Fomantic-UI vs. Vanilla Framework CSS

By SW Habitation

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Table of contents

What is Fomantic-UI?

Key Features of Fomantic-UI

Advantages of Fomantic-UI

Disadvantages of Fomantic-UI

What is Vanilla Framework CSS?

Key Features of Vanilla Framework

Advantages of Vanilla CSS

Disadvantages of Vanilla Framework

Comparison Between Fomantic-UI vs Vanilla Framework CSS

Use Cases of Fomantic-UI

Use Cases of Vanilla Framework CSS

Other Resources

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Fomantic-UI

Vanilla Framework 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 Vanilla Framework CSS?

Vanilla Framework is an open-source, lightweight, and extensible CSS framework developed by Canonical (the creators of Ubuntu). It’s designed to provide a consistent and responsive design foundation without unnecessary bloat. Unlike component-heavy frameworks such as Bootstrap or Foundation, Vanilla focuses on clean base styles, responsive layouts, and utility classes that can be extended into full design systems.

It’s particularly popular for enterprise projects and design systems where consistency, accessibility, and scalability matter more than having hundreds of prebuilt UI widgets.

Key Features of Vanilla Framework

Lightweight & Scalable: Provides only what you need, no bloat.
Responsive Grid System: Built-in grid system for mobile-first design.
Accessibility First: Designed with WCAG compliance in mind.
Design Consistency: Used by Canonical across Ubuntu products.
Sass Support: Highly customizable via Sass variables and mixins.
Framework Agnostic: Works with plain HTML, React, Angular, Vue, or any setup.

Advantages of Vanilla CSS

Good Documentation: Clear guidelines with usage examples.
Clean and Lightweight: Minimal CSS, loads fast, and avoids bloat.
Consistent UI/UX: Ideal for creating unified design systems.
Enterprise-ready: Backed by Canonical, proven in large-scale projects.
Customizable with Sass: Change themes, colors, and spacing easily.
Accessibility Focused: WCAG-compliant components for inclusive design.

Disadvantages of Vanilla Framework

Less Popular in Freelance/Startup Space: Mainly adopted by enterprises like Canonical.
No Built-in JavaScript: Only CSS, you’ll need custom JS for interactivity.
Limited Community Support: Not as popular as Bootstrap or Tailwind.
Learning Curve with Sass: Beginners may find customization tricky.
Smaller Ecosystem: Fewer templates, themes, and third-party plugins.

Comparison Between Fomantic-UI vs Vanilla Framework CSS

Features	Fomantic-UI	Vanilla Framework CSS
Philosophy	Feature-rich, themeable UI framework with pre-styled components	Modular, composable CSS framework
Ease of Use	Easy, semantic class names but heavier setup than Bulma	Beginner-friendly, well-documented
Customization	High - theming, variables, overrides	Sass variables, modular imports
Design System	Strong consistency with a wide range of UI patterns	Base styles + responsive grid
Responsiveness	Built-in responsive grid system	Responsive grid included
File Size	Large compared to lightweight frameworks	Small - grows with modules used
Learning Curve	Moderate (more components & options to learn)	Low, but depends on modules chosen
Pricing	Free and open-source	Free & open-source
Best For	Complex apps, dashboards, enterprise UIs	Websites, dashboards, apps
Styling Method	Sass, CSS classes, theming	Sass, modular CSS imports
Accessibility	Decent but not fully WCAG-first	Basic, customizable
Dark Mode	Manual implementation	Manual implementation
Framework	Works with HTML/CSS/JS (integrations available)	Works with any (HTML/CSS/JS)
Bundle Size	Large if full library is included	Scales based on modules used

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 Vanilla Framework CSS

Company Websites: clean, responsive base styling.
Dashboards & Web Apps: modular grid + utility classes.
Design Systems: consistent Sass variables & mixins.
Prototypes / MVPs: fast setup with pre-styled elements.

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.

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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 Vanilla Framework free to use?

Yes, it is open-source and completely free to use under the LGPLv3 license.

Does Vanilla Framework include JavaScript components?

No, it’s a CSS-only framework, so you need to implement JavaScript for dropdowns, modals, etc.

Is Vanilla Framework beginner-friendly?

Yes, for basic usage. But customization requires some knowledge of Sass.

Who uses Vanilla Framework?

It is used by Canonical (Ubuntu) and related projects, but developers can also use it for general web projects.

Should I use Vanilla Framework instead of Bootstrap?

If you want a lightweight, enterprise-ready design system with a focus on accessibility, Vanilla is great. But if you need ready-to-use components with JS support, Bootstrap might be better.