Tachyons vs. Bulma

By SW Habitation

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Table of contents

What isTachyons?

Key Features of Tachyons

Advantages of Tachyons

Disadvantages of Tachyons

What is Bulma?

Key Features of Bulma

Advantages of Bulma

Disadvantages of Bulma

Comparison Between Tachyons vs Bulma

Use Cases of Tachyons

Use Cases of Bulma

Other Resources

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Tachyons

Bulma

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 isTachyons?

Tachyons is a functional/atomic CSS framework that uses small, reusable utility classes. Instead of big UI components or deeply nested CSS, Tachyons encourages developers to style elements using many tiny, single-purpose classes.

Let's check by the example,

Copy Code
<button class="f6 link dim br3 ph3 pv2 mb2 dib white bg-dark-blue">
Click Me!
</button>

Here, each class f6, br3, ph3 controls a specific CSS property like font size, border radius, padding, etc. This modular approach makes styling predictable and reusable.

Tachyons was one of the innovator of the utility-first CSS movement—it influenced modern frameworks like Tailwind.

Key Features of Tachyons

Atomic CSS Classes: Every class does one thing (e.g., pa3 = padding).
Responsive Utilities: Classes adapt to multiple screen sizes.
Small Bundle Size: Around 14KB minified & gzipped.
Performance-Oriented: Encourages minimal CSS output.
Accessible Defaults: Typography and spacing built for readability.
Framework-Free: Works with plain HTML, React, Vue, or any frontend.
Rapid Prototyping: Compose UIs quickly with utility classes.

Advantages of Tachyons

Stable: Mature and widely battle-tested since 2015.
Highly Composable: Mix classes freely to achieve complex designs.
Consistent: Predictable, reusable naming system.
Fast & Lightweight: Tiny CSS footprint.
Great for Prototypes: Quickly test ideas without writing custom CSS.
Utility-First Approach: No deep CSS overrides needed.

Disadvantages of Tachyons

Smaller Community: Fewer themes, templates, and ecosystem resources.
Messy HTML: Can lead to class-heavy markup that’s harder to read.
No Components: You must build everything (buttons, navbars, modals) manually.
Learning Curve: Class names (pa3, f5) are shorthand and non-intuitive for beginners.
Not Actively Maintained: Less frequent updates compared to newer frameworks.

What is Bulma?

Bulma is a modern, open-source CSS framework based entirely on Flexbox. Unlike Bootstrap or Foundation, Bulma is a pure CSS framework, it doesn’t come with JavaScript components, which makes it lightweight, simple, and easy to use.

Bulma is especially loved by developers who want a minimalist yet responsive framework for quickly building prototypes, small projects, and clean modern websites.

Key Features of Bulma

Lightweight: Small file size and fast performance.
Clean Syntax: Readable, intuitive class naming convention.
Customizable with Sass: Use Sass variables to easily adjust themes and styles.
Flexbox-based Grid: Fully powered by Flexbox for responsive and modern layouts.
Responsive Modifiers: Easy-to-use breakpoints for mobile, tablet, desktop, and widescreen.
Pure CSS: No JavaScript dependencies — works with any JS framework or vanilla JS.
Utility Classes: Includes helper classes for spacing, colors, display, typography, and more.

Advantages of Bulma

Responsive by Default: Built-in responsive utilities.
Fast Prototyping: Perfect for quick MVPs and small apps.
Lightweight: No extra JavaScript, only CSS.
Modern Layouts: Built entirely on Flexbox.
Cross-Browser Consistency: Works well across modern browsers.
Beginner-Friendly: Super easy to learn and use.

Disadvantages of Bulma

Not Ideal for Enterprises: May not scale as well for very large applications.
No JavaScript Plugins: Requires manual integration for modals, dropdowns, or carousels.
Smaller Ecosystem: Fewer themes, templates, and community add-ons compared to Bootstrap.
Limited Components: Doesn’t have as many prebuilt components as Bootstrap or Foundation.

Comparison Between Tachyons vs Bulma

Features	Tachyons	Bulma
Philosophy	Functional CSS with small, single-purpose classes	Modern, lightweight, utility-first CSS framework
Ease of Use	Very easy, just apply atomic classes	Very easy, just add classes
Customization	Limited customization; mainly extend via custom CSS	Sass variables, modular imports
Design System	Predefined design scale (spacing, typography, colors)	Basic — typography, grid, components
Responsiveness	Built-in responsive classes (mobile-first)	Mobile-first flexbox grid
File Size	Very small (~14KB minified)	Small to medium
Learning Curve	Very low (intuitive class names)	Low
Pricing	Free & open-source	Free and open-source
Best For	Lightweight, fast prototyping & production	Quick landing pages, prototypes, small apps
Styling Method	Atomic utility classes directly in HTML	Sass, CSS classes
Accessibility	No built-in a11y, but encourages semantic HTML	Decent, but not as strong as Foundation
Dark Mode	No native dark mode, requires custom setup	Manual implementation
Framework	Any (pure CSS, framework-agnostic)	Any (HTML/CSS/JS)
Bundle Size	Tiny (14KB gzipped)	Small

Use Cases of Tachyons

Rapid prototyping and MVPs.
Building custom UIs without depending on pre-styled components.
Designers who want total control over design instead of prebuilt themes.
Developers who like atomic/functional CSS.
Lightweight projects where performance is critical.

Use Cases of Bulma

Prototyping: Developers can spin up layouts rapidly.
Projects with JS Frameworks: Works seamlessly with React, Vue, Angular, or vanilla JS since it’s pure CSS.
Portfolios & Blogs: Great for personal projects with minimal setup.
Startups & MVPs: Perfect for small projects that need quick, clean UI.

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

How do I start using Tachyons?

Include via CDN, install with npm, or build a custom version with PostCSS.

What makes Tachyons different?

Tachyons is utility-first and functional using small, single-purpose classes combined directly in HTML.

How big is Tachyons?

Very lightweight, under 14 KB gzipped, and you can slim it down further by removing unused modules.

Can I customize Tachyons?

Yes, through custom builds, CSS variables, or tools like Components AI for theming.

Is Tachyons enough for UI development?

Yes, many developers build full, responsive, and accessible UIs using only Tachyons plus basic CSS knowledge.

Is Bulma better than Bootstrap?

Bulma is simpler and lighter, great for small projects. Bootstrap is more feature-rich, with JavaScript plugins and a larger ecosystem, making it better for complex apps.

Does Bulma use Flexbox?

Yes, Bulma is 100% built with Flexbox, which makes it modern and responsive out of the box.

Can I use Bulma with React or Vue?

Absolutely! Since Bulma is pure CSS, it integrates easily with any JavaScript framework.

Does Bulma support dark mode?

Not natively, but you can customize Bulma with Sass or community add-ons to implement dark mode.

Is Bulma good for beginners?

Yes, Bulma is one of the most beginner-friendly CSS frameworks due to its clean syntax and simple utility classes.