Today’s most popular UI libraries aren’t just collections of pre-styled components — they’re sophisticated toolkits that provide the building blocks for creating unique, accessible, and maintainable design systems. Whether you’re building a startup’s MVP, a complex enterprise application, or anything in between, choosing the right UI library can significantly impact your development velocity and product quality.
In this guide, we’ll explore 10(+ bonus) outstanding UI libraries that have emerged as leaders in this new paradigm. We’ll look beyond just star counts and download numbers to examine what makes each library unique, their architectural approaches, and most importantly, what kind of projects they’re best suited for.
1. shadcn/ui
Key Features:
- Not a traditional component library but a CLI that adds components to your project
- Built on Radix UI primitives
- Highly customizable with Tailwind CSS
- Copy-paste ready components
- MIT License
2. Radix UI
Key Features:
- Headless UI components
- Unstyled, accessible primitives
- Complete keyboard navigation
- Focus management
- MIT License
3. Headless UI
Key Features:
- Created by Tailwind CSS team
- Framework agnostic
- Fully accessible components
- Zero styling by default
- MIT License
4. daisyUI
Key Features:
- Tailwind CSS component library
- 40+ prebuilt components
- Theme generator
- Lightweight
- MIT License
5. Ariakit
Key Features:
- Advanced accessibility features
- Low-level building blocks
- Framework agnostic
- Extensive documentation
- MIT License
6. React Aria
Key Features:
- Adobe’s collection of React Hooks
- Cross-browser consistency
- Mobile support
- International date/number formatting
- Apache License
7. Mantine
Key Features:
- 100+ customizable components
- Hooks library
- Dark theme support
- TypeScript based
- MIT License
8. Chakra UI
Key Features:
- Modular and accessible components
- Style props
- Color mode support
- Theming system
- MIT License
9. HeroUI (previously NextUI)
Key Features:
- Modern design
- Built on Tailwind CSS
- Dark mode
- Fully accessible
- MIT License
10. Tremor
Key Features:
- Dashboard-focused components
- Built-in charts and graphs
- Tailwind CSS integration
- Data visualization tools
- MIT License
Bonus:
11. Untitled UI React
The newest React library on this list, Untitled UI React is the world’s largest collection of open-source React components built with Tailwind CSS v4.1, TypeScript, and React Aria.
It’s consistent, beautifully designed, and includes everything you need to design and develop modern, beautiful, responsive interfaces and websites in one neatly organized package. This library is ideal for teams already using Tailwind CSS who want production-ready, modern, accessible React components out of the box that don’t rely on external dependencies.
Key features:
- Massive, production-ready library: Hundreds of accessible, responsive components and page examples, professionally designed and built for modern performance.
- Styled with Tailwind CSS: Copy production-ready components built with the latest Tailwind CSS v4.1 utility classes and performance.
- Accessibility at the core: Built on React Aria with WAI-ARIA accessibility standards and best practices. React Aria is actively maintained by Adobe, so you won’t get left high and dry.
- Custom CLI tool: Add components or scaffold new projects effortlessly with a single command using our custom CLI tool.
- Starter kits and integrations: Launch faster with pre-configured starter kits for Bolt.new, Next.js, and more, designed for real-world apps, not demos.
- Seamless dark mode support: Components come with native dark mode support out-of-the-box, so there’s no need for separate styles.
- No third-party maintainers: You own the code, so you can build and extend without relying on third-party maintainers and packages.
Untitled UI React is based on Untitled UI Figma, the world’s largest and most popular Figma UI kit, so the components look great and design and code stay in sync with lifetime updates. You can use my Affiliate Link to support me: here
Usage and Popularity
While exact current usage statistics aren’t available, here are some indicators of popularity based on historical data:
- GitHub stars and npm downloads suggest shadcn/ui, Chakra UI, and Headless UI have been among the most widely adopted
- Corporate backing (like Adobe’s React Aria and Vercel’s adoption of shadcn/ui) has influenced adoption rates
- Community engagement metrics show strong developer interest in composable libraries that offer full control over styling
Choosing the Right Library
Consider these factors when selecting a UI library:
- Bundle Size: If you’re building a performance-critical application, consider libraries like Headless UI or Radix UI that let you import only what you need.
- Styling Approach: Libraries like shadcn/ui and daisyUI are ideal if you’re already using Tailwind CSS, while Chakra UI and Mantine offer their own styling solutions.
- Use Case: For dashboards, Tremor might be your best bet. For maximum accessibility, consider React Aria or Ariakit.
- Learning Curve: Some libraries like shadcn/ui require more setup but offer more flexibility, while others like NextUI provide more out-of-the-box functionality.
Conclusion
The trend toward composable, utility-first UI libraries continues to grow. While shadcn/ui has popularized the concept of copy-paste components, each library in this list offers unique advantages for different use cases. The best choice depends on your specific needs, team expertise, and project requirements.
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