Shadcn UI vs Traditional UI Libraries: Which Is Right for You?

How Shadcn UI Compares to Traditional UI Libraries: Key Differences

Shadcn UI is an open-source UI components suite, but not a library in the conventional sense. Instead of installing a package and importing pre-built components into your project, Shadcn UI gives you access to the actual source code of components.

You don’t install Shadcn UI like you would a package via npm or yarn. Instead, the CLI allows you to generate and insert fully editable components directly into your codebase.

Analogy:

• Traditional UI Library: Renting a furnished apartment—you use it as-is.
• Shadcn UI: Buying a custom-designed home—you own it, and can modify it however you want.

For example, running the following command:

npx shadcn-ui@latest add button

will generate a file button.tsx in your components folder. This file contains the entire logic and styling of the Button component, written with Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, and TypeScript, and it’s 100% yours to modify.

Shadcn UI vs Traditional UI Libraries: Full Code Ownership and Customization

One of the biggest challenges in frontend development is balancing speed with customization. Pre-built libraries are fast but rigid. Custom-built components offer flexibility but are time-consuming.

Shadcn UI offers a third path: components that are well-designed, accessible, and flexible, yet can be edited and customized to your heart’s content. It empowers teams to:

• Move fast in prototyping and development
• Avoid vendor lock-in
• Maintain full control over styling, behavior, and performance
• Build a fully customized design system without starting from scratch

Shadcn UI vs Traditional UI Libraries: Key Features Compared

1. Full Code Ownership

Unlike traditional libraries where components are locked away inside a node_modules folder, Shadcn UI gives you the actual code. Want to change the padding or animation? Just open the file and edit it.

2. Modern Tech Stack

Shadcn UI is built on the shoulders of modern frontend tools:

• Tailwind CSS: For utility-first, performant styling
• Radix UI: For building fully accessible components with correct ARIA roles
• class-variance-authority: For managing component variants and styling logic cleanly
• TypeScript: For type safety and developer ergonomics

3. CLI-Powered Component Management

You can use the CLI to add new components to your project with ease:

npx shadcn-ui@latest init
npx shadcn-ui@latest add dialog

This creates editable files such as:

• dialog.tsx
• dialog-content.tsx
• dialog-description.tsx

These are injected directly into your components/ui folder, giving you complete control.

Performance and Accessibility: Shadcn UI vs Traditional UI Libraries

Step 1: Use the CLI to add the required components:

Shadcn UI is built primarily for Next.js projects. Make sure your project is initialized and has Tailwind CSS configured.

You can quickly start a new project with:

npx create-next-app@latest my-project
cd my-project
npx shadcn-ui@latest init

Step 2: Example: Adding a Dialog Component

During initialization, the CLI will prompt you for:

• Project structure
• Preferred theme
• Path to your components folder

Step 3: You can now customize the styles, logic, or layout according to your project’s requirements.

Once configured, you can begin adding components:

npx shadcn-ui@latest add alert
npx shadcn-ui@latest add input
npx shadcn-ui@latest add dialog

Each command will add the full component code to your project.

Building a Demo App with Shadcn UI

Let’s walk through building a simple login form using Shadcn UI components.

Step 1: Use the CLI to add the required components:

npx shadcn-ui@latest add input
npx shadcn-ui@latest add button

Step 2: After adding the components, create a new file called LoginForm.tsx and implement the following code:

import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";

export default function LoginForm() {
  return (
    <form className="space-y-4">
      <Input type="email" placeholder="Email" />
      <Input type="password" placeholder="Password" />
      <Button type="submit">Login</Button>
    </form>
  );
}

When to Use Shadcn UI vs Traditional UI Libraries

✅ Use Shadcn UI If:

• You need full control over your components
• You’re building a design system
• You’re working on highly customized UIs
• You want to optimize performance and reduce bundle size
• Your team is familiar with Tailwind CSS and TypeScript

❌ Avoid Shadcn UI If:

• You want a “plug-and-play” solution with minimal setup
• You don’t want to manage the underlying component code
• You prefer to avoid Tailwind CSS or Radix UI
• You need an extensive component library out of the box (like charts, rich tables, etc.)

Advantages Over Traditional UI Libraries

Feature	Shadcn UI	Material UI / Bootstrap / Chakra
Code Ownership	✅ Full	❌ Locked inside node_modules
Tailwind Support	✅ Built-in	❌ Not native
Customization	✅ Total freedom	⚠️ Limited to themes & props
Accessibility	✅ Radix UI-powered	⚠️ Varies by library
Performance	✅ Tree-shakable	⚠️ Often bloated

Final Thoughts: Choosing Between Shadcn UI and Traditional UI Libraries

• Design Agencies: Build tailored interfaces for each client
• Startups: Rapid iteration + long-term maintainability
• Product Teams: Establish a custom design system without vendor lock-in

Learn More

• Official Shadcn UI Website
• GitHub Repository
• Tailwind CSS Documentation
• How to start a restaurant
• class-variance-authority

Conclusion

Shadcn UI represents a modern and refreshing approach to component-based UI development. By allowing full code ownership while leveraging best-in-class tools like Tailwind CSS and Radix UI, it provides the flexibility developers crave without sacrificing speed or quality.

Whether you’re a solo developer, part of a design agency, or building the next big startup app, Shadcn UI offers the perfect middle ground between custom and pre-built—making it an excellent choice for today’s frontend landscape.

Ready to build with Shadcn UI?