Mantine vs. Vanilla Framework CSS

By SW Habitation

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Table of contents

What is Mantine?

Key Features of Mantine

Advantages of Mantine

Disadvantages of Mantine

What is Vanilla Framework CSS?

Key Features of Vanilla Framework

Advantages of Vanilla CSS

Disadvantages of Vanilla Framework

Comparison Between Mantine vs Vanilla Framework CSS

Use Cases of Mantine

Use Cases of Vanilla Framework CSS

Other Resources

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Mantine

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 Mantine?

Mantine is a React component library with over 100 UI components and 50+ custom hooks, designed to help developers build modern, accessible, and performant UIs. It supports RTL layouts, dark mode, and complete theme customization, all while staying lightweight.

Mantine doesn’t force you into a predefined design system. You build your own style while enjoying great developer experience, full TypeScript support, and zero CSS-in-JS lock-in.

Key Features of Mantine

100+ Modular Components: Buttons, modals, tabs, date pickers, accordions, and more.
50+ Built-in Hooks: Clipboard, notifications, form validation, hotkeys, modals, etc.
Full Theming System: Custom colors, fonts, spacing, radii, shadows, etc. with MantineProvider.
Dark Mode & RTL Support: Native dark mode toggle and right-to-left support out of the box.
Flexible Styling Options: Use Emotion, CSS Modules, or inline styles — your choice.
Responsive Design: Built-in Grid and responsive props.

Advantages of Mantine

Fast Development: Prebuilt components + hooks mean fewer extra dependencies.
Design Freedom: No locked-in theme or design system — perfect for building your own brand UI.
Dark Mode + RTL: Native support with easy toggles — no extra setup.
Hook-Powered: Includes handy hooks like useClipboard, useHotkeys, useForm, etc.
Lightweight: Optimized and tree-shakable — loads faster with a smaller bundle size.
Fully Typed: Built with and for TypeScript — no need for custom typings.

Disadvantages of Mantine

Smaller Community: Limited plugins, templates, and community resources compared to MUI or Bootstrap.
No Predefined Design System: Offers full freedom but requires extra design effort for polished UIs.
Still Evolving: Newer framework; some components may lack long-term maturity.
Lacks Pro-Level Components: No built-in advanced elements like data grids or calendars.
Low Enterprise Adoption Not yet common in large-scale corporate environments.

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 Mantine vs Vanilla Framework CSS

Features	Mantine	Vanilla Framework CSS
Philosophy	Modern UI components + utility hooks for flexible development	Modular, composable CSS framework
Ease of Use	Very beginner-friendly with simple API and built-in docs	Beginner-friendly, well-documented
Customization	Fully customizable via theme overrides, component-level props	Sass variables, modular imports
Design System	No predefined system; freedom to create your own	Base styles + responsive grid
Responsiveness	Responsive components and props + built-in Grid	Responsive grid included
File Size	Lightweight and tree-shakable	Small - grows with modules used
Learning Curve	Low to moderate (faster with React/TypeScript knowledge)	Low, but depends on modules chosen
Pricing	Free and open-source (MIT licensed)	Free & open-source
Best For	Custom UIs, modern dashboards, fast MVPs, RTL/dark mode projects	Websites, dashboards, apps
Styling Method	Emotion (default), also supports inline styles and CSS Modules	Sass, modular CSS imports
Accessibility	Fully accessible components with ARIA, keyboard nav	Basic, customizable
Dark Mode	Built-in toggle support via theme	Manual implementation
Framework	React only	Works with any (HTML/CSS/JS)
Bundle Size	Small to medium; optimized with tree-shaking	Scales based on modules used

Use Cases of Mantine

Custom UIs with full design freedom
Modern dashboards, admin panels
Lightweight SaaS apps
RTL and dark-mode web apps
Startups and solo developers

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

Is Mantine production-ready?

Yes. Mantine is stable, actively maintained, and used in real-world production apps across various industries.

Does Mantine support dark mode and RTL?

Absolutely. Dark mode and right-to-left (RTL) layout support are built-in and easy to toggle with the theme.

Can I use Mantine without Emotion?

Mantine uses Emotion by default, but you can also style components using inline styles, CSS Modules, or even external CSS.

Does Mantine work with TypeScript?

Yes, Mantine is built with full TypeScript support, including auto-complete, prop types, and IDE hints.

How does Mantine compare to MUI or Chakra UI?

Mantine is more flexible with fewer design constraints. It offers built-in hooks and modern developer experience, while MUI and Chakra follow stricter design systems.

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.