Comparing Bootstrap vs MUI. Which one is better in 2025?

Bootstrap MUI

Looking for a Bootstrap alternative? This page compares Bootstrap and MUI, two popular UI component libraries. We are comparing features, size, efficiency and usage data to help you choose which component library is better for your next project.

Bootstrap
MUI
MIT
License
Open source MIT License
MIT
License
Open source MIT License
ALL
Frameworks
Bootstrap is framework agnostic and works everywhere
Only React
Frameworks
MUI only works with React
28
Unique components
Bootstrap has 32 Components, 28 of them are unique – for example pagination and button group are considered as same.
32
Unique components
MUI has 51 components, 32 of them are unique – for example pagination and button group are considered as same.
2
Built-in Themes
Bootstrap has light and dark themes
2
Built-in Themes
MUI has 2 themes
No
Supports more than two themes
Does not support more than 2 themes at the same time
No
Supports more than two themes
Does not support more than 2 themes at the same time
24.6KB
JavaScript size
JavaScript bundle size (minified)
575kB
JavaScript size
Imported JavaScript bundle size (minified)
0
Dependencies
Bootstrap has no dependencies.
85
Dependencies
MUI has 85 third-party dependencies. Using more third-party dependencies increases the risk of security vulnerabilities, compatibility problems, and long-term maintenance headaches from deprecated packages.
0
Dependency size
22.8MB
Dependency size
172000
GitHub stars
95300
GitHub stars
6300000
Used by open source projects
Based on GitHub's public repositories
1400000
Used by open source projects
Based on GitHub's public repositories
4700000
NPM downloads
Weekly downloads from NPM
5000000
NPM downloads
Weekly downloads from NPM
Yes
CDN
Bootstrap CSS file is available on CDN
No
CDN
MUI CSS file is not available on CDN
Yes
Semantic class names
Bootstrap uses semantic CSS class names. Using semantic and descriptive CSS class names improves readability and maintainability of code independent of the current framework.
No
Semantic class names
MUI does not use semantic CSS class names. Using semantic and descriptive CSS class names improves readability and maintainability of code independent of the current framework.
Yes
Global customizations
Bootstrap provides component-level CSS variables that let you adjust colors, sizes, spacing, radius, and other styles to match your design.
No
Global customizations
MUI requires changing JavaScript props one by one at build time to do design token customization
Yes
works without Node.js
Bootstrap does not require a Node.js environment
No
works without Node.js
MUI requires a Node.js environment
No
No-build version
Bootstrap does not provide micro CSS files for each component
No
No-build version
MUI does not provide micro CSS files for each component
No
P3 colors
Bootstrap does not use wide-gamut P3 colors by default
No
P3 colors
MUI does not use wide-gamut P3 colors by default
Yes
RTL support
Bootstrap supports right-to-left (RTL) layouts
Yes
RTL support
MUI supports right-to-left (RTL) layouts
Yes
Runtime CSS customization
Bootstrap uses CSS variables for design customization at runtime
No
Runtime CSS customization
MUI customizations requires changing styles at build time
No
Native CSS nesting
Bootstrap doesn not use native CSS nesting
No
Native CSS nesting
MUI doesn not use native CSS nesting
479
Open GitHub issues
As of April 2025
1700
Open GitHub issues
As of April 2025

Install daisyUI

1. Install daisyUI as a Node package:

npm i -D daisyui@latest
pnpm add -D daisyui@latest
yarn add -D daisyui@latest
bun add -D daisyui@latest
deno i -D npm:daisyui@latest

2. Add daisyUI to app.css:

@import "tailwindcss";
@plugin "daisyui";

This comparison page is for informational purposes only and does not mean to criticize libraries or projects. Information is based on GitHub public data, NPM registry data and official documentation websites of the libraries. If you found any outdated information, please open a PR to update it. All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners.