Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS is an open source, utility-first CSS framework that lets developers style elements by composing small utility classes directly in their markup, instead of writing separate CSS files. It remains free and MIT-licensed. On 9 September 2026 Shopify acquired Tailwind Labs, the company behind it; Tailwind CSS itself is unaffected by the acquisition, though the paid Tailwind Plus component library closed to new customers as part of the change.
Facts checked on against the sources listed at the end of this page.
- Pricing
- FreemiumPaid from Tailwind Plus (paid components/templates) is closed to new customers as of the Shopify acquisition
- Open source
- YesMIT
- GitHub stars
- 97,789
- npm downloads a week
- 163Mup 10% on the week before
- Latest release
- v4.3.32 months ago
- Releases in 90 days
- 1about 1 a month
A good fit for
- Building fully custom designs without writing separate CSS files
- Teams that want small, easily overridden utility classes rather than a fixed component look
- Projects using component libraries built on Tailwind, such as shadcn/ui or DaisyUI
- Any framework or plain HTML project that wants a consistent styling system
Not a good fit for
- Teams that want a component library with prebuilt, ready-to-use UI out of the box, since Tailwind is a styling framework, not a component set
- Developers who strongly prefer separating markup and styles rather than utility classes in HTML
- Anyone hoping to buy new Tailwind Plus components, since that product is closed to new customers
Tailwind CSS pricing
Tailwind CSS itself is completely free and open source under the MIT license. Tailwind Plus, a separate paid library of prebuilt components and templates, closed to new customers following Shopify's September 2026 acquisition of Tailwind Labs, though existing buyers retain lifetime access.
Prices in USD, checked on 27 September 2026. Current prices on tailwindcss.com.
Main features
- Utility-first classes
- Style elements by composing small, single-purpose classes directly in markup.
- Just-in-time compilation
- Generates only the CSS actually used in your project, keeping output small.
- Responsive and dark mode utilities
- Built-in variants for breakpoints, dark mode and other states.
- Customizable design tokens
- Configure your own color palette, spacing scale and typography.
- Framework agnostic
- Works with any framework or plain HTML, from React and Vue to Laravel.
- Large ecosystem
- Widely used as the styling base for component libraries like shadcn/ui and DaisyUI.
About Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS provides a large set of low-level utility classes (for spacing, color, layout, typography and more) that you compose directly in your HTML or JSX, rather than writing custom CSS rules for each component. This lets teams build fully custom designs without leaving their markup or fighting a preset component library's look.
It ships with a build step that scans your code and generates only the CSS you actually use, keeping production stylesheets small, and supports responsive design, dark mode and custom design tokens through configuration.
On 9 September 2026, Shopify acquired Tailwind Labs, the company behind Tailwind CSS. Tailwind CSS itself continues unchanged, remaining MIT-licensed and maintained by the same team, now as part of Shopify; the Tailwind Labs team said the acquisition lets them focus on Tailwind CSS development in service of Shopify's own products.
- Made by
- Tailwind Labs (Shopify)
- Free plan
- Yes, Tailwind CSS itself is completely free and open source
- Available on
- Any framework or plain HTML, Works with Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Laravel and more
Usage and activity
Weekly npm downloads of tailwindcss, last 12 months.
Recent releases
Tailwind CSS alternatives
Tailwind CSS compared
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Questions about Tailwind CSS
Is Tailwind CSS free?
Yes, Tailwind CSS is free and open source under the MIT license. This is unaffected by Shopify's 2026 acquisition of Tailwind Labs.
Did Shopify buy Tailwind CSS?
Shopify acquired Tailwind Labs, the company behind Tailwind CSS, on 9 September 2026. Tailwind CSS itself remains free, open source and maintained by the same team.
What happened to Tailwind Plus?
Tailwind Plus (formerly Tailwind UI), the paid component library, closed to new customers as part of the Shopify acquisition. Existing buyers keep lifetime access to what they purchased.
What component libraries are built on Tailwind?
Several popular libraries, including shadcn/ui and DaisyUI, are built on top of Tailwind's utility classes.
Sources and links
Work on Tailwind CSS? 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.