Headless UI vs shadcn/ui
Headless UI is a small, focused set of unstyled, accessible components from the Tailwind CSS team, installed as a normal npm package for React or Vue. shadcn/ui is a much larger set of components, already styled with Tailwind CSS, that its CLI copies directly into your project as source code rather than installing as a dependency. Choose Headless UI if you're on Vue or want a lightweight package with no styling opinions; choose shadcn/ui if you want a large, pre-styled starting point you can edit freely in a React or Next.js project.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Vue or React projects that want a small, unstyled package with no CLI or copied code
Free plan.
Best for
React and Next.js projects that want a large, pre-styled Tailwind starting point to edit
Free plan.
Headless UI vs shadcn/ui at a glance
| Compared on | Headless UI | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| How you install it | A normal npm package you import like any dependency | A CLI that copies component source code into your project |
| Default styling | None; you write all the CSS or utility classes yourself | Pre-styled with Tailwind CSS; components look complete out of the box and can be edited |
| Framework support | React and Vue, each with its own package | React, with tooling built around Next.js |
| Underlying primitives | Its own behavior implementation, built by the Tailwind Labs team | Base UI by default since July 2026, or Radix UI as an option |
| Component breadth | A focused set: menus, dialogs, listboxes, switches and disclosure panels | A much larger set covering forms, tables, navigation and general app UI |
| How updates work | A normal package version bump | Re-running the CLI or manually diffing changes into your copied files |
| Open source | Yes, MIT | Yes, MIT |
| Free plan | Yes, Headless UI is completely free | Yes, shadcn/ui is completely free |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | Not listed |
| Made by | Tailwind Labs (Shopify) | shadcn (open source project) |
What's the difference between Headless UI and shadcn/ui?
shadcn/ui ships pre-styled Tailwind components, Headless UI ships none
shadcn/ui's copied components come already styled with Tailwind utility classes and look complete as soon as you add them. Headless UI provides only behavior and accessibility, so every visual detail, down to spacing and color, is written by the developer.
Headless UI supports Vue, shadcn/ui is React only
Headless UI ships separate packages for React and Vue. shadcn/ui's CLI and component set are built for React, with tooling oriented toward Next.js projects specifically.
shadcn/ui copies source into your project, Headless UI is a normal dependency
shadcn/ui's CLI writes each component's code directly into your codebase, so you can edit anything, including how it calls its underlying primitives library. Headless UI installs like any other npm package, so you use its exported components as is rather than editing their internals.
shadcn/ui covers far more of an app's UI than Headless UI does
shadcn/ui includes components for forms, data tables, navigation and other general app patterns. Headless UI stays deliberately narrow, covering common interactive patterns like dropdown menus, dialogs and switches rather than a full application UI kit.
Headless UI vs shadcn/ui pricing
Both are completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tier or component.
Headless UI
Free, MIT licensed, installed as a normal npm package with no cost at any scale.
shadcn/ui
Free, MIT licensed, with the CLI and every component available at no cost.
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 28 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on headlessui.com and ui.shadcn.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
shadcn/ui has 4.4 times as many GitHub stars as Headless UI (125k against 28.8k). Weekly npm downloads: 8.8M for @headlessui/react and 13M for shadcn.
| Measure | Headless UI | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 28,767 | 125,216 |
| npm downloads a week | 8.8M (@headlessui/react) | 13M (shadcn) |
| Latest release | @headlessui/reac…, 6 months ago | [email protected], 1 day ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 0 | 10 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Headless UI or shadcn/ui?
Choose Headless UI if
- You're building a Vue project, since shadcn/ui doesn't support Vue
- You want a small, focused package with no CLI or copied files to maintain
- You already have your own design system and only need interaction behavior
- You want ordinary npm version updates rather than re-diffing copied component code
Choose shadcn/ui if
- You're building in React or Next.js and want a large, styled starting point
- You want to own and freely edit the component source in your own codebase
- You need a broad set of app UI patterns like forms, tables and navigation
- You already use Tailwind CSS and want components that match it by default
Switching between Headless UI and shadcn/ui
Moving from Headless UI to shadcn/ui means adopting a much larger, pre-styled component set and switching from a normal dependency to copied source code you maintain yourself. Moving the other way means stripping shadcn/ui's styling and underlying primitives choice down to Headless UI's narrower, unstyled set, and rebuilding any component shadcn/ui covered that Headless UI doesn't.
Headless UI vs shadcn/ui: common questions
Is Headless UI free?
Yes, completely free and open source under the MIT license, same as shadcn/ui.
Is shadcn/ui free?
Yes, completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid components.
Does shadcn/ui use Headless UI?
No. shadcn/ui uses Base UI by default since July 2026, or Radix UI as an option, neither of which is Headless UI.
Which supports Vue?
Headless UI supports both React and Vue. shadcn/ui is built for React and doesn't support Vue.
Can I use Headless UI and shadcn/ui together?
It's uncommon, since both provide their own implementation of similar interactive patterns, so teams typically pick one rather than combining them.
Which has more components?
shadcn/ui covers a much larger set of UI patterns, including forms, tables and navigation. Headless UI stays focused on a smaller set like menus, dialogs and switches.
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.
Radix UI
Unstyled, accessible React component primitives for building your own design system.
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 shadcn/ui pages.
Related comparisons
Mantinevsshadcn/ui
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Radix UIvsshadcn/ui
Radix UI is a free, open source library of unstyled, accessible React component primitives, such as dialogs, dropdowns and tooltips, that handle behavior and ARIA attributes while leaving visual styling up to the developer.
Headless UIvsRadix UI
Headless UI and Radix UI are both free, MIT-licensed libraries of unstyled, accessible interactive components that leave all visual styling to you.
NextUIvsshadcn/ui
NextUI was rebranded to HeroUI in 2024, so new projects should use HeroUI, a styled React library built on Tailwind CSS and React Aria that you install as a dependency.