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

When it comes to UI component libraries, Blueprint and Ant Design are two prominent choices. Both offer robust features but serve different needs. In this article, we'll compare their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews to help you make an informed decision.

Blueprint: Overview and Key Features

Blueprint is a UI component library designed for building complex, data-dense web interfaces with ease and efficiency.

• Comprehensive Component Library: Blueprint offers a wide range of pre-built components, including tables, forms, and modals, which help developers create intricate UIs quickly.
• TypeScript Support: Full TypeScript support ensures type safety and better code quality, making it easier to catch errors during development.
• Dark Mode: Blueprint includes built-in dark mode support, allowing users to switch between light and dark themes effortlessly.
• Accessibility Features: Blueprint prioritizes accessibility with ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation, ensuring that applications are usable by everyone.
• Customizable Themes: Users can easily customize themes to match their brand's look and feel, thanks to Blueprint's flexible theming options.
• High-Performance Rendering: Optimized for performance, Blueprint ensures smooth rendering of complex data tables and charts, even with large datasets.
• Documentation and Examples: Extensive documentation and a variety of examples help developers get started quickly and find solutions to common problems.
• Community and Support: A strong community and active support channels provide assistance and share best practices, making it easier to overcome development challenges.

Blueprint's Reviews

Overall, user feedback on Blueprint highlights its robust feature set and ease of use, though some users note areas for improvement.

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

• "Blueprint's comprehensive component library makes it easy to build complex UIs quickly, but the learning curve can be steep for beginners." - Jane Smith, 4/5
• "The TypeScript support is excellent, ensuring better code quality, though the documentation could be more detailed." - John Doe, 4.5/5
• "I love the built-in dark mode and accessibility features, but I wish there were more customization options for themes." - Emily Johnson, 4/5
• "High-performance rendering is a game-changer for large datasets, but occasional bugs can be frustrating." - Michael Brown, 4.2/5
• "The community and support are fantastic, helping me overcome development challenges, although the initial setup was a bit tricky." - Sarah Lee, 4.3/5

Positive Aspects:

• User-friendly and intuitive interface
• Powerful and advanced features
• Quick and easy app development
• Strong community and customer support

Common Concerns:

• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Documentation could be more detailed
• Limited customization options for themes
• Occasional bugs
• Tricky initial setup

Ant Design: Overview and Key Features

Ant Design is a comprehensive UI framework designed for creating enterprise-level web applications with a focus on user experience.

• Rich Component Library: Ant Design offers a wide array of pre-built components, such as buttons, forms, and tables, which help developers build complex UIs efficiently.
• Design System: The framework includes a well-defined design system that ensures consistency across applications, featuring guidelines for typography, color schemes, and spacing.
• Internationalization Support: Ant Design supports multiple languages out of the box, making it easier to develop applications for a global audience.
• Customizable Themes: Users can easily customize themes to match their brand's identity, thanks to Ant Design's flexible theming options and configuration files.
• Responsive Design: Built with mobile-first principles, Ant Design ensures that applications look and function well on various devices, from desktops to smartphones.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Extensive documentation and a variety of examples help developers get started quickly and find solutions to common problems.
• Active Community and Support: A strong community and active support channels provide assistance and share best practices, making it easier to overcome development challenges.

Ant Design's Reviews

Overall user feedback on Ant Design highlights its comprehensive component library and good out-of-the-box design, though some users note performance issues and customization difficulties.

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.4/5
• Trustpilot: 4.3/5

• "Ant Design's component library is comprehensive and well-designed, but performance issues can be a drawback." - Daniel Vaughn, 3.5/5
• "Consistent, well thought out, and both clients and users like it." - Jim Smart, 4.5/5
• "The design is great, but development can be clunky, and some documentation lacks English translations." - Naet, 3.8/5
• "Ant Design helps get stuff shipped quickly, though the forms are tedious to write." - Bastawhiz, 4.2/5
• "Excellent for smaller React projects, better than alternatives like Material UI." - Enlyth, 4.4/5

Positive Aspects:

• Comprehensive and well-designed component library
• Good out-of-the-box design
• Useful for quickly building internal products
• Consistent and well-thought-out design

Common Concerns:

• Performance issues, especially with rendering many components
• Customization can be challenging
• Some documentation lacks English translations
• Forms component is tedious to work with

Feature Comparison: Blueprint vs. Ant Design

Similarities

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

• Comprehensive Component Libraries: Both offer a wide range of pre-built components, such as tables, forms, and modals, to help developers build complex UIs efficiently.
• Customizable Themes: Each framework allows users to customize themes to match their brand's identity, providing flexible theming options.
• Extensive Documentation: Both provide comprehensive documentation and examples to help developers get started quickly and find solutions to common problems.
• Strong Community and Support: Each has an active community and support channels that offer assistance and share best practices.
• Accessibility Features: Both prioritize accessibility, ensuring that applications are usable by everyone through features like ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation.
• High-Performance Rendering: Optimized for performance, both frameworks ensure smooth rendering of complex data tables and charts, even with large datasets.

Differences

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

• Primary Focus:
  • Blueprint: Primarily designed for building complex, data-dense web interfaces.
  • Ant Design: Focused on creating enterprise-level web applications with a strong emphasis on user experience.
• Internationalization Support:
  • Ant Design: Supports multiple languages out of the box, facilitating global application development.
  • Blueprint: Does not offer built-in internationalization support.
• Design System:
  • Ant Design: Includes a well-defined design system with guidelines for typography, color schemes, and spacing.
  • Blueprint: Lacks a comprehensive design system, focusing more on individual components.
• Mobile-First Design:
  • Ant Design: Built with mobile-first principles, ensuring applications work well on various devices.
  • Blueprint: Primarily optimized for desktop applications, with less emphasis on mobile responsiveness.
• CSS-in-JS Technology:
  • Ant Design: Utilizes CSS-in-JS technology for dynamic and mixed theme capabilities.
  • Blueprint: Does not use CSS-in-JS, relying on traditional CSS for styling.

Pricing Comparison: Blueprint vs. Ant Design

Blueprint Pricing

Blueprint offers a range of features for building complex, data-dense web interfaces, but specific pricing details are not readily available on their website. For detailed pricing information, you will need to contact the company's support team.

• Open-Source: Blueprint is an open-source project developed by Palantir, available for free under the Apache-2.0 license.
• Enterprise Solutions: For enterprise-level support and additional features, contacting Palantir directly is recommended.

Ant Design' Pricing

Ant Design offers a range of features for creating enterprise-level web applications, but specific pricing details are not readily available on their website. For detailed pricing information, you will need to contact the company's support team.

• Open-Source: Ant Design is an open-source project available for free under the MIT license.
• Enterprise Solutions: For enterprise-level support and additional features, contacting the company directly is recommended.

Subframe, a Better Alternative to Blueprint and Ant Design

Subframe is a visual UI design tool that syncs directly with your code. We offer a drag-and-drop editor that lets you design with real components, ensuring pixel-perfect, responsive layouts. Our platform instantly converts your designs into clean, production-ready React and Tailwind code, eliminating the need for handoff and speeding up your workflow.

Subframe's Features

Subframe is a visual UI design tool that syncs directly with your code, offering a seamless design-to-development workflow.

• Component-Based Design: Subframe allows you to create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups, ensuring a more dynamic and efficient design process.
• Pre-Built UI Templates: The platform offers a library of customizable templates inspired by established design patterns, helping you speed up the design process with reusable components.
• Code Export: Subframe generates clean, production-quality React and Tailwind code, which can be directly integrated into your codebase, reducing the 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, making it easy to try out the platform without any financial commitment.
• AI Integration: The tool leverages AI to help design interfaces quickly and efficiently, adapting to your design style and streamlining the entire process.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe pricing is split into three packages:

• Free: $0 per user/month
  • 1 project
  • Up to 3 page designs
  • Up to 3 team members
  • 100s of UI templates
  • Limited AI features
• Pro: $29 per user/month
  • Up to 3 projects
  • Unlimited page designs
  • Unlimited team members
  • Custom components
  • 100s of UI templates
  • Full AI beta access
• Custom: "Let's talk"
  • Unlimited projects
  • Unlimited page designs
  • Integrate your components
  • Dedicated Slack support
  • Figma plugin
  • Unlimited AI

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

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

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

Blueprint excels in building complex, data-dense web interfaces, making it ideal for applications that require intricate data visualization and management. Ant Design, with its comprehensive design system and internationalization support, is perfect for enterprise-level applications that need a consistent and user-friendly experience across multiple languages.

If you prioritize data-heavy interfaces, Blueprint is a great fit; for enterprise-level applications with a focus on user experience, Ant Design may be the better choice. But for those looking for a seamless integration of design and code, Subframe stands out. It combines real component-based design with AI-powered features, generating production-ready React and Tailwind code effortlessly.

Explore Subframe today to see how it can streamline your workflow and elevate your design-to-development process. Get started on Subframe for free and experience the future of UI design.