Milligram CSS vs. Mantine
By SW Habitation
Milligram CSS
Mantine
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 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.
Comparison Between Milligram CSS vs Mantine
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 Mantine
- Custom UIs with full design freedom
- Modern dashboards, admin panels
- Lightweight SaaS apps
- RTL and dark-mode web apps
- Startups and solo developers
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.
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.