Milligram CSS vs. Shadcn UI
By SW Habitation
Milligram CSS
Shadcn UI
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 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.
What is Shadcn UI?
Shadcn UI is a beautiful and modern component library built on top of Radix UI, styled with Tailwind CSS, and intended for Next.js projects. It offers accessible, production-ready components with theming, variants, and built-in dark mode support.
You install components via CLI and get full control over the code.
Key Features of Shadcn UI
- Built on Radix Primitives: Accessibility and flexibility included.
- Tailwind CSS Styling: Easy customisation with utility-first approach.
- CLI Installation: Add only the components you need.
- Dark Mode Support: Pre-configured light and dark theme switching.
- TypeScript Friendly: Built entirely with TypeScript.
- Optimised for Next.js: Uses App Router structure and conventions.
Advantages of Shadcn UI
- Pre-styled and fast to use, ideal for building modern apps quickly.
- Easily theme-able using Tailwind and variants.
- Components are accessible by default.
- Ideal for SaaS apps, dashboards, and websites.
- Each component is editable because you own the code.
Disadvantages of Shadcn UI
- Requires Tailwind CSS, less suitable if you're not using Tailwind.
- Not suitable for other frameworks like Vue or Angular.
- Depends on Radix primitives, understanding Radix helps.
- Bundle size can grow if you install too many components.
- You need to manage components in your codebase manually.
Comparison Between Milligram CSS vs Shadcn UI
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.
Use Cases of Shadcn UI
- Fast development for SaaS products and dashboards
- Admin panels, marketing websites, and eCommerce platforms
- React/Next.js projects with Tailwind CSS setup
- Projects requiring built-in light/dark theming
- Startups and devs who want pre-built UI with flexibility
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
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.
What is Shadcn UI?
It’s a modern UI library built using Radix UI components, styled with Tailwind CSS, and ready for React apps.
Is Shadcn UI customizable?
Yes, heavily! It uses Tailwind for full styling control and supports variants.
Does Shadcn UI support dark mode?
Yes, via Tailwind’s dark mode and included config setup.
Is Shadcn UI production-ready?
Absolutely. It’s ideal for building sleek, modern, accessible UIs with minimal setup.
Does Shadcn UI work with other frameworks like Vue?
No, it’s built for React (especially Next.js) and not compatible with Vue or Angular.