NextUI vs Radix: Which One is Better in 2025?

When comparing UI component libraries, NextUI and Radix often come up as top contenders. Both offer robust features but serve different needs. In this article, we'll examine their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews to help you make an informed decision.

NextUI: Overview and Key Features

NextUI is a modern UI component library designed to simplify the development of React applications with a focus on performance and accessibility.

• Pre-built Components: NextUI offers a wide range of pre-built components like buttons, modals, and forms. These components are customizable and ready to use, reducing development time.
• Dark Mode Support: NextUI includes built-in dark mode support, allowing users to easily switch between light and dark themes. This feature enhances user experience and accessibility.
• Responsive Design: NextUI components are designed to be fully responsive, ensuring that applications look great on all devices, from mobile phones to desktops.
• TypeScript Support: NextUI is fully compatible with TypeScript, providing type safety and better developer experience. This helps in catching errors early during development.
• Customizable Themes: NextUI allows users to create and apply custom themes. This feature enables developers to maintain brand consistency across their applications.
• Accessibility Features: NextUI prioritizes accessibility by adhering to WAI-ARIA standards. This ensures that applications are usable by people with disabilities.
• Performance Optimization: NextUI components are optimized for performance, with minimal bundle sizes and fast load times. This results in a smoother user experience.
• Integration with Popular Tools: NextUI integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Next.js and Vercel, making it easier to deploy and manage applications.

NextUI's Reviews

Overall, user feedback on NextUI highlights its fast and modern UI components, though some users note limitations with complex components in React server environments.

Ratings from Trusted Platforms:

• Product Hunt: 4.8/5 based on 36 reviews

User Reviews:

• "NextUI in combination with TailwindCSS has enabled me and my team to ship with unprecedented speed thanks to lovely ergonomical API design from the NextUI team 💯" - Gus
• "Beautiful animated and customizable components! Probably my favorite component UI library for React/NextJS. I use it with App Router, many components work in React server components, but obviously more complex components will only work in client components." - Noah Youngs
• "NextUI is a game-changer! 🚀 Its intuitive design and components have completely transformed my UI development process. Kudos to the team behind NextUI for creating such a powerful library!" - Yury Volk
• "Tailored functionalities allow for a high degree of personalization, making it suitable for a variety of business needs across industries." - Huzaifa Kamboh
• "My development is now much faster with NextUI. If you want to enjoy coding you should use this." - Hüseyin Ataş

Positive Aspects:

• Fast and modern UI components
• Integration with TailwindCSS
• Ergonomical API design
• Customizable and animated components
• Intuitive design and components
• High degree of personalization

Common Concerns:

• Some complex components only work in client components, not in React server components

Radix: Overview and Key Features

Radix is a UI component library focused on providing accessible, unstyled components for building high-quality web applications.

• Unstyled Components: Radix offers a collection of unstyled components, allowing developers to apply their own styles and maintain design consistency across applications.
• Accessibility: Radix components adhere to WAI-ARIA standards, ensuring that applications are usable by people with disabilities. This includes features like keyboard navigation and screen reader support.
• Custom Hooks: Radix provides custom hooks for managing component state and behavior, such as useDialog and usePopover. These hooks simplify the implementation of complex UI patterns.
• TypeScript Support: Radix is fully compatible with TypeScript, offering type definitions that enhance code quality and catch errors early in the development process.
• Modular Architecture: Radix components are designed to be modular, allowing developers to import only the components they need. This reduces bundle size and improves application performance.
• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Radix supports server-side rendering, making it suitable for use with frameworks like Next.js. This improves SEO and initial load times for web applications.
• Community and Documentation: Radix has comprehensive documentation and an active community, providing resources and support for developers. This includes detailed guides, examples, and API references.

Radix's Reviews

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

Ratings from Trusted Platforms:

• Product Hunt: 5/5 based on 28 reviews

User Reviews:

• "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. Would love for them to expose the underlying React Contexts of their components for easier modification." - 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. It’s super easy to use, has great docs, and is fast." - 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
• Well-packaged toolkit with a well-opinionated structure
• Strong community involvement and decentralized governance

Common Concerns:

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

Feature Comparison: NextUI vs. Radix

Similarities

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

• Accessibility: Both libraries prioritize accessibility, adhering to WAI-ARIA standards to ensure usability for people with disabilities.
• TypeScript Support: Each library is fully compatible with TypeScript, enhancing code quality and catching errors early in the development process.
• Customizable Components: Both offer customizable components, allowing developers to maintain design consistency across applications.
• Performance Optimization: Both libraries focus on performance, with minimal bundle sizes and fast load times.
• Responsive Design: Components in both libraries are designed to be fully responsive, ensuring applications look great on all devices.
• Community and Documentation: Each library has comprehensive documentation and an active community, providing resources and support for developers.

Differences

Critical differences between NextUI and Radix will likely influence your choice.

• Component Styling: - NextUI: Offers pre-built, styled components ready for immediate use. - Radix: Provides unstyled components, allowing developers to apply their own styles for greater design flexibility.
• Dark Mode Support: - NextUI: Includes built-in dark mode support, enabling easy theme switching. - Radix: Does not offer built-in dark mode, requiring custom implementation.
• Custom Hooks: - Radix: Provides custom hooks for managing component state and behavior. - NextUI: Lacks custom hooks, focusing instead on pre-built component functionality.
• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): - Radix: Supports server-side rendering, enhancing SEO and initial load times. - NextUI: Primarily optimized for client-side rendering, with limited SSR support.
• Integration with TailwindCSS: - NextUI: Built on top of TailwindCSS, ensuring seamless integration. - Radix: Does not integrate with TailwindCSS, offering a more agnostic approach to styling.

Pricing Comparison: NextUI vs. Radix

NextUI Pricing

NextUI offers a range of pricing plans designed to cater to different user needs, from individual professionals to larger organizations.

• Solo Plan: $249 (one-time payment plus local taxes)
  • Single user license
  • Access to all components
  • Lifetime access
  • Unlimited projects
  • Customer support
  • Free updates
  • All Figma files included
• Startup Plan: $399 (one-time payment plus local taxes)
  • 5 user licenses
  • Access to all components
  • Lifetime access
  • Unlimited projects
  • Priority tech support
  • Customer support
  • Free updates
  • All Figma files included
• Organization Plan: $799 (one-time payment plus local taxes)
  • 25 user licenses
  • Access to all components
  • Lifetime access
  • Unlimited projects
  • Priority tech support
  • Customer support
  • Free updates
  • All Figma files included

Radix' Pricing

Radix offers a variety of pricing plans to accommodate different user needs, from individual developers to larger teams.

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

Subframe, a Better Alternative to NextUI and Radix

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, combining a drag-and-drop editor with real, component-based design.

• Component-Based Design: Subframe helps create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups, ensuring precise, production-ready layouts.
• Pre-Built UI Templates: Subframe offers a library of customizable templates inspired by established design patterns, speeding up the design process.
• Code Export: Subframe generates clean, production-quality React and Tailwind code, 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, making it accessible for everyone.
• AI Integration: Subframe includes AI capabilities like generating UI from prompts and sharing real prototypes, adapting to user designs seamlessly.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe pricing is designed to cater to different user needs:

• Free Plan: $0 per user/month
  • 1 project
  • Up to 3 page designs
  • Up to 3 team members
  • 100s of UI templates
  • Limited AI features
• Pro Plan: $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 Plan: Pricing is customized ("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 UI 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.

Ratings from Trusted Platforms:

• Product Hunt: 5/5 based on 4 reviews

User Reviews:

• "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

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

NextUI is ideal for developers who need pre-built, styled components and seamless integration with TailwindCSS. Radix excels in providing unstyled, accessible components with custom hooks and server-side rendering support, making it a strong choice for those who prioritize flexibility and performance.

Subframe, however, stands out by integrating design and code seamlessly. It combines a drag-and-drop editor with real, component-based design, generating production-ready React and Tailwind code. This makes Subframe the optimal solution for those seeking both design flexibility and efficient code generation in one platform.

If you prioritize pre-built components and TailwindCSS integration, NextUI is a great fit. For unstyled components and server-side rendering, Radix may be the better choice. But for those looking for a tool that integrates design and code seamlessly, Subframe stands out. Get started on Subframe for free to see how it can streamline your workflow.