Radix UI vs shadcn/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. shadcn/ui is a free, open source collection of accessible, styled UI components built with Tailwind CSS, distributed as source code you copy into your own project via a CLI rather than installed as a traditional dependency; as of July 2026 it defaults to Base UI (a newer primitives library from Radix's creators) instead of Radix UI, though Radix remains fully supported as an option. They're not strictly competitors: shadcn/ui is commonly built using primitives like Radix UI underneath its styled components.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Building fully custom styled components on top of accessible, unstyled primitives
Free plan.
Best for
Getting pre-styled, customizable components quickly via copy-paste code
Free plan.
Radix UI vs shadcn/ui at a glance
| Compared on | Radix UI | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| What it provides | Unstyled, accessible behavior primitives only | Styled components built with Tailwind CSS, using primitives underneath |
| Distribution method | Installed as an npm package | Copied into your project as source code via a CLI |
| Default primitives layer (as of July 2026) | Is itself the primitives layer | Base UI by default; Radix UI available via a CLI flag |
| Styling included | None; you style everything yourself | Yes, styled with Tailwind CSS out of the box |
| Customization approach | Full styling control since there's no style to override | Edit the copied source code directly since it lives in your project |
| Open source | Yes, MIT | Yes, MIT |
| Free plan | Yes, Radix UI is completely free | Yes, shadcn/ui is completely free |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | Not listed |
| Made by | WorkOS (Radix UI open source project) | shadcn (open source project) |
What's the difference between Radix UI and shadcn/ui?
Primitives vs finished components
Radix UI provides only unstyled behavior primitives, leaving all visual design to the developer; shadcn/ui provides finished, styled components built with Tailwind CSS, often using a primitives library like Radix underneath for behavior and accessibility.
Installation model differs
Radix UI is installed as a conventional npm package you import from; shadcn/ui components are copied directly into your project's source code via its CLI, so you own and can freely edit the code rather than importing it from a package.
Default primitives layer shifted
As of July 2026, shadcn/ui switched its default underlying primitives library from Radix UI to Base UI, a newer library built by the same team behind Radix; Radix UI remains fully supported as an option via a CLI flag, and existing shadcn/ui projects using it keep working.
Not mutually exclusive
Since shadcn/ui components can be built using Radix UI primitives underneath, adopting shadcn/ui doesn't necessarily mean giving up Radix; many existing shadcn/ui projects still use Radix as their primitives layer.
Radix UI vs shadcn/ui pricing
Both Radix UI and shadcn/ui are completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tiers.
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 3 October 2026. They change often, so confirm on radix-ui.com and ui.shadcn.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
shadcn/ui has 6.5 times as many GitHub stars as Radix UI (125k against 19.4k). Weekly npm downloads: 92M for @radix-ui/react-dialog and 13M for shadcn.
| Measure | Radix UI | shadcn/ui |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 19,365 | 125,216 |
| npm downloads a week | 92M (@radix-ui/react-dialog) | 13M (shadcn) |
| Latest release | None on GitHub | [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.
When to use Radix UI and when to use shadcn/ui
Use Radix UI when
- You want to build a fully custom design system with your own styling from scratch
- You're already building your own component library and just need accessible behavior
- You want a conventional installed package rather than copied source code
- You want direct control over which primitives library underlies your components
Use shadcn/ui when
- You want pre-styled, accessible components you can start using quickly
- You want to own and edit the component source code directly in your project
- You're using Tailwind CSS and want components styled to match
- You don't want to make every styling decision yourself but still want flexibility to edit
Switching between Radix UI and shadcn/ui
Since shadcn/ui components can use Radix UI underneath, moving from raw Radix UI to shadcn/ui often means adopting shadcn/ui's styled component code (optionally still backed by Radix via a CLI flag) instead of writing your own styles on top of Radix's primitives. Moving from shadcn/ui back to raw Radix UI means stripping out shadcn/ui's Tailwind-based styling and writing your own visual design on top of Radix's unstyled primitives directly.
Radix UI vs shadcn/ui: common questions
Does shadcn/ui use Radix UI under the hood?
It can. As of July 2026, shadcn/ui defaults to Base UI, a newer primitives library from the same creators as Radix, but Radix UI remains fully supported as an option via a CLI flag, and many existing shadcn/ui projects still use it.
Is Radix UI deprecated now that shadcn/ui uses Base UI by default?
No, Radix UI is not deprecated. It continues to be actively maintained and used directly or through tools that support it, including shadcn/ui projects that choose to keep using it.
How is shadcn/ui distributed differently from Radix UI?
Radix UI is installed as a standard npm package. shadcn/ui components are copied into your project's own source code via its CLI, so you directly own and can edit the component code rather than importing it from a package.
Does Radix UI include any styling?
No, Radix UI primitives are completely unstyled, handling only behavior and accessibility. shadcn/ui adds Tailwind CSS-based styling on top of a primitives layer like Radix or Base UI.
Are both free to use?
Yes, both Radix UI and shadcn/ui are MIT-licensed and free for commercial use.
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.
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.
Headless UI
Unstyled, accessible UI components from the Tailwind CSS team, for React and Vue.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Radix UI and shadcn/ui pages.
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