern features to speed up development. However, the best choice ultimately depends on your design goals and workflow. If you have a clear UI vision for your design, any of these libraries should work well.

Happy Creating!

UI Libraries: Your Questions Answered

1. What is the difference between Open-source and Free? 

Open-source software methodologies prioritize collaboration and practical knowledge with publicly available source code, while free software prioritizes user freedom following the GNU General Public License. 

2. Can I Use Flowbite & Tailwind CSS Together? 

Yes, you can combine Flowbite and Tailwind CSS to generate UIs and integrate them into your own tech stack using LLMs and AI tools.

3. Can I use multiple UI libraries in one project?

Technically, yes, but not recommended. Using multiple UI libraries in a single project can increase bundle size, creating styling conflicts and making maintenance harder. So, it’s better to pick one primary library and build custom components for unique needs.

4. What’s the difference between headless UI libraries and component libraries? 

Headless libraries provide behavior and accessibility without styling. Component libraries offer pre-styled components or designs that are ready to use. 

• Headless = full control, but more work. 
• Component libraries = faster setup, but less flexibility.

5. Which library has the smallest bundle size? 

Generally, Headless libraries are small because they don’t include styles. Among styled libraries, Mantine is the most lightweight. Ant Design and PrimeReact are heavier due to their comprehensive features.

The post 12 Open-Source UI Libraries Compared: A Guide to Find Your Best UI Match appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Tailwind CSS and MUI offer different approaches to implementing dark mode. Tailwind CSS uses the Media & Class approach, prioritizing the device setup or enabling user control. MUI handles most styling automatically, allowing users to define light and dark color palettes and switch between them using the ThemeProvider. Both frameworks offer advanced theme management and seamless theme switching without issues.

Implementing dark mode depends on your design requirements, framework compatibility, and stability considerations. Some may require more code, while others may do it smoothly. For example: Tailwind CSS and MUI.

Dark mode design in Tailwind CSS offers an effortless experience with its intuitive dark: prefix. It lets you design stunning dark interfaces with a few utility classes.   

MUI offers a completely different yet equally powerful approach. It simplifies the process with built-in theming that enables seamless switching between modes, dynamic color palettes, and automatic component adaptation.  

Moreover, each framework delivers its own compelling path to creating a beautiful, user-friendly dark mode experience that will elevate your application’s visual appeal. 

In this blog, we’ll explore how to design dark mode UI in Tailwind CSS (v4) and MUI (v6+) with real-world examples.  

Find the web design trends in 2025 — get your design inspiration for your next project now!

How Dark Mode in Tailwind CSS v4 Works?

Tailwind offers built-in support for switching between light and dark modes without external dependencies. It offers a simplified dark mode style using the dark: prefix. By integrating the dark variant into its utility-first architecture, Tailwind ensures a consistent design system with full control over appearance. 

The`Media` and `Class` Strategies in Tailwind CSS

Tailwind CSS employs two primary strategies for implementing dark mode: the Media approach and the Class selector approach. 

Media 

This method uses the user’s operating system preferences by leveraging the prefers-color-scheme CSS media feature. It automatically applies dark mode styles if the user has enabled it on their device. Hence, use the media strategy if you want to rely on your device theme as your preferred theme. However, if you use this strategy, you can’t toggle dark mode manually within your application. 

Class 

If you want to enable your users to switch from light to dark and vice versa, you can override the dark variant using a custom selector.  

:: The tailwind.config.js file has been removed in Tailwind CSS v4, and the darkMode: “class” setting is deprecated. So, add dark mode directly in your global CSS file. 

Add the following to your CSS file to override the dark variant: 

@custom-variant dark (&:where(.dark, .dark *));

This will detect the .dark classes in the HTML components or parent containers and apply the dark mode styles accordingly. 

<div className= bg-white dark:bg-zinc-800 h-screen w-full  dark}> 
      <div className='bg-zinc-100 p-2 rounded-xl'> 

        <button className='bg-transparent dark:bg-green-700 text-black dark:text-white'> 
          <CiLight /> 
        </button> 

      </div> 
</div> 

This snippet adds a sunlight button with a transparent background and integrates it into the white browser interface. We set the styling for dark mode using the dark: variant. So, when the dark mode is enabled, the button will have a green background with white text.

Besides, for better user control, you need to render the dark classes conditionally using useState hook form React.

import { useState } from 'react'; 

const App = () => { 
  const [theme, setTheme] = useState(""); 

  Return ( 
     //dark mode setup;	 
) 
} 
Export default App 

It will control the app’s state for users to switch between light and dark modes and save their choice to localStorage. Here, theme is a state variable that holds the current state (light or dark) and setTheme is a state management function used to update the state.  

How to Design Dark Mode in Tailwind CSS?

In this section, we’ll learn how to implement Tailwind CSS dark mode in React with a step-by-step guide, helping you enhance the user experience with a dark theme. Let’s start!

Step 1: Creating a React Project

To create a React project, you need to ensure that Node.js is properly installed and have a basic understanding of React applications. Open your terminal (VS Code, Command Prompt, or PowerShell) and run: 

• npm create vite@latest to install React using Vite plugin 
• Then cd [your project name] to navigate to the project library 
• npm install to install dependencies 
• And npm run dev to run local server 

If your result also looks the same, you’ve successfully created a React project.

Step 2: Organizing Your Project

To enable Tailwind CSS in the React project, organize it a little bit.  

• Delete the App.css file as there is no need of it 
• Delete codes from the CSS file  
• Delete codes from the App.jsx file 

Then, type rafce (React Arrow Function Component with export) in App.jsx file. It quickly generates the basic structure for the functional components. 

import React from 'react' 

export const App = () => { 
  return ( 
    <div>App</div> 
  ) 
} 

We’ll write all the code for our layout, components, and styling within the div element. 

:: If the shortcut doesn’t work, then install the “ES7+ React/Redux/React-Native snippets” extension in your VS Code and try again. 

Step 3: Installing Tailwind CSS in React

Tailwind CSS offers a streamlined installation process with minimal configuration and reduced dependencies, facilitating seamless integration with other frameworks as a Vite plugin.

• Install the framework by running npm install tailwindcss @tailwindcss/vite 
• Add the @tailwindcss/vite plugin to your vite.config.js file. 
  import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite' 
export default defineConfig({ 
  plugins: [react(), tailwindcss()], 
}) 
• Add @import "tailwindcss"; into the CSS file  

Next, run your build process or the local server to check if the installation was successful. 

Step 4: Enabling Dark Mode in Tailwind CSS

If your project is running perfectly, it is ready to enable dark mode.  

To start with dark mode, update your CSS file: 

/*index.css*/ 

@import "tailwindcss"; 
@custom-variant dark (&:where(.dark, .dark *));  

Run npm i react-icons in your terminal to install React Icons.

Then, we’ll create a toggle function inside the App function to enable user preference with a toggle switch. 

See the code

/*App.jsx*/  

const App = () => { 
const [theme, setTheme] = useState(""); 
  console.log(theme) 

  const toggleTheme = () => { 
    setTheme(theme === "dark" ? "" : "dark"); 
  }; 
}

Here, we set the logical conditions for theme switching in the toggleTheme function. If the theme value is “dark”, it sets it to an empty string ( “ ” ), which represents light mode. Else (which says the theme value is “light”), it sets it to the dark mode.  

See the code

return ( 
    <div> 
      <button onClick={toggleTheme} 

      className='bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-700 p-3 hover:bg-zinc-100 dark:hover:bg-zinc-500 rounded-lg text-black dark:text-white'> 

      {theme === "dark" ? <MdSunny /> : <FaMoon />} 

      </button> 
    </div> 
  ) 

Then, we rendered the function in a return statement using a button. This is our final toggle button for the website.  

The className contains Tailwind CSS classes for styling buttons in both light and dark modes. For example, the background color zinc-200 (bg-zing-200) is for light mode and zinc-700 (bg-zinc-700) is for dark mode, which is a darker hue of the previous one.  

It also includes a conditional rendering for intuitive icon rendering. If the theme value is ‘dark’, it displays the sun icon; otherwise, it displays the moon icon.  

The next step is to add a component for a good website layout and verify that the dark mode is functioning correctly.  

See Code

<div className='bg-zinc-100 p-2 rounded-xl'>
  <div className="max-w-sm bg-white border border-gray-200 rounded-lg shadow-sm dark:bg-gray-800 dark:border-gray-700">
   <a href="#">
     <img className="rounded-t-lg" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0782/9346/7416/files/European_roller_480x480.png?v=1702633105" alt="" /></a>
   <div className="p-5">
     <a href="#">
     <h5 className="mb-2 text-2xl font-bold tracking-tight text-gray-900 dark:text-white">European Roller: The Adventurer</h5></a>

<p className="mb-3 font-normal text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400">The European Roller is a beautiful bird species in the roller family. It is known for its beautiful feathers and interesting habits.</p>

<a href="#" className="inline-flex items-center px-3 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-center text-white bg-blue-700 rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-800 focus:ring-4 focus:outline-none focus:ring-blue-300 dark:bg-blue-600 dark:hover:bg-blue-700 dark:focus:ring-blue-800">
           Read more
<svg className="rtl:rotate-180 w-3.5 h-3.5 ms-2" aria-hidden="true" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 14 10">
 <path stroke="currentColor" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" strokeWidth="2" d="M1 5h12m0 0L9 1m4 4L9 9"
</svg>
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
 

In this section, we used a card component with an image, text, and a button. We’ve added Tailwind utility classes for dark mode using the dark: variant, and it works perfectly.

How Dark Mode in Material UI(MUI) Works?

Material UI(MUI) offers a robust dark mode implementation and handles most styling automatically. It allows you to define light and dark color palettes and switch between them using the ThemeProvider. It also lets you create custom themes with its built-in theming support.   

MUI Dark Mode Setup

By default, MUI uses light mode. For setting dark mode, MUI includes two approaches: 

1. Traditional theme switching using createTheme with palette mode 

2. CSS theme variables with useColorScheme() hook ( modern and recommended)  

Traditional Theme Switching in MUI using CreateTheme()

In traditional theme switching, it allows you to use the dark theme as the default by adding ‘mode: dark’ to ThemeProvider function.

import { ThemeProvider, createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles'; 

const theme = createTheme({ 

  palette: { 
    mode: 'dark', 
  }, 

}); 

function App() {
  return <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>...</ThemeProvider>;
}

In this snippet, mode: in createTheme() enables the current mode for the app and modifies several palette values. If ‘mode: light’, the app will be in light mode and, if ‘mode: dark’, the app will be in dark mode. Then, we render the theme to the browser by wrapping it with ThemeProvider.

CSS Variable-based Theming in Material UI (MUI)

CSS variable-based theming in MUI includes advanced and flexible theme management (light/dark). It makes the theme switching and toggle implementation smooth without re-rendering, flickering, or hydration issues. It also allows you to create custom themes applying different styling. 

CSS theme variables with useColorScheme() hook:

Using colorSchemes provides automatic switching between light and dark color schemes based on the user’s preference. It also allows for disabling the transition issue when color changes. 

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles'; 

 const theme = createTheme({ 

  colorSchemes: { 
    dark: true,			//enable dark mode 
  }, 

}); 

This ensures the built-in support of MUI light and dark mode. We only need to set the value for dark mode, as MUI’s default mode is light. It removes the manual switching of themes in the old approach.

The colorSchemes object also handles multiple color modes for theme. When you set dark: true inside the object, it automatically generates a complete dark color palette, so you don’t need to create the modes manually with mode: variant, like a traditional approach. 

Additionally, it enables automatic system preference detection and settings for media query support (prefers-color-scheme: dark). So, in the background, it generates CSS variables like:

--mui-palette-primary-main: #1976d2;

--mui-palette-background-default: #fff;

Here, --mui is the built-in label for the generated CSS variables.  

However, you can customize it to your project or brand name using the cssVarPrefix string inside the cssVariables object while creating the theme. 

const theme = createTheme({ 

  cssVariables: { 
    colorSchemeSelector: "data-test-scheme-selector", 
    cssVarPrefix: "test", 
  }, 

}); 

It will generate custom CSS properties for targeting different color schemes in the DOM with the ‘-test‘ label, replacing the default ‘-mui‘ prefix. 

Now, we’ll walk through designing Material UI dark mode in your React project.

How to Add Dark Mode in Material UI (MUI)?

In this section, we’ll cover the modern approach of dark mode implementation using CSS variables with colorSchemes() hook.

Step 1: Implementing MUI in Your React Project

First, create a new React project and install the MUI library to get access to all the components, icons, and styling provided by the framework.  

We already know how to create a React project, so now we’ll start with the MUI implementation in React. To do that, run: 

npm install @mui/material @emotion/react @emotion/styled

It’ll install all the MUI packages in your project.

Step 2: Setting up Dark Mode with CSS Variables in MUI

After installing MUI, we’ll create a theme using the new CSS variable-based system.  

const theme = createTheme({ 

  cssVariables: { 
     colorSchemeSelector: "data-test-scheme-selector", 
     cssVarPrefix: "test",  
  }, 

  colorSchemes: { 

    light: { 
      palette: { 
        primary: { 
          main: "#90caf9", 
        }, 
        secondary: { 
          main: "#131052", 
        }, 
      }, 
    }, 

    dark: { 
      palette: {
        primary: { 
          main: "#90caf9", 
        }, 
        secondary: { 
          main: "#131052", 
       }, 
      }, 
    }, 
  }, 
});

The code builds a complete dual-mode theme system with custom CSS variable naming (test) and consistent light and dark color palettes. It automatically switches modes based on user preference or manual toggling.

The colorSchemes object specifically defines the modes with similar colors.  It’s beneficial to use the same blue as the primary color and dark navy as the secondary color in both theme modes to maintain brand consistency.  

Let’s create a function with a toggle switch. MUI enables the toggle function using mode (holds the current state) and a state management function, setMode. 

See the code

const { mode, setMode } = useColorScheme(); 
  const toggleDarkTheme = () => { 
    setMode(mode === "light" ? "dark" : "light"); 
}; 
return ( 
    <div 
	<Switch checked={mode === "dark"} onChange={toggleDarkTheme} /> 
    </div> 
) 

In this code snippet, we’ve defined a simple conditional switching function in the setMode. If the mode is currently light, it’ll switch to dark, else (mode is dark) switch to light. Then we called the toggle function,toggleDarkTheme inside a button or MUI switch component, to use it actively. 

Step 3: Adding a Component

The next step is to add a component or other web elements and check the application’s progress.

See the code

<div
style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", alignItems: "center" }}>

<Switch checked={mode === "dark"} onChange={toggleDarkTheme} />

<Card sx={{width: "30%", borderRadius: 2, padding: 1, margin: 2}}>
 <CardMedia
   sx={{ height: 200, borderRadius: 2 }}
   image="https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/thumbnails/049/855/272/small/nature-background-high-resolution-wallpaper-for-a-serene-and-stunning-view-photo.jpg"
   title="green leaf"/>

<CardContent>
  <Typography gutterBottom variant="h4" component="div">
     Metaphore
  </Typography>
  <Typography variant="body1" sx={{ color: 'text.secondary' }}>
    Checkout the latest blogs on environmental issues.Tell us about your thoughts for a eco-friendly future.Be a part of our journey & embrace the nature.
  </Typography>
</CardContent>
<CardActions >
<Button variant="contained" size="medium" color="secondary">Share</Button>
<Button variant="contained" size="medium">Read More</Button>
</CardActions>
</Card>
</div>

This is a MUI card component with built-in theming support. You simply call the toggle function in a switch, and it automatically renders the color schemes for dark mode across the entire website. 

Let’s take a quick look at how Tailwind CSS and MUI work with dark mode: 

Contrary to popular belief, a well-designed dark theme is easy to use. Proper contrast and typefaces are essential for maximizing the benefits of a dark theme. Moreover, designers are increasingly employing tools and accessibility criteria to ensure WCAG-compliant color contrast, which enhances web experiences for all users seamlessly.

Happy developing with dark mode UI!

FAQs About Dark Mode UI

• What is colorSchemeSelector in MUI, and why is it useful for dark mode?

The ColorSchemeSelector is a property inside a configuration object, passed to determine how the color scheme (light or dark) is applied in MUI’s theming system using CSS variables.

• Can I use Tailwind CSS and MUI together in a single project?

Yes, you can use Tailwind CSS and MUI together for better accessibility and consistency with prebuilt components. However, be cautious of styling conflicts and the increased bundle size.

• Is it possible to apply dark mode only to a specific section of a page?

Yes, it is possible to apply dark mode only to a specific section of a page by applying styles to specify components or classes, both in Tailwind CSS and MUI.

The post Build Dark Mode UI: A Creative Workflow With Tailwind CSS & MUI appeared first on ThemeWagon.

Many UI libraries offer a comprehensive modular architecture that improves automation, design consistency, and overall performance for SaaS dashboards. Several excellent options are available, including Flowbite, DaisyUI, HeroUI, Material UI, Chakra UI, and others, each with its strengths and ideal use cases.

• Enhanced speed with minimal setup: Flowbite, Daisy UI   
• Enterprise-grade support with strong community: Material UI, Chakra UI, HeroUI
• Advanced forms, tables, and filters: Ant Design, PrimeReact 
• Enhanced business features with SaaS patterns: SaaS UI v3

While most open-source UI libraries offer advanced components for modern SaaS projects, some still struggle with issues such as generic dashboard designs, maintenance complexity, or handling mobile responsiveness. Moreover, not all component libraries meet the design standards of modern dashboard interfaces. 

With these challenges in mind, we evaluated the leading options, comparing their performance, credibility & usability to pinpoint effective solutions. Based on these criteria, here are the best UI libraries you can rely on for modern SaaS dashboards in 2025: 

The Most Sensible Open-Source Tailwind UI Library – Hummingbird is live!

Flowbite

FlowBite is a robust UI library based on the Tailwind CSS approach that fills the gap between Tailwind’s utility classes and full component libraries. Its components are designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring quicker web application development in 2025. It also includes a pro version with a comprehensive set of advanced components that offer features for seamless user experiences.

Great for CRUD apps, admin panels, user management dashboards, etc.

Daisy UI

Built on Tailwind CSS, Daisy UI provides easy-to-use component classes that minimize repetitive utility code without sacrificing flexibility and quality. This makes Daisy UI a must-have for any developer. Likewise, it helps build beautiful, functional SaaS dashboards faster with excellent community support, ensuring page consistency.

Perfect for rapid prototyping and small teams with short deadlines.

HeroUI

Hero UI (Formerly Next UI) is an advanced open-source UI library with strong production adoption, trusted by 72k+ users. All the components are built on React Aria, inheriting Adobe’s accessibility logic. It’s an SSR-optimized library that works seamlessly with the Next.js App Router. Moreover, the library enables a performance-focused design with mobile-first optimization, enhancing data-driven admin interfaces.

Suitable for marketing sites with interactive UIs, CRMs, and data-heavy dashboards.

Material UI

Material UI is the enterprise standard, offering a comprehensive UI library built on React. While deep customization can feel like fighting Material Design guidelines, it’s still one of the best solutions for projects prioritizing stability, accessibility, and new features. If you want support for rapid development and framework compatibility to benefit SaaS product development, Material UI is an ideal choice.

Ideal for building scalable, responsive, and visually appealing SaaS dashboards.

Kick-start your next project — explore 2025’s intuitive WebApp & Admin Templates now! 

Chakra UI

This is another React component library with a strong developer community. It is popular for creating simple dashboards that emphasize developers’ productivity. If you need a wide range of accessible, themeable components, Chakra UI has you covered. Additionally, it provides rapid community support, ensuring seamless integration with modern development workflows.

Perfect for building simple, flexible, and accessible SaaS dashboards with minimal effort.

Ant Design

Another widely used enterprise-level UI library is Ant Design, built on React. Like MUI, it provides high-quality components that ensure design consistency and powerful form handling. Additionally, the layout utilities and internationalization support make it ideal for global SaaS platforms, while its rich component library ensures scalable performance for data-heavy applications.

Works well for projects requiring analytics platforms and extensive data management. 

Mantine

Mantine addresses significant limitations of MUI and Chakra, such as opinionated design, larger bundle size for small projects, and heavy styling overrides. It improves the workflow with simple, predictable theming, production-ready components, a reusable hook system, and a lighter architecture. These strengths make it well-suited for SaaS product dashboards. 

Ideal for projects requiring flexible layouts, rich interactions, and fast iteration.

SaaS UI v3

SaaS UI is an advanced open-source UI library built based on Chakra UI, inheriting Chakra’s accessibility and theming. It is explicitly built to launch and scale SaaS products. It accelerates the development of beautiful B2B websites and dashboard-styled apps. The library also supports popular tools like Next.js, Chakra UI, and React Hook Form. Additionally, it offers both an open-source and a Pro version, with advanced, enterprise-ready features.

Suitable for fast-paced startups and solo founders, and production-level apps.

Radix UI

Radix UI is a headless React component library used by many design-forward companies like Vercel, Linear, WorkOS. It provides building blocks such as Popovers, Dialogs, Tabs, and Menus, providing developers full control over the UIs. Radix treats components as primitives and handles class names and styles correctly. So, you don’t run into a usual UI library problem while customizing. Also, primitives provide you with a blank slate to create a completely custom component. 

Ideal for design-driven, custom-brand SaaS apps requiring high-quality accessibility.

PrimeReact

PrimeReact is the “power tool” library, offering the most feature-complete DataTable in any React library. The library covers everything from effective charts to complex forms, with 100+ highly functional components that make it a requirement in building exclusive admin panels. It also offers a premium template library and Figma UI kits. Though it may not necessarily be a ‘perfect’ fit for every SaaS application, its advanced enterprise support can speed up any front-end design and development.  

Works well for feature-heavy business apps with complex UI.

Quick Tip: Pick The Right UI for SaaS

There is always an ideal library for whatever you are working on. However, using an open-source UI library is only the initial step.

• Want built-in SaaS features like billing and layouts: Saas UI v3
• Need a structured design with strong component coverage: MUI or Ant Design
• Prefer simplicity and great developer experience: Chakra UI and Mantine
• Require complete design control: Radix UI

When it comes to performance, accessibility, and versatility, open-source UI libraries are unmatched. Choosing the correct UI library helps you improve SaaS dashboard development and scale efficiently. 

Whether you’re aiming for robust component architecture or enterprise-grade applications, the libraries we’ve covered can provide a strong foundation to bring your vision to life. Besides, don’t hesitate to contribute back to the communities that power your product. Happy creating!

Frequently Asked Questions

• How important is TypeScript support in a UI library for SaaS development?

Very important. Strong TypeScript support enables higher-quality code maintenance and easier development, helping to ensure fewer bugs and faster scaling. 

• What is the difference between Ant Design and Material UI?

Material UI is a React component library that follows Google’s Material Design Guidelines for modern, clean, and adaptable designs. Ant Design is a React component library focused on creating polished, enterprise-grade applications that follow business-oriented design principles.

• Is Radix Themes different from Radix UI?

Yes. Radix UI includes low-level, unstyled components for building accessible UIs. Radix Themes provides the same element with a pre-styled, complete design system. In short, Radix Themes are the styled version of Radix UI components.

• Can I use multiple UI libraries in one SaaS project?

Technically, possible, but not recommended due to styling conflicts and bundle size issues. It also increases the risk of trouble for future updates.

Need assistance meeting your project deadline?

With 12+ years of experience in website templates, we deliver custom solutions for the utmost customer satisfaction. Our team specializes in front-end development (React/Vue/MUI/Tailwind CSS), back-end development (Laravel/Node.js), UX/UI design, and SEO.

Let’s chat about your custom design.

The post Best Open-Source UI Libraries: Create Intuitive SaaS Dashboards Effortlessly appeared first on ThemeWagon.