Free UI Component Libraries
Which UI component libraries a startup can build its app's interface with for free today, what is kept for a paid plan (premium components, blocks or templates), the framework each works with and what the paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Component libraries change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
UI component libraries a startup can use for free today include shadcn/ui (Open source, open code), shadcn.io (Free with a free account), Radix UI (Open source React library), Magic UI (150+ free animated components), and Mantine (All components free forever). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, the framework it works with, whether a card is needed and what the paid plan costs.
Buttons, dialogs, menus, forms and tables take weeks to build well and accessibly from scratch. UI component libraries give you them ready to use, the best-known are open source, and component collections add ready-made sections and animated components on top.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Open-source libraries are free, but premium components, page blocks and templates often sit behind a paid license, and each library works with a particular framework. Each library below shows what is free, its main limit, the framework it works with, whether a card is needed and what the paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which libraries we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which libraries are listed or where.
Open-source UI component libraries
Install and use every component in commercial apps, free.
- 1
shadcn/ui
React and Next.js apps that want to own the component code
shadcn/ui is open source and hands you the actual component code to change. Its installation guide covers Next.js, Vite, React Router and Astro. You maintain that code yourself.
Start free at shadcn/uiTerms read on ui.shadcn.com on shadcn/ui: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Radix UI
Accessible React primitives you style yourself
Radix is an open source React component library. Its Primitives are unstyled and accessible, so you style them yourself, and the Radix Themes package is a separate styled option.
- Works with
- React (source: radix-ui.com)
- 3
Mantine
A large React component set you can use commercially
Mantine's components are free forever for everyone, and its @mantine packages are MIT licensed. You can use them in any project, commercial or not, with or without attribution.
- 4
MUI
Material Design React components, free forever for the core
MUI Core is free forever, with ready-to-use React components that implement Google's Material Design. The advanced MUI X components are on commercial Pro and Premium plans.
- What's free
- MUI Core: free forever (source: mui.com)
- Works with
- React (source: mui.com)
- 5
DaisyUI
Tailwind CSS projects that want shorter class names
daisyUI is free and open-source, and it is a component library for Tailwind CSS. Its paid templates are sold in its store, for example the Auth template 2.0 at $19.
- What's free
- Free and open-source (source: daisyui.com)
- Works with
- Tailwind CSS (source: daisyui.com)
- 6
HeroUI
React apps that want an open-source component set
HeroUI is an open-source component library for React web and React Native applications. HeroUI Pro, with components, templates and AI tooling, is a paid addition.
- 7
Flowbite
Tailwind CSS sites that want interactive UI components
Flowbite is an open-source library of UI components built on the utility-first Tailwind CSS framework. Its premium pages and components are on the paid Pro version.
- Works with
- Tailwind CSS (source: flowbite.com)
Component and block collections with a free plan
Copy ready-made sections and animated components, free to start.
- 1
shadcn.io
Browsing blocks and templates with a free account
Every component, hook and example is free with a free account. Pro covers the code of every block, the premium templates and the MCP server, and the Team plan costs $789 billed yearly.
- What's free
- Free with a free account (source: shadcn.io)
Start free at shadcn.ioReferral linkTerms read on shadcn.io on shadcn.io: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Magic UI
Animated React and Tailwind effects for landing pages
Magic UI has 150+ free and open-source animated components built with React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS and Motion. Its Pro package is a paid add-on at $199 once.
- 3
Aceternity UI
Copy-paste animated React and Next.js sections
Aceternity UI includes 100+ free components for React and Next.js. Its premium blocks and templates are on paid licenses, with lifetime access at $199 one-time.
Start free at Aceternity UITerms read on ui.aceternity.com on Aceternity UI: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Preline
Tailwind CSS sites that want a free open-source library
Preline UI is an open-source Tailwind CSS component library, free for unlimited projects and developers. Its Pro blocks, templates and icons are a paid lifetime purchase.
- Works with
- Tailwind CSS (source: preline.co)
- 5
HyperUI
Free Tailwind CSS components to copy into a project
HyperUI is a collection of free Tailwind CSS components that can be used in your next project. It is released under the MIT License.
- Works with
- Tailwind CSS (source: hyperui.dev)
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How this comparison is built
The list covers UI component libraries a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each library's terms. Every term comes from the library's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. Premium components, templates or blocks kept for a paid plan, a license that limits commercial use, a framework it only works with can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these libraries pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a library appears, and no library pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free React component library?
By the terms each provider states, shadcn/ui is open source and open code, Mantine's components are all free forever under the MIT license, MUI Core is free forever, and Radix UI and HeroUI are open-source React libraries.
Is shadcn/ui free?
Yes. shadcn/ui is open source and open code, and you maintain the component code in your own project. shadcn.io's collection is free with a free account, with Pro covering block code and templates.
Are there free Tailwind CSS components?
Yes. DaisyUI is free and open source, Flowbite has open-source Tailwind CSS components, HyperUI's Tailwind CSS components are released under the MIT License, and Preline is an open-source library for unlimited projects.
Where can I get free animated components?
Magic UI has 150+ free animated components and Aceternity UI 100+ free components. Their premium templates and blocks are paid: Magic UI Pro is $199 once and Aceternity UI's Lifetime plan $199 one-time.
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