Which CSS framework is superior, Tailwind CSS or Bootstrap?

Incentius
4 min readFeb 20, 2023

Explain Tailwind CSS.

An efficient CSS framework for building unique user interfaces is called Tailwind CSS. It is cool to implement inline styling without writing a single word of CSS and produce a beautiful interface. Compared to standard UI kits, which typically contain numerous prebuilt components and make it more challenging to create a unique UI, Tailwind CSS offers developers great flexibility and control over how a component appears and feels. Its utility classes make it easy and quick to develop reusable components that blend in with the overall UI aesthetic.
According to the GitHub release history, the initial alpha version of Tailwind CSS was released on November 1st, 2017.

Explain Bootstrap.

For building responsive web apps, Twitter created Bootstrap, a free, open-source framework for HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
When the device or viewport size rises, the fluid grid system in Bootstrap expands up to 12 columns and is designed with mobile devices in mind. It has strong mixins for creating more semantic layouts and preset classes for quick layout options.
As a component of their technology stack, several businesses employ Bootstrap. Professional web designers frequently utilise Bootstrap while creating apps and websites for companies in a number of industries. Bootstrap has reportedly been used to create more than 500,000 websites in the US, according to SimilarTech.

Difference between bootstrap and Tailwind CSS

a) Key Differences

The main difference between Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap is that the latter is a user interface kit while the former is not. as opposed to UI kits like Bulma, Foundation, and Bootstrap.
There are no built-in UI elements or a default theme in Tailwind CSS. Instead, it comes with pre-made widgets that you can use to create your website from scratch. Bootstrap has utility classes, components, and responsive layouts.
Bootstrap has a bigger file size than Tailwind as a result of the necessary files. While Tailwind CSS may be purgeCSSed of any unnecessary classes.
While Tailwind CSS proponents often favour the framework’s customizability, Bootstrap is well known for its responsiveness and faultless design. Your priorities and situation will determine the best choice for you.

b) Which one is more popular?

Tailwind CSS is a newer framework gaining a lot of popularity, replacing Bootstrap in comparison.

Bootstrap is used by well-known companies such as Spotify, Twitter, Lifebuoy, Forbes India, and Lyft, whereas BlaBlaCar, Exyplis, and Bazzite use Tailwind CSS.

c) Which is the wiser decision?

Because apps and websites are constructed of predesigned widgets, Tailwind CSS does not enforce hard-to-undo design choices. Using a set of utility classes when using Tailwind CSS lets you work with only the elements you need. This is a brilliant technique for making user interfaces that are more flexible for developers.
The sites usually always have the same appearance while using Bootstrap, which restricts our capacity to use originality in the development environment. Tailwind CSS has the advantage of making it simple to create complex user interfaces without encouraging sites to look alike.
Bootstrap has a higher level of use, as evidenced by StackShare, where 42906 businesses, including Spotify, Twitter, and Udemy. Also, Tailwind CSS is reportedly used by 380 companies, including MAK IT, Superchat, and überdosis.

d) Which of them is the simpler framework?

Comparable in scope to Tailwind, Bootstrap requires the use of many files to access all of its features. As a result, compared to Tailwind, employing Bootstrap results in a much bigger file size.
Using prebuilt components and utilities for stacking displays, spacing, and other functions, Bootstrap is a component-based framework. It has pre-styled responsive, mobile-first components for swiftly building perfect website pages.

Contrarily, CSS serves primarily as a utility framework. Writing normal CSS and tailwind CSS are similar tasks. In contrast to Bootstrap, it lacks any pre-built components.
The pre-built components of Bootstrap require relatively little CSS to be written. Hence, even slight modifications to the design could result in issues.

Which should your business choose — Tailwind CSS or Bootstrap?

In order to speed up development and enhance user experience, Tailwind and Bootstrap are used to help create a project’s user interface.

Writing and maintaining the code for your application is made simpler using Tailwind CSS. If you use this utility-first framework, you can style your application without writing any bespoke CSS. Instead, you may manage your application's padding, margin, colour, font, shadow, and other characteristics using utility classes.

Bootstrap is a much older framework that has undergone tremendous development. Comparatively speaking, Tailwind loads pages faster than Bootstrap because it is younger and smaller.

Research is the first step in deciding which Tailwind vs Bootstrap development framework is better because the subject is so broad. You can select the most appropriate strategy for your needs by learning more about each one and how to use it. You can apply a variety of research techniques in little projects, watch videos, and become engaged in your neighbourhood.

Conclusion

In light of this, which CSS framework should you use? Always consider your own circumstances. Bootstrap might be the superior framework if your project does not go too far from some of the more typical layouts or if you are a backend or full-stack developer. If your project requires a lot of front-end customisation, has a different layout, or you have greater CSS knowledge, Tailwind might be a better choice. Whichever choice you select, be sure it satisfies the project’s criteria.

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