The main purpose of using a CSS framework is to save time. Why write ten lines of code to create a component when you can do it with just a single line of code.
Both Tailwind and Bootstrap are designed with that goal in mind. The best one to use is only a matter of preference. However, one of these frameworks is clearly superior to the other.
In this post, we’re doing a Tailwind vs Bootstrap comparison to take a closer look at these popular CSS frameworks and figure out which one is best. Let’s dive in and find the most useful CSS framework for your front-end development projects.
What is Bootstrap?
Bootstrap is arguably the most popular CSS framework available, which is used by 17.5% of all websites, according to W3Techs. When it was first released as an open-source project in 2011, it was called Twitter Bootstrap, as the foundations of the framework were developed at Twitter by its founders Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton.
Bootstrap is very beginner-friendly and uses pre-built components, elements, and grid systems to help you easily create responsive web layouts. And you can fully customize it using Sass.
Bootstrap is also relatively lightweight, easy to learn, and effortless to install, thanks to its ability to include via CDN.
Main Features
Simplicity is the biggest selling point of Bootstrap but it also comes with many other great features.
Beginner-Friendly and Easy to Learn
The main reason why Bootstrap is so popular is its ease of use. Bootstrap uses a very simple class system that’s much easier to remember and utilize, making it an easy framework to learn for beginners.
You’ll find free Bootstrap tutorials, guides, and courses in abundance, thanks to its passionate worldwide community.
Fully Responsive Grid System
Bootstrap is built with a mobile-first approach. Every component in the framework is responsive and flexible. Its’ famous 12-column grid system makes your layouts fluid across all sizes of screens and devices without the need for media queries.
Interactive Components
Bootstrap is famous for its interactive components like the carousels and off-canvas menus. These are done with the help of JavaScript plugins that you easily integrate into any project without the need to use jQuery.
With Bootstrap 5, the framework dropped its jQuery dependency for an HTML-first JavaScrpt system, allowing you to easily add plugins using the HTML “data” attributes.
Themes and Customizable Design
Bootstrap is known for its consistent look across all of its components. You can also customize them to create themes with utility classes and Sass. This allows you to create a more personalized look for your designs.
Additionally, you can also find lots of pre-made Bootstrap themes from third-party websites as well.
Pros of Using Bootstrap
- Easy Installation: Bootstrap is easy to install and use with the ability to install via package managers as well as embedding via CDN
- Browser Support: Bootstrap is fully compatible with all modern browsers and platforms. And it has fallback support for older browsers
- Customizability: You can customize Bootstrap components and design using utility classes as well as Sass
- Templates & Themes: There are thousands of pre-built themes and templates available for Bootstrap
- Community: Bootstrap has a passionate community that continues to support the framework, making it much more reliable
Cons of Using Bootstrap
- Limited Customizability: Even with utility classes, Bootstrap offers limited customization options, especially for the design of its elements
- Similar Look: Due to the lack of customizability, websites built with Bootstrap will often look the same and they are instantly recognizable
- Performance Issues: Integrating the Bootstrap library can add more weight to the website, which often affects the loading speeds
What is Tailwind?
Tailwind is a fairly new CSS framework that uses utility-first classes that allow you to customize its components directly in HTML, without having to write custom CSS code.
Tailwind’s creator, Adam Wathan released the first version of Tailwind back in late 2017. Since then, there have been numerous updates and releases over the years that made Twilwind into a formidable CSS framework that’s been adopted by even some of the biggest companies such as Netflix, OpenAI, Shopify, and more.
Simply put, Tailwind takes what Bootstrap did for CSS frameworks a step further to create a more customizable and dynamic framework capable of handling complex projects.
Main Features
While Tailwind is not as simplified as Bootstrap, it offers a much deeper level of customization.
Utility-first CSS Framework
The utility-first approach makes Tailwind a very dynamic CSS framework. It makes things much easier to design and customize your code right inside HTML, without having to write custom CSS code separately.
For example, you can customize a component’s color, font, size, and spacing using simple classes in HTML. With Bootstrap, you have to write separate lines of custom CSS code to achieve each task.
Extensive Customizability
Tailwind’s website describes its framework as “An API for your design system” as it allows you to create a complete design system with consistent designs using its utility classes.
Everything from the hue of the colors to typefaces, sizes of components, spacing, and even the shadows can be fully customized with Tailwind’s utility classes, all without the need to write custom CSS code.
Fully Responsive, Mobile-first Design
Similar to Bootstrap, Tailwind is also built with a mobile-first approach. It allows you to build complex designs and layouts that look amazing across different sizes of screens and platforms.
Small Build Size
Unlike Bootstrap, you don’t have to integrate Tailwind into your build in its entirety. Instead, Tailwind removes all the unused CSS from your build when deploying. This makes Tailwind much more lightweight, often ending up at less than 10kb.
Pros of Using Tailwind
- Flexibility: Creating advanced styles is easier with Tailwind with the help of utility classes, making it easier to manage big design projects
- Design System: Tailwind provides you with a prebuilt set of design systems for colors, spacing, and even typography
- Plugins: You can extend Tailwind’s functionality with plugins, offered by both official developers as well as third-party platforms.
- Themes & Templates: Tailwind also has a loyal community of developers who continue to create themes and templates using the framework
- Better Performance: Tailwind removes all unused CSS from your build, making your designs lightweight and faster to load
- Dark Mode: Easily enable dark mode for your designs
Cons of Using Tailwind
- Learning Curve: Tailwind is more complex than Bootstrap and has a small learning curve, especially since you have to remember all the utility classes
- Best for Advanced Projects: Tailwind is best used for web apps and more complex designs
- Messy Code: Since all your coding takes place in HTML, your code will often look cluttered and messy
- Browser Support: The latest version of Tailwind is not compatible with any version of Internet Explorer, not even IE 11
Tailwind vs Bootstrap: Which CSS Framework Should You Use?
Tailwind is superior to Bootstrap in many ways. Its dynamic code and flexibility allow you to easily create more complex designs without effort. With its ability to combine utility classes together to build sophisticated designs, Tailwind also helps keep your CSS file clutter-free and lightweight.
This makes Tailwind perfect for advanced projects like apps and user interfaces.
However, Bootstrap also has many use cases. Especially when it comes to prototyping and wireframing websites, Bootstrap can be a huge time-saver. It’s also lightweight and can be integrated into any website with its ability to include via CDN.
If you’re new to web design, learn CSS first. Then use Bootstrap to learn how to use CSS frameworks and switch over to Tailwind when you want to go beyond the basics.
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