Mantine vs shadcn/ui
Mantine is a React component library you install as a normal npm dependency, with over 100 pre-styled components and matching hooks ready to use. shadcn/ui is a smaller set of components whose CLI copies the source code directly into your project, styled with Tailwind CSS, so you own and edit the code yourself. Choose Mantine if you want a large, complete library maintained centrally; choose shadcn/ui if you want to own the component code and already use Tailwind.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
React projects that want a large, centrally maintained component library
Free plan.
Best for
Tailwind-based React or Next.js projects that want to own and edit component code directly
Free plan.
Mantine vs shadcn/ui at a glance
| Compared on | Mantine | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| How you install it | A normal npm package you import like any dependency | A CLI that copies component source code into your own project |
| Styling approach | Mantine's own styling system, themeable through a central configuration | Tailwind CSS utility classes, matching your existing Tailwind setup |
| Underlying primitives | Built directly by the Mantine team, no separate primitives library | Base UI by default since July 2026, or Radix UI as an option |
| Updating components | A normal package version bump through your package manager | Re-running the CLI or manually applying changes to your copied files |
| Included hooks | A matching set of React hooks for local storage, media queries, form state and more | No bundled hooks library; you add your own or a separate package |
| Prebuilt page templates | Mantine UI offers 120+ free responsive templates built with Mantine components | Not offered directly; the shadcn/ui ecosystem includes community template sites |
| Open source | Yes, MIT | Yes, MIT |
| Free plan | Yes, Mantine and Mantine UI are both free | Yes, shadcn/ui is completely free |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | Not listed |
| Made by | Mantine (open source project) | shadcn (open source project) |
What's the difference between Mantine and shadcn/ui?
Mantine is a dependency you install, shadcn/ui is code you copy in
Mantine works like any other npm package: you import components from the library and update them with a version bump. shadcn/ui's CLI writes each component's source directly into your project, so you own and can edit every line, including how it calls its underlying primitives library.
Mantine ships its own styling system, shadcn/ui is built on Tailwind CSS
Mantine components use Mantine's own theming and styling engine, which you customize through a central theme object. shadcn/ui components are styled entirely with Tailwind utility classes, so they only fit naturally into a project that already uses Tailwind.
Mantine includes hooks, shadcn/ui doesn't
Mantine ships a companion set of React hooks for things like local storage, media queries and form state alongside its components. shadcn/ui focuses only on UI components; any hooks you need come from a separate package.
Updating a component works differently in each
A Mantine update is a normal dependency upgrade through your package manager. A shadcn/ui component, once copied into your project, no longer tracks upstream changes automatically, so picking up improvements means re-running the CLI or manually diffing changes into your own copy.
Mantine vs shadcn/ui pricing
Both are completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tier for either.
Mantine
Free, MIT licensed, including the separate Mantine UI template collection.
shadcn/ui
Free, MIT licensed, with every component and the CLI available at no cost.
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 28 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on mantine.dev and ui.shadcn.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
shadcn/ui has 3.9 times as many GitHub stars as Mantine (125k against 31.8k). Weekly npm downloads: 3.3M for @mantine/core and 13M for shadcn. Releases on GitHub in the last 90 days: 7 for Mantine and 10 for shadcn/ui.
| Measure | Mantine | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 31,803 | 125,216 |
| npm downloads a week | 3.3M (@mantine/core) | 13M (shadcn) |
| Latest release | 9.7.1, 1 day ago | [email protected], 1 day ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 7 | 10 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Mantine or shadcn/ui?
Choose Mantine if
- You want a large, ready-to-use component library installed as a normal dependency
- You want React hooks for common needs bundled alongside your components
- You'd rather update components with a version bump than maintain copied code
- You want free prebuilt page templates (Mantine UI) to start a project quickly
Choose shadcn/ui if
- You already use Tailwind CSS and want components styled to match it exactly
- You want to own and freely edit component source code in your own project
- You're building in Next.js and want a starting point tailored to that ecosystem
- You want to choose your own underlying primitives library, Base UI or Radix UI
Switching between Mantine and shadcn/ui
Moving from Mantine to shadcn/ui means giving up centrally maintained components for code you copy and maintain yourself, and rebuilding any styling in Tailwind instead of Mantine's own theme. Moving from shadcn/ui to Mantine means giving up direct ownership of component code in exchange for a maintained library, and adopting Mantine's styling system instead of Tailwind utility classes.
Mantine vs shadcn/ui: common questions
Is Mantine better than shadcn/ui?
Neither is better for every project. Mantine suits teams that want a large, centrally maintained library; shadcn/ui suits teams that want to own and edit Tailwind-styled component code directly.
Is shadcn/ui free?
Yes, completely free and open source under the MIT license, the same as Mantine.
Does shadcn/ui require Tailwind CSS?
Yes, its components are styled with Tailwind utility classes. Mantine ships its own styling system and doesn't require Tailwind.
Is shadcn/ui an npm package like Mantine?
No. Mantine installs as a normal npm dependency; shadcn/ui's CLI copies component source code directly into your project instead.
Which has more components?
Mantine ships over 100 components plus matching hooks as an installed library. shadcn/ui's set is more focused and grows by copying in only the components you choose to add.
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 Mantine and shadcn/ui pages.
Related comparisons
Headless UIvsshadcn/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.
MantinevsTailwind CSS
Mantine is a React component library with over 100 pre-styled components and hooks, ready to use out of the box.
MantinevsRadix UI
Mantine is a free, open source React component library with over 100 styled, customizable components and hooks, covering forms, dates, notifications and more with default visual styling included.
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.
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.