shadcn/ui vs Bootstrap
shadcn/ui is a set of React components you copy into your project and style with Tailwind CSS. Bootstrap is a CSS framework with its own class names and vanilla JavaScript plugins, usable from any stack. For a new React app with a custom design, shadcn/ui is usually the better fit. For server-rendered pages or a team that already knows Bootstrap, Bootstrap is still a solid choice.
Side by side
| shadcn/ui | Bootstrap | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | React component source | CSS framework plus JavaScript plugins |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS utilities | Bootstrap classes and Sass variables |
| Frameworks | React | Any, including plain HTML |
| React bindings | Native | Through React Bootstrap |
| Current version | shadcn CLI 4.x | Bootstrap 5.3 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
Why teams move from Bootstrap to shadcn/ui
If you are migrating, rebuild one screen at a time with free React components and page blocks instead of converting everything at once.
- Sites built on Bootstrap tend to look alike unless you invest in theming.
- Component behavior lives in React state instead of DOM plugins.
- Tailwind makes one-off layout changes quick without writing new CSS.