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Bootstrap vs Tailwind CSS: Popular CSS Frameworks Comparison

Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS are both popular tools that help developers build beautiful websites more quickly. Bootstrap provides ready-made components like buttons and navigation bars that you can copy and paste, while Tailwind gives you small building blocks to create your own unique designs. They represent two different approaches to styling websites: Bootstrap with its pre-built look versus Tailwind's customizable utility-first approach.

CSS Frameworksstylingresponsive-designUI componentsfrontenddesign-systems

Detailed Comparison

Technical Analysis

featureComparison

Bootstrap is a UI framework with pre-designed components, while Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework. Bootstrap provides a set of pre-built components, whereas Tailwind CSS provides a set of utility classes to style HTML elements.

typescriptSupport

Both Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS support TypeScript. Bootstrap provides TypeScript definitions, and Tailwind CSS has built-in support for TypeScript.

browserCompatibility

Both Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS support modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

dependencies

Bootstrap has no dependencies, while Tailwind CSS depends on PostCSS.

performance

Bootstrap is known for its larger bundle size, which can affect performance. Tailwind CSS, on the other hand, is designed to be highly customizable and efficient.

Ecosystem Analysis

frameworkCompatibility

Bootstrap is compatible with most front-end frameworks, including React, Angular, and Vue. Tailwind CSS is also compatible with most front-end frameworks.

communityActivity

Both Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS have active communities, with Bootstrap being one of the most popular front-end frameworks.

documentationQuality

Both Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS have high-quality documentation, with Bootstrap's documentation being more comprehensive.

maintenanceStatus

Both Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS are actively maintained, with regular updates and bug fixes.

Performance Comparison

bundleSizeAnalysis

Tailwind CSS has a significantly smaller bundle size compared to Bootstrap.

runtimePerformance

Tailwind CSS is designed to be highly efficient and customizable, making it a better choice for performance-critical applications.

loadingTime

Tailwind CSS has a faster loading time due to its smaller bundle size.

memoryUsage

Tailwind CSS has lower memory usage due to its utility-first approach.

Code Examples

Bootstrap Example

1<button class="btn btn-primary">Click me!</button>

This code snippet uses Bootstrap's pre-designed button component to create a primary button.

Tailwind CSS Example

1<button class="bg-orange-500 hover:bg-orange-700 text-white font-bold py-2 px-4 rounded">Click me!</button>

This code snippet uses Tailwind CSS's utility classes to style a button element.

Recommendation

Summary

Choose Bootstrap if you need a pre-designed UI framework with a comprehensive set of components. Choose Tailwind CSS if you need a highly customizable and efficient utility-first CSS framework.

Details

  • Bootstrap is ideal for rapid prototyping and development, while Tailwind CSS is ideal for performance-critical applications.
  • Bootstrap has a steeper learning curve due to its complex component system, while Tailwind CSS has a more intuitive utility-first approach.

Similar Packages

WindiCSS

95%

A Tailwind CSS alternative with faster build times and extra features. Uses the same utility-first approach but adds some nice improvements.

Great Tailwind alternative that's faster and includes additional features like attribute-based utilities. Perfect for those who like Tailwind but want better performance.

Utility CSS Framework

Bulma

90%

A modern CSS framework based on Flexbox, with no JavaScript dependencies. It's known for being lightweight and easy to learn, using readable class names that make sense.

Perfect for developers who want Bootstrap-like features but with a simpler learning curve. It's pure CSS, which means you don't need to worry about JavaScript conflicts.

CSS Framework

Foundation

90%

A professional-grade CSS framework with built-in accessibility. It's highly customizable and works great for both websites and apps.

Great Bootstrap alternative that's especially good for building business websites. Includes similar components but with more flexibility in styling.

CSS Framework

UnoCSS

85%

An instant, on-demand atomic CSS engine. It's like Tailwind but much faster and more flexible, letting you create your own utility patterns.

Excellent for developers who want Tailwind's utility approach but need more speed and customization. Great for larger projects where build performance matters.

Utility CSS Framework

Chakra UI

80%

A simple and modern React component library with a focus on accessibility. Comes with beautiful pre-built components that can be easily customized.

Perfect alternative if you're using React and want something more modern than Bootstrap. Easier to customize than Tailwind while maintaining good design defaults.

Component Library
<p align="center"> <a href="https://getbootstrap.com/"> <img src="https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.3/assets/brand/bootstrap-logo-shadow.png" alt="Bootstrap logo" width="200" height="165"> </a> </p> <h3 align="center">Bootstrap</h3> <p align="center"> Sleek, intuitive, and powerful front-end framework for faster and easier web development. <br> <a href="https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.3/"><strong>Explore Bootstrap docs »</strong></a> <br> <br> <a href="https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap/issues/new?assignees=-&labels=bug&template=bug_report.yml">Report bug</a> · <a href="https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap/issues/new?assignees=&labels=feature&template=feature_request.yml">Request feature</a> · <a href="https://themes.getbootstrap.com/">Themes</a> · <a href="https://blog.getbootstrap.com/">Blog</a> </p>

Bootstrap 5

Our default branch is for development of our Bootstrap 5 release. Head to the v4-dev branch to view the readme, documentation, and source code for Bootstrap 4.

Table of contents

  • Quick start
  • Status
  • What’s included
  • Bugs and feature requests
  • Documentation
  • Contributing
  • Community
  • Versioning
  • Creators
  • Thanks
  • Copyright and license

Quick start

Several quick start options are available:

  • Download the latest release
  • Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap.git
  • Install with npm: npm install bootstrap@v5.3.7
  • Install with yarn: yarn add bootstrap@v5.3.7
  • Install with Bun: bun add bootstrap@v5.3.7
  • Install with Composer: composer require twbs/bootstrap:5.3.7
  • Install with NuGet: CSS: Install-Package bootstrap Sass: Install-Package bootstrap.sass

Read the Getting started page for information on the framework contents, templates, examples, and more.

Status

Build Status npm version Gem version Meteor Atmosphere Packagist Prerelease NuGet Coverage Status CSS gzip size CSS Brotli size JS gzip size JS Brotli size Backers on Open Collective Sponsors on Open Collective

What’s included

Within the download you’ll find the following directories and files, logically grouping common assets and providing both compiled and minified variations.

<details> <summary>Download contents</summary> 
bootstrap/
├── css/
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.css
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.rtl.css
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.rtl.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.rtl.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap-grid.rtl.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.css
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.rtl.css
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.rtl.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.rtl.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap-reboot.rtl.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.css
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.rtl.css
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.rtl.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.rtl.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap-utilities.rtl.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap.css
│   ├── bootstrap.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap.min.css
│   ├── bootstrap.min.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap.rtl.css
│   ├── bootstrap.rtl.css.map
│   ├── bootstrap.rtl.min.css
│   └── bootstrap.rtl.min.css.map
└── js/
    ├── bootstrap.bundle.js
    ├── bootstrap.bundle.js.map
    ├── bootstrap.bundle.min.js
    ├── bootstrap.bundle.min.js.map
    ├── bootstrap.esm.js
    ├── bootstrap.esm.js.map
    ├── bootstrap.esm.min.js
    ├── bootstrap.esm.min.js.map
    ├── bootstrap.js
    ├── bootstrap.js.map
    ├── bootstrap.min.js
    └── bootstrap.min.js.map
</details>

We provide compiled CSS and JS (bootstrap.*), as well as compiled and minified CSS and JS (bootstrap.min.*). Source maps (bootstrap.*.map) are available for use with certain browsers’ developer tools. Bundled JS files (bootstrap.bundle.js and minified bootstrap.bundle.min.js) include Popper.

Bugs and feature requests

Have a bug or a feature request? Please first read the issue guidelines and search for existing and closed issues. If your problem or idea is not addressed yet, please open a new issue.

Documentation

Bootstrap’s documentation, included in this repo in the root directory, is built with Astro and publicly hosted on GitHub Pages at https://getbootstrap.com/. The docs may also be run locally.

Documentation search is powered by Algolia's DocSearch.

Running documentation locally

  1. Run npm install to install the Node.js dependencies, including Astro (the site builder).
  2. Run npm run test (or a specific npm script) to rebuild distributed CSS and JavaScript files, as well as our docs assets.
  3. From the root /bootstrap directory, run npm run docs-serve in the command line.
  4. Open http://localhost:9001/ in your browser, and voilà.

Learn more about using Astro by reading its documentation.

Documentation for previous releases

You can find all our previous releases docs on https://getbootstrap.com/docs/versions/.

Previous releases and their documentation are also available for download.

Contributing

Please read through our contributing guidelines. Included are directions for opening issues, coding standards, and notes on development.

Moreover, if your pull request contains JavaScript patches or features, you must include relevant unit tests. All HTML and CSS should conform to the Code Guide, maintained by Mark Otto.

Editor preferences are available in the editor config for easy use in common text editors. Read more and download plugins at https://editorconfig.org/.

Community

Get updates on Bootstrap’s development and chat with the project maintainers and community members.

  • Follow @getbootstrap on X.
  • Read and subscribe to The Official Bootstrap Blog.
  • Ask questions and explore our GitHub Discussions.
  • Discuss, ask questions, and more on the community Discord or Bootstrap subreddit.
  • Chat with fellow Bootstrappers in IRC. On the irc.libera.chat server, in the #bootstrap channel.
  • Implementation help may be found at Stack Overflow (tagged bootstrap-5).
  • Developers should use the keyword bootstrap on packages which modify or add to the functionality of Bootstrap when distributing through npm or similar delivery mechanisms for maximum discoverability.

Versioning

For transparency into our release cycle and in striving to maintain backward compatibility, Bootstrap is maintained under the Semantic Versioning guidelines. Sometimes we screw up, but we adhere to those rules whenever possible.

See the Releases section of our GitHub project for changelogs for each release version of Bootstrap. Release announcement posts on the official Bootstrap blog contain summaries of the most noteworthy changes made in each release.

Creators

Mark Otto

  • https://x.com/mdo
  • https://github.com/mdo

Jacob Thornton

  • https://x.com/fat
  • https://github.com/fat

Thanks

<a href="https://www.browserstack.com/"> <img src="https://live.browserstack.com/images/opensource/browserstack-logo.svg" alt="BrowserStack" width="192" height="42"> </a>

Thanks to BrowserStack for providing the infrastructure that allows us to test in real browsers!

<a href="https://www.netlify.com/"> <img src="https://www.netlify.com/v3/img/components/full-logo-light.svg" alt="Netlify" width="147" height="40"> </a>

Thanks to Netlify for providing us with Deploy Previews!

Sponsors

Support this project by becoming a sponsor. Your logo will show up here with a link to your website. [Become a sponsor]

OC sponsor 0 OC sponsor 1 OC sponsor 2 OC sponsor 3 OC sponsor 4 OC sponsor 5 OC sponsor 6 OC sponsor 7 OC sponsor 8 OC sponsor 9

Backers

Thank you to all our backers! 🙏 [Become a backer]

Backers

Copyright and license

Code and documentation copyright 2011-2025 the Bootstrap Authors. Code released under the MIT License. Docs released under Creative Commons.

No README available

Dependencies Comparison

bootstrap

Dependencies

Dev Dependencies

@astrojs/check^0.9.4
@astrojs/markdown-remark^6.3.2
@astrojs/mdx^4.3.0
@astrojs/prism^3.3.0
@astrojs/sitemap^3.4.1
@babel/cli^7.27.2
@babel/core^7.27.4
@babel/preset-env^7.27.2
@docsearch/js^3.9.0
@popperjs/core^2.11.8
@rollup/plugin-babel^6.0.4
@rollup/plugin-commonjs^28.0.3
@rollup/plugin-node-resolve^16.0.1
@rollup/plugin-replace^6.0.2
@stackblitz/sdk^1.11.0
@types/js-yaml^4.0.9
@types/mime^4.0.0
@types/prismjs^1.26.5
astro^5.9.2
astro-auto-import^0.4.4
autoprefixer^10.4.21
bundlewatch^0.4.1
clean-css-cli^5.6.3
clipboard^2.0.11
cross-env^7.0.3
eslint8.57.1
eslint-config-xo0.45.0
eslint-plugin-html^8.1.3
eslint-plugin-import^2.31.0
eslint-plugin-markdown^5.1.0
eslint-plugin-unicorn56.0.1
find-unused-sass-variables^6.1.0
github-slugger^2.0.0
globby^14.1.0
hammer-simulator0.0.1
htmlparser2^10.0.0
image-size^2.0.2
ip^2.0.1
jasmine^5.8.0
jquery^3.7.1
js-yaml^4.1.0
karma^6.4.4
karma-browserstack-launcher1.4.0
karma-chrome-launcher^3.2.0
karma-coverage-istanbul-reporter^3.0.3
karma-detect-browsers^2.3.3
karma-firefox-launcher^2.1.3
karma-jasmine^5.1.0
karma-jasmine-html-reporter^2.1.0
karma-rollup-preprocessor7.0.7
lockfile-lint^4.14.1
mime^4.0.7
nodemon^3.1.10
npm-run-all2^8.0.4
postcss^8.5.4
postcss-cli^11.0.1
prettier^3.5.3
prettier-plugin-astro^0.14.1
rehype-autolink-headings^7.1.0
remark^15.0.1
remark-html^16.0.1
rollup^4.42.0
rollup-plugin-istanbul^5.0.0
rtlcss^4.3.0
sass1.78.0
sass-true^8.1.0
shelljs^0.10.0
stylelint^16.20.0
stylelint-config-twbs-bootstrap^16.0.0
terser^5.42.0
unist-util-visit^5.0.0
vnu-jar24.10.17
zod^3.25.57

Peer Dependencies

@popperjs/core^2.11.8

tailwindcss

Dependencies

Dev Dependencies

dedent1.6.0
@types/node^20.19.0
lightningcss1.30.1
magic-string^0.30.17
source-map-js^1.2.1
@tailwindcss/oxide^4.1.11
@ampproject/remapping^2.3.0

Peer Dependencies

StarsIssuesVersionUpdatedⓘLast publish dateCreatedⓘPackage creation dateSizeⓘMinified + Gzipped size
B
bootstrap
172,4645495.3.7a month ago14 years agoinstall size 16.0 KB
T
tailwindcss
88,684844.1.11a month ago8 years agoinstall size 1.4 KB

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