Fomantic-UI vs. Milligram CSS
By SW Habitation
Fomantic-UI
Milligram CSS
You know how building a website can feel like a lot, especially when you’re trying to style every little thing yourself? Buttons, forms, layouts… it adds up fast. That’s where UI frameworks really save the day. They give you a bunch of premade design elements that you can just drop in and go. It’s like having a design starter pack that helps your site look clean and professional, without spending forever tweaking the details.
What is Fomantic-UI?
Fomantic-UI is a modern version of the popular Semantic UI, made and improved by the community. It is a tool for building websites that are responsive, easy to style, and user-friendly, fast.
It focuses on semantic class names that read like natural language, making code more intuitive and easier to understand. Since it’s a fork, it has continued where Semantic UI left off, with new features, updates, and active maintenance by the community.
Key Features of Fomantic-UI
- Human-Friendly Classes: Semantic class names like ui button, ui card, ui grid.
- Rich Components: Buttons, forms, modals, dropdowns, cards, tabs, and more.
- JavaScript Behaviors: Built-in behaviors for modals, accordions, dropdowns, sliders, etc.
- Responsive Grid: Powerful 16-column responsive grid system.
- Theming System: Fully themable with LESS variables and customization options.
- Extensible: Modular build — include only what you need.
- Community-Powered: Active development and updates compared to the abandoned Semantic UI.
Advantages of Fomantic-UI
- Full-Featured: Includes both CSS components and JavaScript behaviors.
- Rich UI Library: Over 50 components for quick UI building.
- Readable Code: Natural-language style class names make HTML easier to read.
- All-in-One Framework: No need to rely on external JS for basic UI behaviors.
- Strong Theming Support: Easily customizable with LESS variables.
- Community Driven: Regularly updated and maintained by the community.
Disadvantages of Fomantic-UI
- Requires jQuery: JavaScript behaviors still depend on jQuery.
- Learning Curve: Semantic-style class names may feel unusual for new developers.
- LESS Dependency: Built on LESS, which is less popular today compared to Sass or CSS-in-JS.
- Not as Popular: Smaller ecosystem compared to Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS.
- Heavy File Size: Larger compared to lightweight frameworks like Bulma or Milligram.
What is Milligram CSS?
Milligram CSS is a minimalist CSS framework that weighs in at just 2KB gzipped, making it one of the lightest options available for developers who value speed and efficiency. It follows a clean, modern design approach with sensible defaults, so you can get started quickly without having to overwrite a ton of styles. Milligram uses the flexible grid system powered by Flexbox, making layouts intuitive and responsive right out of the box.
What makes Milligram stand out is its balance between simplicity and usability. Unlike heavier frameworks, it doesn’t come bundled with unnecessary UI components, which keeps your project lean and fast.
Key Features of Milligram CSS
- Easy to Use: Available via npm, Yarn, Bower, CDN, or CLI starter projects for quick setup.
- Roboto Typography: Uses Google’s Roboto font for clean text styling; easy to override if needed.
- Minimal Reset + Base Styles: Comes with normalization and essential styles for clean coding.
- Super Lightweight: Just ~2 KB when gzipped, making it lightning-fast.
- Essential UI Elements: Includes styles for typography, buttons, lists, forms, tables, blockquotes, grids, and utilities.
- Flexbox Grid System: Responsive, flexible layout using modern Flexbox, with customizable max width.
Advantages of Milligram CSS
- Ultra Lightweight: Minimal file size ensures speedy load times.
- Quick Setup: Plug-and-play means just include the CSS and you're good to go.
- Clean Base Style: Neutral, design-agnostic foundation for custom styling.
- Modern Layouts: Flexbox grid offers flexibility and responsiveness.
- Ideal for Prototypes: Great when you need a fast, clean UI baseline.
- No Build Required: Works without any preprocessing or configuration.
Disadvantages of Milligram CSS
- Not for Complex UIs: Best suited for simple layouts, not rich interactive interfaces.
- Limited Components: Does not include advanced UI like modals, dropdowns, or navbars.
- Smaller Ecosystem: Fewer templates, plugins, or community resources available.
- No JavaScript Support: Pure CSS, interactivity must be built separately.
- Typography Dependency: Defaults to Roboto, adds an external request unless changed.
Comparison Between Fomantic-UI vs Milligram CSS
Use Cases of Fomantic-UI
- Teams migrating from Semantic UI: Seamless replacement with updates and support.
- Enterprise Web Apps: Strong theming and responsive layout capabilities.
- Prototypes: Quickly build UI with semantic classes.
- Admin Dashboards: Ready-to-use components and JS behaviors.
- Apps Requiring Complex UI: Dropdowns, modals, tabs, accordions built in.
Use Cases of Milligram CSS
- Landing Pages: Fast, mobile-friendly, and performance-focused.
- Educational Projects: Beginner-friendly for learning CSS.
- Minimalist Web Apps: For simple, fast, and lightweight projects.
- Quick Prototyping: Build clean UI prototypes quickly.
- Performance-First Sites: Perfect for JAMstack/static sites.
Other Resources
Conclusion
UI frameworks make building a polished website way easier. Whether you're working on something simple or a big project, they help you get things looking just right without having to stress over every little design decision. With ready-to-use components, responsive layouts, and modern styles, you can build faster and smarter.
So, pick one that works for you, and start creating a site that looks amazing from the get-go.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Semantic UI and Fomantic-UI?
Fomantic-UI is a community-driven fork of Semantic UI. While Semantic UI is no longer actively maintained, Fomantic continues development with updates and improvements.
Does Fomantic-UI need JavaScript?
Yes, for interactive components like modals, accordions, dropdowns, and tabs. It relies on jQuery for JavaScript behaviors.
Is Fomantic-UI beginner-friendly?
Yes, especially for developers who like readable class names for example, ui button. But it may take some time to adjust if you’re coming from Bootstrap or Tailwind.
Can I use Fomantic-UI with React or Vue?
Yes, but since it depends on jQuery, you may need extra configuration or wrappers like Semantic UI React though it’s not fully tied to Fomantic updates.
Is Fomantic-UI still maintained?
Yes, the community is actively maintaining it with frequent updates and bug fixes, unlike the original Semantic UI.
Is Milligram completely free?
Yes, Milligram is open-source and distributed under the MIT license.
How do I include Milligram in my project?
Install via npm/yarn/bower, use the CDN link, or leverage the Milligram CLI to generate a simple boilerplate.
Do I need any build tools to use Milligram?
Nope, just include the CSS file in your project’s <head> and you're set.
What is Milligram best suited for?
It’s ideal for quick prototypes, clean documentation pages, landing pages, and any performance-sensitive project looking for a minimal styling foundation.