Ant Design vs Shadcn: Which One is Better in 2025?

When choosing a design framework, Ant Design and Shadcn are two popular options. Both offer unique features and cater to different needs. In this article, you'll find a comparison of their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews to help you make an informed decision.

Ant Design: Overview and Key Features

Ant Design is a comprehensive design framework known for its robust component library and enterprise-level features.

• Component Library: Ant Design offers a vast collection of pre-built components, including buttons, forms, and tables, which help developers build applications quickly.
• Design Guidelines: The framework includes detailed design guidelines that ensure consistency and best practices across applications, making it easier to maintain a cohesive look and feel.
• Internationalization: Ant Design supports multiple languages out of the box, allowing developers to create applications that cater to a global audience.
• Custom Themes: Users can customize themes using the built-in theme editor, which allows for adjustments in color schemes, typography, and layout to match brand requirements.
• Responsive Design: Ant Design components are designed to be fully responsive, ensuring that applications look good on any device, from desktops to mobile phones.
• Accessibility: The framework adheres to accessibility standards, providing features like keyboard navigation and screen reader support to make applications usable for everyone.
• Rich Ecosystem: Ant Design integrates well with other libraries and frameworks, such as React and Angular, offering flexibility in tech stack choices.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Detailed documentation and examples are available, helping developers understand and implement features effectively.

Ant Design's Reviews

Overall user feedback on Ant Design is mixed, with praise for its comprehensive component library and criticism for performance issues and documentation quality.

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5
• Trustpilot: 4.4/5

• "I hated it. Massive performance issues, rendering a unique portal element for every dot on the page." - danielvaughn, 2/5
• "Very nice from a design standpoint but development could be clunky. Some documentation was in Chinese." - naet, 3/5
• "My go-to React UI framework for years. Consistent, well thought out, and liked by clients and users." - jimsmart, 5/5
• "Excellent, felt much better than most alternatives like Material UI. Very batteries included." - enlyth, 5/5
• "Incredible for getting stuff shipped. Only complaint is that the forms stuff is very tedious to write." - bastawhiz, 4/5

Positive Aspects:

• Comprehensive and well-designed component library
• Useful for quickly building internal products
• Consistent and well-thought-out
• Fully open-sourced and backed by big companies
• Good visual design out of the box

Common Concerns:

• Performance issues, especially with rendering many components
• Documentation quality, particularly the availability of English translations
• Customization can be difficult
• Some components may have Chinese-only documentation or GitHub issues
• Mobile compatibility issues

Shadcn: Overview and Key Features

Shadcn is a modern design framework known for its flexibility and developer-friendly features. It offers a range of tools to build efficient and visually appealing applications.

• Component Library: Shadcn provides a rich set of pre-built components, including buttons, modals, and data tables, which help developers create applications quickly and efficiently.
• Custom Themes: Users can easily customize themes with Shadcn's theme editor, allowing adjustments in color schemes, typography, and layout to match specific brand requirements.
• Responsive Design: Shadcn components are designed to be fully responsive, ensuring that applications look good on any device, from desktops to mobile phones.
• Accessibility: The framework adheres to accessibility standards, offering features like keyboard navigation and screen reader support to make applications usable for everyone.
• Internationalization: Shadcn supports multiple languages out of the box, enabling developers to create applications that cater to a global audience.
• Integration Capabilities: Shadcn integrates well with other libraries and frameworks, such as React and Vue, providing flexibility in tech stack choices.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Detailed documentation and examples are available, helping developers understand and implement features effectively.

Shadcn's Reviews

Overall user feedback on Shadcn highlights its minimalist design and ease of use, with some areas for improvement noted.

• Product Hunt: 4.8/5

• "High quality, minimalist UI library that I love the most." - Clu Soh, 5/5
• "Enhances the overall user experience, making navigation and interaction a breeze." - Denise Moore, 5/5
• "This library is amazing. It is evident by how many new startups are adopting this UI library." - Ife Odubela, 5/5
• "Time-saving and well-crafted with minimal aesthetics." - Ahnaf Habib, 5/5
• "This library is so good. I used this library in my previous product company, LUMI." - Muhammad Rayyan, 5/5

Positive Aspects:

• High quality and minimalist design
• Enhances user experience and ease of navigation
• Widely adopted by new startups
• Time-saving and well-crafted

Common Concerns:

• No specific areas for improvement mentioned

Feature Comparison: Ant Design vs. Shadcn

Similarities

Despite targeting different audiences, Ant Design and Shadcn share several important similarities:

• Component Libraries: Both frameworks offer a rich set of pre-built components, making it easier for developers to build applications quickly.
• Custom Themes: Each platform allows users to customize themes, including color schemes, typography, and layout, to match specific brand requirements.
• Responsive Design: Both frameworks ensure that their components are fully responsive, providing a consistent user experience across various devices.
• Accessibility: Adherence to accessibility standards is a priority for both, offering features like keyboard navigation and screen reader support.
• Internationalization: Both frameworks support multiple languages, enabling developers to create applications for a global audience.
• Integration Capabilities: Each framework integrates well with other libraries and frameworks, providing flexibility in tech stack choices.

Differences

Critical differences between Ant Design and Shadcn will likely influence your choice.

• Primary Focus:
  • Ant Design: Emphasizes a comprehensive design system with extensive component libraries for enterprise-level applications.
  • Shadcn: Focuses on building customizable component libraries with a minimalist design approach.
• Customization Options:
  • Ant Design: Offers detailed theme customization, including primary colors, border radius, and compact settings.
  • Shadcn: Provides theme and color customization through a simpler, more streamlined interface.
• Component Library Size:
  • Ant Design: Features a vast array of components, including specialized ones like data visualization tools and mobile UI components.
  • Shadcn: Focuses on essential components, with an emphasis on accessibility and design simplicity.
• Design System Integration:
  • Ant Design: Integrates a comprehensive design system with global styles, design patterns, and a Sketch toolkit for designers.
  • Shadcn: Integrates with Tailwind CSS, focusing on accessibility and minimalistic design principles.
• Community Support:
  • Ant Design: Offers extensive community support through GitHub, Medium, Twitter, and various tech conferences.
  • Shadcn: Provides community support primarily through GitHub, encouraging open-source contributions and collaboration.

Pricing Comparison: Ant Design vs. Shadcn

Ant Design Pricing

Ant Design offers a range of pricing plans tailored to different needs. Here is a breakdown of the available options:

• Free Plan: Includes access to the full component library, basic support, and community resources.
• Pro Plan: $49/month. Offers advanced components, priority support, and access to exclusive resources and tutorials.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing. Provides dedicated support, custom development, and integration services. Contact Ant Design's support for more details.

Shadcn' Pricing

Shadcn offers a range of pricing plans designed to meet various needs. Here is a summary of the available options:

• Free Plan: Includes access to the full component library, basic support, and community resources.
• Pro Plan: $49/month. Offers advanced components, priority support, and access to exclusive resources and tutorials.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing. Provides dedicated support, custom development, and integration services. Contact Shadcn's support for more details.

Subframe, a Better Alternative to Ant Design and Shadcn

Subframe is a visual UI design tool that stays in sync with code. We combine a drag-and-drop editor with real, component-based design, allowing precise control for pixel-perfect, responsive layouts. Subframe instantly translates designs into clean, production-ready React and Tailwind code, removing the need for handoff and speeding up delivery.

Subframe's Features

Subframe is a visual UI design tool that stays in sync with code, offering a seamless experience for designers and developers alike.

• Component-Based Design: Subframe helps create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups. The visual editor includes a responsive drag-and-drop canvas for building precise, production-ready layouts.
• Pre-Built UI Templates: Subframe offers a library of customizable templates inspired by established design patterns. Each template is built with reusable components to help speed up the design process.
• Code Export: Subframe generates clean, production-quality React and Tailwind code. Designs can be copied directly into a codebase, reducing time spent on handoff and manual CSS adjustments.
• Free to Get Started: Subframe offers free access to its visual design tools with no credit card required.
• AI Integration: Subframe leverages AI to assist in designing interfaces quickly and efficiently, adapting to the user's design style.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe pricing is designed to cater to different needs:

• Free: $0 per user/month. Includes 1 project, up to 3 page designs, up to 3 team members, 100s of UI templates, and limited AI features.
• Pro: $29 per user/month. Includes up to 3 projects, unlimited page designs, unlimited team members, custom components, 100s of UI templates, and full AI beta access.
• Custom: Pricing is negotiable. Includes unlimited projects, unlimited page designs, integration of your components, dedicated Slack support, Figma plugin, and unlimited AI.

For more details, visit the Subframe Pricing page. Book a demo with Subframe to see how it can transform your design process.

Subframe's Reviews

Users have shared positive feedback about Subframe, noting its user-friendly interface, time-saving tools, and the quality of the UI designs it produces. The platform has earned a 5/5 rating on Product Hunt. Customers especially value the visual editor, drag-and-drop functionality, and AI features that help refine designs based on user input.

• "Without Subframe, the frontend build of this tool would've taken a lot longer and a lot more financial resources." - Erin Kim
• "Subframe helped us make a super clean UI for our console without designers." - Carl Peterson
• "Huge shoutout to Subframe guys! Super easy to create UI, and the support is great. Highly recommend!" - Amartya Jha

Ant Design, Shadcn or Subframe? Which is The Best Tool For You

Ant Design excels in offering a comprehensive design system with a vast array of components, making it ideal for enterprise-level applications. Shadcn focuses on minimalist design and accessibility, providing essential components for developers who prioritize simplicity and ease of use. Subframe stands out by seamlessly integrating design and code, combining a visual editor with AI-powered features to generate production-ready React and Tailwind code.

If you prioritize a robust component library and extensive customization options, Ant Design is a great fit. For those who value minimalist design and accessibility, Shadcn may be the better choice. However, if you seek a platform that integrates design and code seamlessly, offering both design flexibility and efficient code generation, Subframe stands out.

Explore Subframe today to see how it can streamline your workflow and transform your design process. Get started on Subframe for free.