Comparing Tailwind Plus vs daisyUI. Which one is better in 2025?

Tailwind Plus daisyUI

Looking for a Tailwind Plus alternative? This page compares Tailwind Plus and daisyUI, 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.

Tailwind Plus
daisyUI
Paid license
License
Closed source paid license
MIT
License
Open source MIT License
Only React and Vue*
Frameworks
Some components are only available for React and Vue only, some don't need JS and can be used with any framework
ALL
Frameworks
daisyUI is framework agnostic and works everywhere
31
Unique components
Tailwind Plus has 93 Components, 31 of them are unique – for example pagination and button group are considered as same. However, Tailwind Plus has many variations of the same component, and has Templates which are not included in the component count.
57
Unique components
daisyUI has 61 components, 57 of them are unique – for example pagination and button group are considered as same.
2
Built-in Themes
Tailwind Plus has light and dark themes
35
Built-in Themes
daisyUI has 35 themes
No
Supports more than two themes
Does not support more than 2 themes at the same time
Yes
Supports more than two themes
daisyUI supports unlimited themes at the same time, allowing for dynamic theme switching.
143kB to 201KB
JavaScript size
Imported JavaScript bundle size (minified) for Headless UI which is required for Tailwind Plus
0
JavaScript size
daisyUI doesn't ship JavaScript to browsers
21 to 25
Dependencies
Tailwind Plus requires Headless UI which has 21 third-party dependencies for Vue version and 25 third-party dependencies for React version. Using more third-party dependencies increases the risk of security vulnerabilities, compatibility problems, and long-term maintenance headaches from deprecated packages.
0
Dependencies
daisyUI has no dependencies. It's immune to 3rd party vulnerabilities, dependency version mismatch, and deprecation issues.
11MB to 16MB
Dependency size
Tailwind Plus requires Headless UI which has 11MB to 16MB of dependencies for Vue version and React version respectively.
0
Dependency size
?
GitHub stars
Can't measure. Closed source project
36000
GitHub stars
In GitHub's top 400 repositories of all time
?
Used by open source projects
Can't measure. Closed source project
392000
Used by open source projects
Based on GitHub's public repositories
?
NPM downloads
Can't measure.
390000
NPM downloads
Weekly downloads from NPM
?
CDN
Can't measure.
Yes
CDN
daisyUI CSS file is available on CDN
No
Semantic class names
Tailwind Plus 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
Semantic class names
daisyUI uses semantic CSS class names. Using semantic and descriptive CSS class names improves readability and maintainability of code independent of the current framework.
No
Global customizations
Tailwind Plus requires changing class names one by one at build time to do any customization
Yes
Global customizations
daisyUI provides tokens, root-level CSS variables and component-level CSS variables that let you adjust colors, sizes, spacing, radius, and other styles to match your design.
No
works without Node.js
Many components require React or Vue, which requires a Node.js environment
Yes
works without Node.js
daisyUI can be used as a standalone file, with Tailwind CSS standalone version. This is useful for projects without a Node.js environment.
No
No-build version
Tailwind Plus does not provide micro CSS files for each component
Yes
No-build version
daisyUI provides micro CSS files for each component
Yes
P3 colors
Tailwind Plus uses wide-gamut P3 colors by default
Yes
P3 colors
daisyUI uses wide-gamut P3 colors
No
RTL support
Tailwind Plus does not support right-to-left (RTL) layouts
Yes
RTL support
daisyUI supports right-to-left (RTL) layouts
No
Runtime CSS customization
Tailwind Plus customizations requires changing Tailwind CSS class names at build time
Yes
Runtime CSS customization
daisyUI uses CSS variables for design customization at runtime
No
Native CSS nesting
Tailwind Plus doesn not use native CSS nesting
Yes
Native CSS nesting
daisyUI uses native CSS nesting, reducing the CSS file size
?
Open GitHub issues
Can't measure. Closed source project
22
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.