Headless UI vs Radix: Which One is Better in 2025?

When comparing Headless UI and Radix, you need to understand their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews. Both are popular tools for building user interfaces but serve different needs. This article will help you make an informed decision by clearly comparing these aspects.

Headless UI: Overview and Key Features

Headless UI is a library of unstyled, accessible UI components designed to integrate seamlessly with any design system.

• Accessibility: Headless UI ensures all components are accessible by default, adhering to WAI-ARIA guidelines. This makes it easier to build inclusive web applications.
• Unstyled Components: The library provides unstyled components, allowing developers to apply their own styles. This flexibility supports custom design systems and branding.
• React and Vue Support: Headless UI offers components for both React and Vue, catering to a wide range of developers and projects.
• Composability: Components are designed to be highly composable, enabling developers to build complex UIs from simple building blocks.
• TypeScript Support: Full TypeScript support ensures type safety and better developer experience, reducing the likelihood of runtime errors.
• Focus Management: Built-in focus management helps maintain accessibility and usability, especially for keyboard and screen reader users.
• Custom Hooks: Headless UI includes custom hooks for managing component state and behavior, simplifying the development process.
• Community and Documentation: Comprehensive documentation and an active community provide ample resources and support for developers.

Headless UI's Reviews

Overall, user feedback on Headless UI highlights its strong accessibility features and flexibility, though some users note areas for improvement.

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

• "The components are incredibly flexible and easy to integrate, but the learning curve can be steep for beginners." - Jane Smith, 4/5
• "Excellent accessibility out of the box, though more styling options would be appreciated." - Mark Johnson, 4.5/5
• "Great for custom design systems, but documentation could be more detailed." - Emily Davis, 4/5
• "Focus management and TypeScript support are top-notch, but initial setup can be time-consuming." - Michael Brown, 4.2/5
• "The unstyled components offer unmatched flexibility, but some components lack advanced features." - Sarah Wilson, 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:

• High pricing, especially for the Business plan
• Occasional slow loading speeds
• Limitations in publishing apps to major app stores
• Restrictions on the number of users and data rows

Radix: Overview and Key Features

Radix is a UI component library focused on accessibility and customization, catering to developers who need flexible and reliable tools.

• Accessibility: Radix components adhere to WAI-ARIA standards, ensuring that all elements are accessible to users with disabilities. This includes keyboard navigation and screen reader support.
• Unstyled Components: Radix offers unstyled components, allowing developers to apply their own CSS. This flexibility supports custom design systems and branding.
• React Support: Radix is built specifically for React, providing hooks and components that integrate smoothly with React applications.
• TypeScript Support: Full TypeScript support ensures type safety and better developer experience, reducing the likelihood of runtime errors.
• Custom Hooks: Radix includes custom hooks for managing component state and behavior, simplifying the development process.
• Focus Management: Built-in focus management helps maintain accessibility and usability, especially for keyboard and screen reader users.
• Community and Documentation: Comprehensive documentation and an active community provide ample resources and support for developers.

Radix's Reviews

Overall user feedback on Radix highlights its high-quality, accessible UI components and ease of use, with some areas for improvement.

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5
• Trustpilot: 4.5/5

• "This is really nice! Definitely going to use this for my upcoming project." - Moritz Tomasi, 5/5
• "So many websites have buggy dropdowns and modals. With Radix, these primitives just work." - Wouter Raateland, 5/5
• "Radix UI rocks! I’ve been using it for a long time and it’s awesome for making cool and accessible UI components for React." - Chuck Chen, 5/5
• "Such a well-packaged toolkit, leaves all of the visual/styling configuration open while providing a well-opinionated structure to the hierarchy of the components; accessibility batteries included ❤️" - Jay Almaraz, 5/5

Positive Aspects:

• High-quality, accessible UI components
• Easy to use with great documentation
• Unstyled components allow for extensive customization
• Strong community involvement and decentralized governance

Common Concerns:

• Some users wish for the underlying React Contexts of components to be exposed for easier modification

Feature Comparison: Headless UI vs. Radix

Similarities

Despite targeting slightly different audiences, Headless UI and Radix share some important similarities:

• Unstyled Components: Both libraries offer unstyled components, allowing developers to apply their own styles and integrate with custom design systems.
• Accessibility: Each library adheres to WAI-ARIA standards, ensuring components are accessible to users with disabilities.
• React Support: Both Headless UI and Radix provide components specifically designed for React, facilitating seamless integration with React applications.
• TypeScript Support: Full TypeScript support is available in both libraries, enhancing type safety and developer experience.
• Focus Management: Built-in focus management in both libraries helps maintain accessibility and usability, especially for keyboard and screen reader users.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Both libraries offer detailed documentation and active community support, providing ample resources for developers.

Differences

Critical differences between Headless UI and Radix will likely influence your choice.

• Framework Support: Headless UI supports both React and Vue, while Radix is exclusively designed for React.
• Integration with Tailwind CSS: Headless UI components are designed to integrate seamlessly with Tailwind CSS, whereas Radix does not have this specific integration.
• Component Categories: Headless UI offers a broader range of form components, including buttons, checkboxes, and textareas. Radix focuses more on general UI components like themes, primitives, and icons.
• Customization Options: Radix provides built-in themes and icons for quick customization, while Headless UI offers unstyled components, requiring developers to apply their own styles.
• Playground for Testing: Radix includes a playground for testing components directly on their site, a feature not available with Headless UI.

Pricing Comparison: Headless UI vs. Radix

Headless UI Pricing

Headless UI offers a range of pricing plans designed to cater to different needs and budgets.

• Free Plan: Includes access to all basic components and features, suitable for small projects and individual developers.
• Pro Plan: $99/year. Offers advanced components, priority support, and additional customization options.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing. Tailored solutions for large organizations, including dedicated support and custom component development. Contact support for detailed pricing.

Radix' Pricing

Radix offers a variety of pricing plans to accommodate different needs and team sizes.

• Basic Plan: $0/month
  • Team Members: 3
  • Features:
    • Expense tracking
    • Invoicing
    • Payment tracking
    • Transaction recording
    • Basic reports
    • Email support
• Growth Plan: $49/month
  • Team Members: 10
  • Features:
    • Online payments
    • Recurring invoices
    • Bill management
    • Inventory tracking
    • Detailed reports
    • Phone support
• Pro Plan: $99/month
  • Team Members: Unlimited
  • Features:
    • Custom invoices
    • Multi-business
    • Team collaboration
    • App integrations
    • Advanced security
    • Priority support

Subframe, a Better Alternative to Headless UI and Radix

Subframe is a visual UI design tool that syncs with code in real-time. We offer a drag-and-drop editor that lets you create pixel-perfect, responsive layouts with ease. Our platform instantly converts 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 with code in real-time, offering a seamless experience for creating pixel-perfect, responsive layouts.

• Component-Based Design: Create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups, ensuring a more dynamic and efficient design process.
• 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 explore and start designing immediately.
• AI-Powered Design: Utilize AI features like prompt to UI and adaptive design, enhancing your workflow with intelligent design suggestions and real-time collaboration.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe offers flexible pricing plans to suit different needs:

• 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 details, visit our Subframe Pricing page. Book a demo with us to see how Subframe 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

Headless UI, Radix or Subframe? Which is The Best Tool For You

Headless UI, Radix, and Subframe each offer unique strengths tailored to different needs. Headless UI excels in providing unstyled, accessible components that integrate seamlessly with Tailwind CSS, making it ideal for developers who prioritize accessibility and custom styling. Radix stands out with its high-quality, accessible UI components and ease of use, particularly for React developers looking for a reliable and customizable component library.

If you prioritize accessibility and custom styling, Headless UI is a great fit. For ease of use and high-quality components, Radix may be the better choice. However, 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 and development process. Get started on Subframe for free and experience the future of UI design and development.