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Tailwind CSS vs styled-components: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Tailwind CSS and styled-components are both popular tools used for styling web applications. While they serve the same purpose, they have some key differences that set them apart. In this article, we will discuss the main differences between Tailwind CSS and styled-components.

  1. Styling approach: Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework, where you apply pre-defined utility classes directly to the HTML elements. On the other hand, styled-components use a component-based approach, where you define styles within JavaScript files using tagged template literals.

  2. CSS-in-JS: One of the main differences between Tailwind CSS and styled-components is that Tailwind CSS generates a regular CSS file that you include in your HTML, while styled-components allow you to write actual CSS code within your JavaScript files. This means that with Tailwind CSS, you have a separate CSS file, while styled-components keep the styles encapsulated within the component.

  3. Inline styles: While both Tailwind CSS and styled-components allow you to write styles within JavaScript, styled-components take a more inline styles approach. With styled-components, you have full control over each individual element, allowing you to adjust styles dynamically based on props or other factors. Tailwind CSS, on the other hand, provides pre-defined utility classes that you apply directly to your elements.

  4. Performance: In terms of performance, Tailwind CSS generates a regular CSS file that needs to be loaded by the browser, which can result in larger file sizes. On the other hand, styled-components generate styles at runtime and only include the styles that are actually used in the final bundle. This can result in smaller file sizes and potentially better performance.

  5. Customization: Tailwind CSS offers a wide range of pre-defined utility classes that can be customized based on your application's requirements. You can modify the default configuration file to add or remove utility classes as needed. styled-components, on the other hand, allow you to create reusable custom styled components that can be customized using props or extended with additional styles.

  6. Integration: Tailwind CSS can be integrated into any existing project, regardless of the frontend framework being used. It is not tied to any specific framework and can be used with React, Vue, Angular, or any other framework. styled-components, on the other hand, are primarily used with React applications. Although they can be used with other frameworks as well, they are most commonly used within the React ecosystem.

In summary, Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that uses pre-defined utility classes and can be integrated into any project. styled-components, on the other hand, provide a component-based approach to styling and allow you to write actual CSS code within your JavaScript files. The choice between the two depends on your preference, project requirements, and the development ecosystem you are working with.

Advice on styled-components and Tailwind CSS
Needs advice
on
BootstrapBootstrap
and
Tailwind CSSTailwind CSS

I am planning to redesign my entire application, which is currently in Bootstrap. I heard about Tailwind CSS, and I think its really cool to work with. Is it okay if I use Bootstrap and Tailwind together? I can't remove Bootstrap altogether, as my application is using the js dependencies of Bootstrap, which I don't want to disturb.

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Replies (3)
Ivo Pereira

Factually talking about systems, we gotta make two bold headlines about each one: Bootstrap has been around for a while, has a vast community and much probably will not be gone in a while. Tailwind in the other hand, is the trendy framework starting from the past year. Referring to UI, I really prefer Tailwind, however I can't ignore the fact that a lot of libraries that emerged felt short in the end after a few years (a point where Bootstrap kept his status).

You are able to use both them together but I advise you — it will be a mess. And you gotta hope that you won't have any kind of conflicts between class naming and other general styling.

My recommendation would be to use one and only one. Perhaps rebuild the UI with a specific framework in mind, otherwise you will start to workaround things of both frameworks to contradict each other - and your team (if you work with one) will hate you.

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Arslan Ameer
Sr. Software Engineer at Forenax Technologies · | 5 upvotes · 612.6K views
Recommends
on
BootstrapBootstrap

You might have heard about bootstrap 5. Bootstrap is now totally jQuery free. i have tried foundation and bulma too. but eventually fall again for bootstrap, as it is most convenient and stable. i use bootstrap with less or sass.

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Barry Hylton
Recommends
on
BootstrapBootstrap

I use both of these regularly. If you're going to have to use Bootstrap due to your js dependencies, stick with Bootstrap. I actually prefer Tailwind, but trying to use both of them and make them "play nice" feels like making things more complex with no real benefit.

EDIT: Sorry for the late response, I just noticed how old this is. StackShare sent me this in an email for some reason so I assumed it was relatively fresh.

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Needs advice
on
BootstrapBootstrapTailwind CSSTailwind CSS
and
UIkItUIkIt

We are re-modifying the existing portal to the new one. Looking out for a CSS framework where over-rides are possible, the performance of page loading, extendable, etc Please suggest between tailwind, UIkit and bootstrap frameworks explaining in detail on different factors. I request your help on the same.

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Replies (2)
Collins Ogbuzuru
Front-end dev at Evolve credit · | 7 upvotes · 576.2K views
Recommends
on
Tailwind CSSTailwind CSS

Hey Sai, My thoughts on UIkit - It's beautiful, fast, and it has good animation too. Why would I choose it ? Nothing other than giving the internet a new look .

My thoughts on Bootstrap - it's beautiful, if used well. It's very fast and has clean class naming convention unlike Uikit. Why I would choose it ? It's been tested and trusted, I can find a whole lot of resources and a community around it. Also with the type of project you working on I bet Bootstrap would do the job .

Now, considering Tailwind, it's seen as a classic, simple-to-set-up tool with clean utilities. I wouldn't think of tailwind the way I would to Bootstrap or UIkit. What do I mean ? Tailwind is more like a tool set to create your own design flow. Tailwind allows you to build unique design elements, offering you a level of customization that may be unmatched by the other frameworks.

My final thoughts.

If you have the time , setup and use tailwind it will give you a great chance when it comes to customization and performance.

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Brett Stevenson
Recommends
on
BootstrapBootstrap

I'm a big proponent of Tailwind and I personally use it whenever I get the chance, mostly because it's not really a UI-kit, but it sounds like in this case a UI-kit like Bootstrap with pre-defined components is more what you are looking for. Bootstrap is (relatively) extendable and overridable and makes it really simple to make a decent looking UI using a handful of pre-defined classes, whereas with Tailwind you configure the classes and create your own components. My main reason for replacing Bootstrap in my workflow is that it feels like the component creation has become so abstracted from the developer that any meaningful customization becomes a chore, resulting in many websites having the generic "Bootstrap-look". Nonetheless, it is effective for creating a pleasant and responsive UI. Though, I don't have any experience with UIkit.

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Decisions about styled-components and Tailwind CSS
Bridget Sarah
Full Stack Developer at Bridget Sarah · | 10 upvotes · 662.8K views

I do prefer to write things from scratch however when it came to wanting to jump-start the frontend, I found that it was taking me a lot longer hence why needing to use something very fast.

Bootstrap was the boom when it came out, I didn't like it, to be honest, set in its way and a pain to over-ride and in addition, you can tell from a distance if you're using boostrap and as everything looks the same.

I came across Tailwind CSS as I wanted more dynamic features, you could say, I've been now doing it for a few days and I love it a lot. I've been practising with the full stack part installed but I an't we wait until I do a new project, and I'll e able to select exactly what I want. Much faster.

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Pros of styled-components
Pros of Tailwind CSS
  • 11
    Very easy to use and integrate
  • 1
    Huihui
  • 44
    Highly customizable
  • 33
    Quick setup
  • 30
    Utility first styles, its amazing
  • 24
    Versatile
  • 23
    Great docs
  • 16
    Customizable
  • 16
    Fast
  • 15
    Consistent
  • 11
    Very light
  • 11
    Semantic
  • 11
    Open source
  • 9
    Responsive
  • 1
    Easy Tree shaking with Tailwind CLI

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Cons of styled-components
Cons of Tailwind CSS
    Be the first to leave a con
    • 14
      Priced
    • 5
      Cluttered html structure

    Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions

    - No public GitHub repository available -

    What is styled-components?

    Visual primitives for the component age. Use the best bits of ES6 and CSS to style your apps without stress đŸ’…

    What is Tailwind CSS?

    Tailwind is different from frameworks like Bootstrap, Foundation, or Bulma in that it's not a UI kit. It doesn't have a default theme, and there are no build-in UI components. It comes with a menu of predesigned widgets to build your site with, but doesn't impose design decisions that are difficult to undo.

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    What companies use styled-components?
    What companies use Tailwind CSS?
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    What are some alternatives to styled-components and Tailwind CSS?
    Emotion
    Emotion is a performant and flexible CSS-in-JS library. Building on many other CSS-in-JS libraries, it allows you to style apps quickly with string or object styles. It has predictable composition to avoid specificity issues with CSS. With source maps and labels, Emotion has a great developer experience and great performance with heavy caching in production.
    CSS Modules
    It is a CSS file in which all class names and animation names are scoped locally by default. The key words here are scoped locally. With this, your CSS class names become similar to local variables in JavaScript. It goes into the compiler, and CSS comes out the other side.
    CSS Blocks
    By combining an opinionated authoring system, build-time analysis and rewriting of templates, and a new type of CSS optimizer, css-blocks breathes new power and ease of use into the technologies and best practices that stylesheet developers already know and love.
    Radium
    Radium is a set of tools to manage inline styles on React elements. It gives you powerful styling capabilities without CSS.
    Ant Design
    An enterprise-class UI design language and React-based implementation. Graceful UI components out of the box, base on React Component. A npm + webpack + babel + dora + dva development framework.
    See all alternatives