shadcn/ui

Name: shadcn/ui
Author: shadcn (open source project)

shadcn/ui is an open source collection of accessible, customizable UI components for React, distributed as source code you copy into your own project via a CLI rather than installed as a traditional npm dependency. It's built with Tailwind CSS for styling and, as of July 2026, uses Base UI as its default underlying primitives library instead of Radix UI, though Radix remains fully supported as an option. It's free and MIT-licensed.

By shadcn (open source project)Open sourceSince 2023UI Libraries

Facts checked on 27 September 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Visit ui.shadcn.com Compare

Pricing: Open sourceFree plan: Yes, shadcn/ui is completely free
Open source: YesMIT
GitHub stars: 125,216
npm downloads a week: 13Mup 17% on the week before
Latest release: [email protected]1 day ago
Releases in 90 days: 10about 3 a month

A good fit for

Teams that want to own and fully customize their component code rather than depend on an external package
Next.js and React projects that already use Tailwind CSS for styling
Quickly bootstrapping a consistent design system without starting from scratch
Developers who want accessible component behavior without building it themselves

Not a good fit for

Teams that want a traditional installed package they update with a version bump, since components are copied into your codebase instead
Projects that don't use Tailwind CSS, since components are styled with Tailwind utility classes by default
Teams that want a single, centrally maintained component library rather than owning and maintaining copied code themselves

shadcn/ui pricing

shadcn/ui is completely free and open source under the MIT license.

Prices in USD, checked on 27 September 2026. Current prices on ui.shadcn.com.

Main features

CLI-based installation: Add components by copying their source into your project rather than installing a package.
Full code ownership: Since component code lives in your own project, you can customize it without fighting an external API.
Tailwind CSS styling: Components are styled using Tailwind utility classes, matching your existing Tailwind setup.
Base UI or Radix primitives: Choose Base UI (the default since July 2026) or Radix UI as the underlying accessible primitives library.
Accessible by default: Components include sensible ARIA attributes, keyboard navigation and focus handling out of the box.
Large component set: Covers common UI needs: dialogs, forms, dropdowns, tables, navigation and more.

About shadcn/ui

Unlike a typical component library you install as a dependency, shadcn/ui works by copying component source code directly into your project using its CLI, so you own and can fully customize every component rather than depending on an external package you can't easily change.

Components are styled with Tailwind CSS and built on top of an underlying accessible primitives library for behavior like focus management, keyboard navigation and ARIA attributes. As of July 2026, new projects default to Base UI for these primitives, a library built by the same team that created Radix UI, while existing projects and new projects that opt in can still use Radix.

shadcn/ui has become a widely used starting point for building a custom design system quickly, particularly in Next.js projects, since developers can generate the components they need and then modify the code freely.

Made by: shadcn (open source project)
Free plan: Yes, shadcn/ui is completely free
Available on: React, Next.js, Built with Tailwind CSS

Usage and activity

Weekly npm downloads of shadcn, last 12 months.

Recent releases

shadcn/ui alternatives

Tool	Pricing	GitHub stars
Tailwind CSSUtility-first CSS framework for building custom designs directly in markup, now owned by Shopify.	Freemium	97.8k
Radix UIUnstyled, accessible React component primitives for building your own design system.	Open source	19.4k
Material UIReact component library implementing Google's Material Design, with free core and paid MUI X components.	Freemium	99.1k
Ant DesignEnterprise-focused React component library and design system, maintained by Alibaba's Ant Group.	Open source	99.7k
Headless UIUnstyled, accessible UI components from the Tailwind CSS team, for React and Vue.	Open source	28.8k
MantineFull-featured, styled React component library with over 100 components and hooks.	Open source	31.8k

All 10 alternatives to shadcn/ui, side by side

shadcn/ui compared

shadcn/uivsHeadless 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/uivsMantine

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/uivsRadix 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/uivsNextUI

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.

Questions about shadcn/ui

Is shadcn/ui free?

Yes, it's completely free and open source under the MIT license.

Is shadcn/ui an npm package?

No, its CLI copies component source code directly into your project rather than installing a traditional dependency, so you own and can edit the code.

Does shadcn/ui use Radix UI?

As of July 2026, Base UI is the default underlying primitives library for new shadcn/ui projects, though Radix UI is still fully supported and can be chosen instead.

Does shadcn/ui require Tailwind CSS?

Yes, components are styled with Tailwind CSS utility classes.

Sources and links

Work on shadcn/ui? Claim this listing. Something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction. Stats come from the public GitHub and npm APIs and update every day.