Picking a UI library these days feels a bit like choosing a starter Pokémon - except instead of fire or water, you’re choosing between speed, flexibility, and how many dev headaches you’ll avoid.
In the React world, two familiar faces pop up at the party: DaisyUI and shadcn/ui (yep, we’re talking React-only today). Let’s break them down so you don’t accidentally pick Magikarp when you really needed Charizard.
🎯 Purpose
DaisyUI: A plugin for Tailwind CSS that gives you pre-built UI components with minimal setup. Think of it as utility-first meets component-first. Great for shipping fast without leaving Tailwind's paradigm.
shadcn/ui: Not a library, but a component generator built on top of Radix UI primitives and Tailwind CSS. You copy components into your project and own the code.
🧪 Tech Stack
-
DaisyUI
- Tailwind CSS plugin
- Pure HTML/CSS components
- Zero JS, framework-agnostic
- No build tools required
-
shadcn/ui
- Tailwind CSS + Radix UI (for accessibility + logic)
- Built with React (strictly)
- TypeScript-first
- Requires bundler setup (Next.js, Vite, etc.)
🧩 Flexibility
-
DaisyUI
- You use what’s given - excellent for prototyping and internal tools.
- Limited customization without diving deep into Tailwind overrides.
- Works out-of-the-box with HTML, Vue, React, etc.
-
shadcn/ui
- You own the components. Want to change markup, accessibility roles, or animations? You can.
- Great for design systems or teams that want control with a solid starting point.
- Only React-compatible - not for Vue/Svelte/HTML folks.
🧠Best Use Cases
-
DaisyUI
- Rapid MVPs
- Admin panels, dashboards, or quick prototypes
- Beginners learning Tailwind with components
-
shadcn/ui
- Scalable apps that need fully accessible, typed, and customizable components
- Teams building design systems
- Serious React + TypeScript projects
🧵 TL;DR
| Feature | DaisyUI | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Any (HTML, Vue, React) | React only |
| Based on | Tailwind CSS | Tailwind + Radix UI |
| Ownership | Library-owned | Developer-owned |
| Use Case | Fast prototyping | Customizable production apps |
| Setup | Drop-in Tailwind plugin | CLI-based component generation |
🔥 My Take as a FullStack Dev:
If you're just shipping something fast or exploring UI, DaisyUI is gold. But if you're building a product that needs long-term maintainability and accessibility, shadcn/ui wins hands down. You own your components, and that’s powerful.
Which team are you on? 🧢
#TeamDaisyUI or #TeamShadcnUI?
Drop your thoughts ⬇️
#frontend #react #tailwindcss #shadcn #daisyui #javascript #webdevelopment #uiux
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