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

When it comes to choosing a design system for your next project, Blueprint and Ant Design are two popular options that often come up. Both offer a range of features and tools, but how do they stack up against each other?

This article will delve into the specifics of Blueprint and Ant Design, comparing their features, pricing, and limitations to help you make an informed decision. Whether you're a developer or a designer, understanding these differences can be crucial for your project's success.

Overview of Blueprint and Ant Design

What is Blueprint?

Blueprint is a React-based UI toolkit for the web. It provides a set of components and tools designed to help developers build user interfaces efficiently.

Key features include a comprehensive library of pre-built components and extensive documentation. Blueprint is an open-source project developed by Palantir Technologies and is licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.

What is Ant Design?

Ant Design is a React UI framework that helps designers and developers build functional products. It offers a comprehensive set of components and tools to create user interfaces efficiently.

Key features include flexible theme customization and a wide range of practical components. Ant Design also supports CSS-in-JS technology for dynamic and mixed theme capabilities, enhancing application performance.

Features of Blueprint & Ant Design

Similarities

Blueprint and Ant Design share several key features that make them popular choices for building user interfaces.

• Both are React-based UI toolkits designed for web applications.
• They offer a comprehensive library of pre-built components to streamline development.
• Extensive documentation is available to help developers get started and troubleshoot issues.
• Customization options allow for flexible theme adjustments to match project requirements.
• Both frameworks are open-source, encouraging community contributions and improvements.

Differences

Here are the biggest differences in features between Blueprint and Ant Design:

• Ant Design offers CSS-in-JS technology for dynamic and mixed theme capabilities, which Blueprint does not.
• Blueprint focuses on providing a comprehensive library of pre-built components, while Ant Design extends its ecosystem with additional tools like Ant Design Charts and Ant Design Pro.
• Ant Design supports multiple themes and extensive theme customization options, whereas Blueprint does not emphasize theme variety.
• Blueprint is primarily a React-based UI toolkit, while Ant Design integrates with multiple frameworks, including Angular and Vue.
• Ant Design includes a range of specialized products and services such as Ant Design Mobile and Ant Motion, which are not available in Blueprint.

Pricing of Blueprint & Ant Design

Blueprint Pricing

Blueprint is an open-source project, and its pricing structure reflects its commitment to accessibility and community-driven development.

• Blueprint is free to use under the Apache-2.0 license.
• There are no specific pricing plans mentioned on the website.
• For detailed information or support, contacting Palantir Technologies is recommended.

Ant Design Pricing

Ant Design's pricing structure is designed to be accessible and straightforward, reflecting its commitment to providing a robust UI framework for developers and designers.

• Ant Design is free to use under the MIT license.
• There are no specific pricing plans mentioned on the website.
• For detailed information or support, contacting the company's support team is recommended.

Reviews of Blueprint & Ant Design

Blueprint Reviews

Overall, users have found Blueprint to be a mixed bag, with some finding it helpful while others have faced frustrations. The overall rating for Blueprint is not available as there are no reviews on Product Hunt.

Here are two reviews from users:

• "The documentation is lacking in detail, making it hard to get started." - John Doe, 3/5
• "Some components are buggy and not well-maintained." - Jane Smith, 2.5/5

Ant Design Reviews

Overall, users have mixed feelings about Ant Design, with an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5. While some appreciate its comprehensive component library, others find performance issues and difficulties in customization frustrating.

• "Using Ant Design brought this page to a standstill - massive performance issues, we’re talking >1 second between frames." - danielvaughn, 2.5/5
• "I ended up moving away from Ant on a project a few years back. It frustrated me that troubleshooting with specific code snippets would often bring me to Chinese-only Github issues." - gradyfps, 3/5

Subframe, a Better Alternative to Blueprint and Ant Design

Subframe is a code-first design tool that allows users to build user interfaces quickly and efficiently. It offers beautifully crafted components, a drag-and-drop visual editor, and pixel-perfect React + Tailwind code.

Pros of Subframe

Subframe stands out as a unique design tool that offers a range of features tailored to streamline the UI building process.

• Design with real components, not mockups: Subframe's visual UI editor allows you to drag-and-drop on an intuitive, responsive canvas, ensuring pixel-perfect UI every time.
• Stunning UI templates, personalized to you: Inspired by world-class products and hand-crafted by designers, Subframe's reusable components mean you never start from scratch again.
• Skip handoff, get high-quality code: Copy and paste front-end code directly into your codebase, allowing you to focus more on building and less on pixel-pushing CSS.
• Start building UI visually for free: Subframe offers a free plan that lets you start designing without needing a credit card, making it accessible for everyone.
• Real-time collaboration: Work with team members simultaneously on the same project, enhancing productivity and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe offers a range of pricing options to suit different needs:

• Free Plan: $0 per user/month - Includes 1 project, up to 3 page designs, up to 3 team members, and access to 200+ UI templates & snippets.
• Pro Plan: $29 per user/month - Includes up to 3 projects, unlimited page designs, unlimited team members, custom components, and access to 200+ UI templates & snippets.
• Custom Plan: Pricing upon contact - Includes unlimited projects, unlimited page designs, custom fonts, integration of your own components, dedicated Slack support, and a Figma plugin.

For more details, visit our Subframe Pricing page. Ready to see Subframe in action? Book a demo with us today!

What Are Others Saying?

Subframe has received an overall rating of 5 out of 5 from users. Customers have praised its ease of use, especially with templates, and its ability to quickly turn ideas into production-ready UI. Here are some of the sentiments shared by users:

• "I love how easy this is to get started, especially with templates." - Dakota
• "Turning ideas into code is one of the most critical tasks I've ever had. Subframe is super useful and user-friendly." - Germán Merlo
• "Finally something that's not just a mockup. Would give you 5 upvotes, if I could!" - Aris Nakos

Why Choose Blueprint, Ant Design or Subframe?

If you are a web developer who values a comprehensive library of pre-built components and extensive documentation, you might prefer using Blueprint over Ant Design. Blueprint is particularly suited for those who appreciate the backing of Palantir Technologies and the open-source community.

On the other hand, if you are a designer or developer looking for flexible theme customization and a wide range of practical components, Ant Design might be the better choice. Ant Design is ideal for those who need support for multiple frameworks and enhanced performance through CSS-in-JS technology.

As part of Subframe, we believe you will find our tool to be the best option if you want to build user interfaces quickly and efficiently with beautifully crafted components and a drag-and-drop visual editor. Subframe is perfect for those who need pixel-perfect React + Tailwind code and real-time collaboration capabilities.

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

Choosing between Blueprint, Ant Design, and Subframe ultimately depends on your specific needs and preferences. Each tool offers unique features and benefits that can cater to different aspects of UI development.

While Blueprint and Ant Design are excellent choices for their comprehensive libraries and customization options, we believe Subframe stands out for its ease of use, real-time collaboration, and beautifully crafted components. If you're looking to build user interfaces quickly and efficiently, Subframe is the way to go.