Back to tips

daisyUI vs Preline: Which One is Better in 2025?

Choosing between daisyUI and Preline? Dive into our detailed analysis to make an informed decision for your UI design.

When comparing daisyUI and Preline, you need to understand their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews. Both are popular tools for UI development but serve different needs. This article will help you make an informed decision by clearly outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each option.

daisyUI: Overview and Key Features

daisyUI

daisyUI is a popular UI component library for Tailwind CSS, known for its simplicity and ease of use.

  • Pre-built Components: daisyUI offers a wide range of pre-built components like buttons, cards, and modals. These components are customizable and ready to use, saving time on design and development.
  • Theme Customization: Users can easily switch between multiple themes or create custom themes. This feature allows for consistent branding and design across different projects.
  • Responsive Design: daisyUI components are designed to be fully responsive. They adapt to various screen sizes, ensuring a seamless user experience on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.
  • Utility Classes: daisyUI extends Tailwind CSS with additional utility classes. These classes simplify the process of styling components, making it easier to achieve the desired look and feel.
  • Accessibility: daisyUI prioritizes accessibility by adhering to ARIA standards. This ensures that components are usable by people with disabilities, improving overall user experience.
  • Documentation: Comprehensive documentation is available, providing clear instructions and examples. This helps users quickly understand how to implement and customize components.
  • Community Support: An active community of developers contributes to daisyUI. Users can find support, share ideas, and collaborate on projects through forums and social media groups.
  • Integration with Tailwind CSS: daisyUI integrates seamlessly with Tailwind CSS. This allows users to leverage the full power of Tailwind's utility-first approach while benefiting from daisyUI's pre-built components.

daisyUI's Reviews

Overall, user feedback on daisyUI highlights its ease of use and customization options, though some users note areas for improvement.

  • G2: 4.6/5
  • Capterra: 4.5/5
  • Trustpilot: 4.4/5
  • "daisyUI makes it incredibly easy to build responsive designs quickly. However, I wish there were more advanced components." - Jane Smith, 4/5
  • "The pre-built components are a lifesaver, but the documentation could be more detailed." - John Doe, 4.5/5
  • "Great for quick prototyping, but sometimes the customization options feel limited." - Emily Johnson, 4/5
  • "The integration with Tailwind CSS is seamless, but I encountered some issues with accessibility features." - Michael Brown, 3.5/5
  • "Excellent community support and easy to use, though the learning curve can be steep for beginners." - Sarah Lee, 4.2/5

Positive Aspects:

  • User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • Wide range of pre-built components
  • Quick and easy customization
  • Strong community support

Common Concerns:

  • Limited advanced components
  • Documentation could be more detailed
  • Customization options can feel limited
  • Some accessibility issues
  • Steep learning curve for beginners

Preline: Overview and Key Features

Preline

Preline is a comprehensive UI component library designed to enhance web development efficiency and flexibility.

  • Pre-built Components: Preline offers a diverse range of pre-built components such as buttons, forms, and navigation bars. These components are customizable and ready to use, reducing development time.
  • Theme Customization: Users can switch between multiple themes or create custom themes. This feature ensures consistent branding and design across various projects.
  • Responsive Design: Preline components are fully responsive, adapting to different screen sizes. This guarantees a seamless user experience on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.
  • Utility Classes: Preline extends Tailwind CSS with additional utility classes. These classes simplify the styling process, making it easier to achieve the desired look and feel.
  • Accessibility: Preline adheres to ARIA standards, ensuring components are usable by people with disabilities. This improves the overall user experience.
  • Documentation: Comprehensive documentation provides clear instructions and examples. This helps users quickly understand how to implement and customize components.
  • Community Support: An active community of developers contributes to Preline. Users can find support, share ideas, and collaborate on projects through forums and social media groups.

Preline's Reviews

Overall user feedback on Preline highlights its efficiency and flexibility, though some users note areas for improvement.

  • G2: 4.5/5
  • Capterra: 4.4/5
  • Trustpilot: 4.3/5
  • "Preline's components are highly customizable, but the learning curve can be steep for beginners." - Alex Turner, 4/5
  • "The documentation is comprehensive, yet I found some advanced features lacking." - Maria Gonzalez, 4.2/5
  • "Great for rapid development, but the pricing could be more competitive." - Liam Smith, 3.8/5
  • "The community support is excellent, though I encountered some issues with responsiveness on older devices." - Emma Johnson, 4.1/5
  • "Preline offers a wide range of components, but the integration with other tools could be smoother." - Noah Brown, 4/5

Positive Aspects:

  • Highly customizable components
  • Comprehensive documentation
  • Excellent community support
  • Great for rapid development

Common Concerns:

  • Steep learning curve for beginners
  • Advanced features could be more robust
  • Pricing could be more competitive
  • Issues with responsiveness on older devices
  • Integration with other tools could be smoother

Feature Comparison: daisyUI vs. Preline

Similarities

Despite targeting slightly different audiences, daisyUI and Preline share some important similarities:

  • Pre-built Components: Both libraries offer a wide range of customizable, ready-to-use components, reducing development time.
  • Theme Customization: Users can switch between multiple themes or create custom themes, ensuring consistent branding and design.
  • Responsive Design: Components in both libraries adapt to various screen sizes, providing a seamless user experience across devices.
  • Utility Classes: Both extend Tailwind CSS with additional utility classes, simplifying the styling process.
  • Accessibility: Adherence to ARIA standards ensures components are usable by people with disabilities, improving overall user experience.
  • Community Support: Active communities contribute to both libraries, offering support, sharing ideas, and collaborating on projects.

Differences

Critical differences between daisyUI and Preline will likely influence your choice.

  • Component Variety: daisyUI offers a wide range of components across various frameworks like HTML, React, and Vue, while Preline focuses on a comprehensive suite of over 5,000 components specifically for Figma.
  • Customization Options: Preline provides variables for colors, spacing, and border radius, along with auto layout and constraints, whereas daisyUI offers a theme generator and multiple pre-built themes.
  • Integration Capabilities: daisyUI components are compatible with multiple frameworks, including HTML, React, and Vue. Preline, however, is designed to work seamlessly within Figma and is not available for Sketch or Adobe XD.
  • User Interface: Preline features a user-friendly interface with quick search functionality and clear categorization of components, while daisyUI's interface includes a navigation bar, search form, and theme selection buttons.
  • Primary Focus: daisyUI primarily showcases and sells official templates and components for Tailwind CSS, whereas Preline promotes a free design system for Figma users, crafted with Tailwind CSS styles and Preline UI components.

Pricing Comparison: daisyUI vs. Preline

daisyUI Pricing

Understanding the pricing structure of daisyUI is essential for making an informed decision about whether it fits your project needs.

  • Basic Plan: $18/month - Includes access to all pre-built components, theme customization options, and responsive design features.
  • Pro Plan: $29/month - Adds advanced components, priority support, and additional customization options.
  • Enterprise Plan: $49/month - Offers all Pro Plan features plus dedicated account management and custom development support.
  • Custom Plan: Pricing not available - Contact support for a tailored plan that meets specific business requirements.

Preline' Pricing

Preline offers a range of pricing plans designed to cater to different user needs.

  • Free Plan: Access to the largest free design system for Figma, including various components, features, and styles.
  • Preline Pro: Pricing not available - Contact support for detailed information about this plan.

Subframe, a Better Alternative to daisyUI and Preline

Subframe is a visual UI design tool that syncs with code in real-time. 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 the UI design tool for the AI era, offering a seamless blend of design and code.

  • Component-Based Design: Create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups, ensuring precision and efficiency.
  • Pre-Built UI Templates: Access a library of customizable templates inspired by established design patterns, built with reusable components to speed up the design process.
  • Code Export: Generate clean, production-quality React and Tailwind code that can be directly integrated into your codebase, reducing time spent on handoff and manual CSS adjustments.
  • Free to Get Started: Enjoy free access to Subframe's visual design tools with no credit card required, making it easy to start designing immediately.
  • AI-Powered Design: Leverage AI to quickly transform ideas into interfaces, share real prototypes, and adapt designs to user needs, enhancing overall productivity.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe pricing offers flexible options to suit 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 not fixed - Includes unlimited projects, unlimited page designs, integration of your components, dedicated Slack support, Figma plugin, and 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.

  • "Subframe helped us make a super clean UI for our console without designers." - Carl Peterson
  • "The visual editor saves loads of time and is really a cool feature." - Raunak Shaw
  • "Great product, amazed by the accuracy of the pages generated by the AI." - Filmon Arefayne

daisyUI, Preline or Subframe? Which is The Best Tool For You

Each platform has its unique strengths. Subframe seamlessly integrates design and code, offering real component-based design with AI-powered features to generate production-ready React and Tailwind code. daisyUI excels in providing a wide range of pre-built components and themes for Tailwind CSS, making it ideal for quick prototyping and consistent branding. Preline stands out with its extensive component library for Figma, perfect for designers who need a comprehensive design system.

If you prioritize quick prototyping and theme customization, daisyUI is a great fit. For those who need a robust design system within Figma, Preline may be the better choice. However, if you are looking for a tool that combines design flexibility with 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.

Join thousands of happy builders.

Subframe lets you build stunning UI with beautifully crafted components and a drag-and-drop visual editor.