angular-material vs ngx-bootstrap: What are the differences?

Introduction

In website development, two popular frameworks for front-end development are Angular Material and ngx-bootstrap. Both frameworks provide a wide range of pre-built UI components and styles to enhance the design and functionality of web applications. However, there are key differences between them that developers should consider when choosing one for their project.

1. Customization Options: Angular Material provides a predefined set of themes and styles that can be easily customized by overriding variables. It follows a more structured and opinionated approach, making it easier to maintain consistency in the design. On the other hand, ngx-bootstrap offers less predefined styles and relies more on the Bootstrap framework for customization. It allows developers to utilize the full flexibility of Bootstrap, which can be advantageous for creating unique and customized designs.

2. Size and Performance: Angular Material is a complete UI component library built specifically for Angular, providing a comprehensive set of features. Due to its all-in-one nature, the library size might be larger compared to ngx-bootstrap, which is a set of Angular directives for Bootstrap components. When considering performance, ngx-bootstrap has the advantage of being more lightweight because it leverages the existing Bootstrap framework. This can result in faster load times and improved overall performance.

3. Component Availability: Angular Material offers a wide range of Material Design inspired components, including layout components like grid, navigation components like tabs and menus, form components like inputs and selects, and various other UI elements. On the other hand, ngx-bootstrap focuses mainly on providing Bootstrap components such as modals, tooltips, carousels, and dropdowns. If your project requires a larger variety of Material Design elements, Angular Material might be a better choice.

4. Integration with Angular: Both Angular Material and ngx-bootstrap are built specifically for Angular, ensuring smooth integration with the Angular framework. However, Angular Material is developed by the Angular team itself, making it highly compatible with Angular's design principles and seamlessly integrating with other Angular features. ngx-bootstrap, on the other hand, is a community-driven project that provides Angular directives for Bootstrap components. While it offers good Angular integration, it may not have the same level of compatibility and seamless integration as Angular Material.

5. Documentation and Community Support: Angular Material, being an official Angular project, benefits from extensive documentation and strong community support. It has detailed documentation, tutorials, examples, and active community forums, making it easier for developers to get started and find solutions to their queries. ngx-bootstrap also provides documentation and community support, but it may not be as extensive or comprehensive as Angular Material due to the difference in scale and resources.

6. Ease of Use and Learning Curve: Angular Material follows Material Design principles, providing a consistent and intuitive UI experience for users. It offers a more guided and structured approach, making it easier for developers to start using the components. ngx-bootstrap, being based on Bootstrap, follows a similar approach and can be familiar to developers already using Bootstrap. However, if you are new to Bootstrap or prefer the Material Design style, Angular Material might have a steeper learning curve initially.

In Summary, Angular Material and ngx-bootstrap differ in customization options, size and performance, component availability, integration with Angular, documentation and community support, as well as ease of use and learning curve. The choice between the two frameworks depends on the specific requirements of the project and the preferences of the development team.