Headless UI vs Radix UI
Headless UI and Radix UI are both free, MIT-licensed libraries of unstyled, accessible interactive components that leave all visual styling to you. Headless UI comes from Tailwind Labs, supports both React and Vue, and pairs naturally with Tailwind CSS, while Radix UI is React-only and offers a broader set of primitives. Pick Headless UI if you use Vue or want a lean Tailwind-aligned set, and Radix UI if you are on React and want wider component coverage and the larger ecosystem around it.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Tailwind projects in React or Vue that need a small set of accessible primitives
Free plan.
Best for
React projects wanting broad primitive coverage and a large ecosystem
Free plan.
Headless UI vs Radix UI at a glance
| Compared on | Headless UI | Radix UI |
|---|---|---|
| Framework support | React and Vue | React only |
| Tailwind alignment | Built by Tailwind Labs to pair with Tailwind CSS | Styling-agnostic; works with Tailwind, CSS modules or any approach |
| Component breadth | Core patterns such as menus, dialogs, listboxes and switches | Wider set including dialogs, dropdowns, tooltips and many more primitives |
| Ecosystem adoption | Used mainly alongside Tailwind UI-style markup | Underpins many component kits, including shadcn/ui projects that use it |
| Ownership | Tailwind Labs, now owned by Shopify | Maintained by the WorkOS-backed Radix team, who also built Base UI |
| Open source | Yes, MIT | Yes, MIT |
| Free plan | Yes, Headless UI is completely free | Yes, Radix UI is completely free |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | Not listed |
| Made by | Tailwind Labs (Shopify) | WorkOS (Radix UI open source project) |
What's the difference between Headless UI and Radix UI?
Vue support is the clearest split
Headless UI ships for both React and Vue. Radix UI is built for React only, so a Vue team has no direct equivalent from Radix.
Scope of the component set
Radix UI covers a wider range of interactive primitives, which reduces how much you build yourself. Headless UI focuses on a smaller set of common patterns and expects you to compose the rest with Tailwind.
Relationship to Tailwind
Headless UI was designed by Tailwind Labs to slot into Tailwind markup, and Tailwind Labs is now owned by Shopify. Radix UI does not assume any styling tool, so it fits equally well with plain CSS or other systems.
Ecosystem momentum
Radix UI is the foundation under many popular component kits. Its creators have also built Base UI, which shadcn/ui made its default in July 2026, though Radix UI is not deprecated and remains maintained.
Headless UI vs Radix UI pricing
Both libraries are completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tier for the components themselves.
Headless UI
Free and open source. Tailwind Labs sells separate paid products, but Headless UI itself costs nothing.
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 5 October 2026. They change often, so confirm on headlessui.com and radix-ui.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
Headless UI has 49% more GitHub stars than Radix UI (28.8k against 19.4k). Weekly npm downloads: 8.8M for @headlessui/react and 92M for @radix-ui/react-dialog.
| Measure | Headless UI | Radix UI |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 28,767 | 19,365 |
| npm downloads a week | 8.8M (@headlessui/react) | 92M (@radix-ui/react-dialog) |
| Latest release | @headlessui/reac…, 6 months ago | None on GitHub |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Headless UI or Radix UI?
Choose Headless UI if
- You build with Vue as well as React and want one library for both
- You already use Tailwind CSS and want primitives designed to sit inside Tailwind markup
- You need only the common patterns such as menus, dialogs and listboxes
- You prefer a smaller surface area to learn
Choose Radix UI if
- You are on React and want the broadest set of unstyled primitives
- You want a library that the wider React component ecosystem builds on
- You use a styling approach other than Tailwind
- You want fine-grained control over composition and accessibility behavior
Switching between Headless UI and Radix UI
Both are unstyled, so your styling layer carries over: you keep your classes and replace the component imports. Moving from Headless UI to Radix UI means mapping each component to its Radix primitive and adjusting the compound-component structure and prop names. It is only possible in React, so Vue projects have no Radix path.
Headless UI vs Radix UI: common questions
Does Radix UI work with Vue?
No. Radix UI is built for React only. Headless UI supports both React and Vue.
Do I need Tailwind to use Headless UI?
No, but it was designed by Tailwind Labs to pair with Tailwind CSS and its documentation assumes Tailwind classes.
Is Radix UI deprecated now that shadcn/ui uses Base UI?
No. Radix UI is still maintained, and existing shadcn/ui projects using it keep working. New shadcn/ui projects default to Base UI but can still choose Radix.
Are both accessible by default?
Yes. Both handle keyboard navigation, focus management and ARIA attributes, which is their main reason to exist.
Which has more components?
Radix UI generally covers a wider range of primitives. Headless UI concentrates on a smaller set of common patterns.
Other options to consider
All ui libraries tools
Tailwind CSS
Utility-first CSS framework for building custom designs directly in markup, now owned by Shopify.
shadcn/ui
Copy-paste, customizable UI components built with Tailwind CSS, not installed as a package.
Material UI
React component library implementing Google's Material Design, with free core and paid MUI X components.
Ant Design
Enterprise-focused React component library and design system, maintained by Alibaba's Ant Group.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Headless UI and Radix UI pages.
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