Which is Better for Your Next Project: Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS?

CSS frameworks have been a pillar of web development for the last year, and with new ones coming regularly, it’s reasonable to ask if a new one is better than the current alternatives.

So, in this article, we’ll compare one of the oldest CSS frameworks (Bootstrap) with one of the newest (Tailwind CSS) to understand what the differences and similarities are and how to select between them.

What exactly is Bootstrap?

Bootstrap is one of the oldest CSS frameworks currently in use; it was built and open-sourced by Twitter in 2011.

One of its most attractive aspects is that it provides CSS-based templates and classes for common components, promoting responsiveness and mobile-first design.

For example, to build a dropdown in Bootstrap, use the dropdown-menu and dropdown-item classes on the container and child elements, respectively.

And Bootstrap will automatically apply all of the required CSS in the background to design these components as dropdown menus or items.

What exactly is Tailwind CSS?

Adam Wathan and Steve Schoger, on the other side, launched Tailwind CSS in 2017.

It offers itself as a “utility-first CSS framework packed with classes to build any design.”

Tailwind CSS, unlike Bootstrap, does not provide any pre-built components for you to use; instead, you must create and build your own.

They just provide you with the tools to do it quickly and easily.

Tailwind CSS, for example, offers a fantastic IDE connection in VS Code that allows you to autocomplete ideas, lint your classes, and offer class definitions without leaving your editor.

Tailwind CSS also simplifies responsive design by handling all media queries for you; all you have to do is put the breakpoint you want to target in front of the class you’re using.

Why should you compare Tailwind CSS to Bootstrap?

As previously said, Bootstrap has been around for a long time, and throughout that period, web and web development have changed.

New technology and methods of working have become common that we could not have imagined in 2011.

However, just because something has been there for a long time does not automatically make it the perfect tool for the project.

We must continue to compare it against newer tools to see which is the greatest tool for our situation.

But what is the point of Tailwind CSS? Tailwind CSS has gained a large fan base in a relatively short amount of time, and it is gaining momentum.

It is rapidly becoming one of the most widely used frameworks in modern web development.

This makes it an ideal option for comparison with Bootstrap.

Is the new kid on the block the greatest, or is the tried-and-true way still superior?

The Similarities

Let’s start with the similarities. Both of these frameworks separate the actual CSS from your workflow, so you don’t have to worry about directly creating heaps of CSS and can instead focus on building out your user experience (UI).

This is because you just need to provide the different class names in your HTML code, and the frameworks will handle all of the real CSS for you behind the scenes.

While some claim that using a lot of classes in your HTML markup results in messy markup, it’s difficult to argue that these frameworks both simplify and speed up the process of building UIs.

Due to having been around for various amounts of time, they’re both in production for high-profile and profitable companies, showing their ability to be used in big operations and at scale.

According to StackShare, Bootstrap is used by over 40k companies, including Spotify, Udemy, and Twitter. Tailwind CSS, on the other hand, is used by Hashnode and Netflix (for their Top 10 page).

Important factors to consider while choosing between Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS

Answering a few questions about yourself or your project may help you choose between Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap.

How much design work is acceptable for you?

Tailwind, as already said, needs more design effort than Bootstrap.

While Bootstrap includes pre-built CSS components out of the box, Tailwind does not.

This means you must design and create all of your components from the ground up.

So, if design isn’t your best skill set or if your project is on a tight deadline with limited time for design, you may want to use Bootstrap and its pre-built components to save time.

Is the speed of development more important than a unique-looking website?

While Bootstrap’s pre-built CSS components will speed up your development and remove the need for design, there is a cost.

Your website will most likely appear more generic.

Bootstrap, as mentioned in the previous section, is said to be used by over 40K businesses.

You can only shuffle and re-skin pre-built components so many times before patterns emerge.

Pre-built CSS components may be the way to go if the website’s design isn’t the focal point of the project and doesn’t need to be fully original.

However, if having a unique design is important to the project or your brand identity, then having the ability to build original designs, which Tailwind CSS offers, could be the best option.

Is a UI kit right for you?

This point is strongly related to the first. Bootstrap has pre-built components to let you get repeatable and responsive design elements fast and effortlessly.

Tailwind CSS does not include this, although it is worth mentioning that the Tailwind CSS creators do provide a UI kit called TailwindUI (but, as we mentioned, this is a paid optional extra and, unlike Bootstrap, is not included in the core offering).

UI kits may be quite useful; they bring speed and reusability.

They can, however, limit what you can do with your design.

This is because UI kits only have a certain number of components, and because your design must make use of these components, you are limited in the number of ways they may be organized.

When choosing between Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap, you must consider this trade-off.

It is also worth noting that, while Tailwind CSS does not contain a UI kit out of the box, you can always design one for your project using it, giving you the advantage of a UI kit as well as the flexibility of Tailwind CSS.

Final Words

You might well have guessed it by now, but the CSS framework you use (or if you use one at all) depends on you, your CSS experience, and the scenario you find yourself in.

If you are not a designer and simply want to create a simple and quick UI for anyone to use, Bootstrap may be the way to go.

Tailwind CSS, on the other hand, is a great solution if you want total creative freedom and the ability to easily create unique designs and components.

Personally, I lean toward Tailwind CSS.

I’m not an award-winning designer, and I doubt I ever will be.

However, due to the system Tailwind CSS has in place and forces on you, it is challenging to create a bad-looking design.

Yes, your HTML code appears to be a little more complicated than usual, but I prefer having to manage separate CSS files with their classes, IDs, and properties.

So, how about you? To which camp do you belong?

Do you make use of CSS frameworks? If so, which is your favorite?

Please let me know in the comments section!