Material Design Lite vs Material UI: What are the differences?

Introduction

Material Design Lite (MDL) and Material UI (MUI) are two popular libraries for implementing Material Design in web applications. While they share the same design principles and provide similar components, there are key differences between them that make each unique. In this Markdown document, we will highlight these differences in six paragraphs.

1. Components and Features: MDL provides a set of pre-built components and features that are ready to use out of the box. It focuses on simplicity and lightweight implementation, making it a good choice for smaller projects or websites that do not need advanced functionality. MUI, on the other hand, offers a wider range of components and features, including more complex elements like data grids and tables. It caters to larger projects and applications that require more advanced functionality.

2. Customization and Theming: MDL offers limited customization options, with predefined styles that can be easily applied to components. It follows a strict design language, making it ideal for maintaining consistency across different projects. MUI, on the other hand, provides extensive customization and theming capabilities. It allows developers to easily override styles, modify components, and create their own themes, providing more flexibility and control over the design.

3. Installation and Setup: MDL can be quickly set up by including the necessary CSS and JavaScript files in the project. It does not require a build tool or package manager, making it easy to integrate with existing projects. MUI, on the other hand, requires a more involved setup process. It is typically installed using a package manager like npm or yarn and requires a build tool like webpack or Babel for transpiling and bundling the code.

4. Community and Documentation: MDL has a large and active community of developers, with comprehensive documentation and a wide range of tutorials and resources available online. It has been around for a longer time and has a mature ecosystem. MUI, although relatively newer, also has a growing community and a well-maintained documentation. It benefits from the popularity of React, the JavaScript library it is built upon, and has a strong developer community supporting it.

5. Browser Compatibility: MDL is designed to work on a wide range of browsers, including older versions that may not support modern web standards. It provides graceful degradation, ensuring that the components still function correctly even on older browsers. MUI, being built on React, requires a modern browser that supports ES6 and other modern web technologies. It does not provide support for older browsers out of the box.

6. Integration with JavaScript Frameworks: MDL can be easily integrated with different JavaScript frameworks, including React, Angular, and Vue. It provides guidance and examples for each of these frameworks. MUI, being built on React, is inherently designed for seamless integration with React projects. It provides a set of React components that can be easily used in a React application, but integrating it with other frameworks may require additional effort.

In summary, MDL is a lightweight and simple library with limited customization options, ideal for smaller projects, while MUI offers a wider range of components and extensive customization capabilities, making it suitable for larger and more complex applications. MDL is easy to set up and works on a wide range of browsers, including older ones, whereas MUI requires a more involved setup process and supports modern browsers only. Both libraries have active communities and comprehensive documentation available online.