shadcn/ui vs Ant Design
Choose Ant Design when you are building a data-heavy internal or enterprise app and want a huge, consistent component set out of the box. Choose shadcn/ui when design control matters, you use Tailwind CSS, and you want the component code in your own repository.
Side by side
| shadcn/ui | Ant Design | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Copy-paste source | npm package (antd) |
| Current version | shadcn CLI 4.x | antd 6 |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS | CSS-in-JS, with CSS variables on by default in v6 |
| Design | Neutral, yours to theme | Ant Design system |
| Strength | Custom product and marketing UI | Tables, forms, and enterprise screens |
| License | MIT | MIT |
Which to pick
- Admin panels with complex tables and forms, and little design time: Ant Design.
- Products where the UI is part of the brand: shadcn/ui plus dashboard templates.
- Both in one app is possible, but two styling systems add weight. Pick one per app when you can.