Tachyons vs. Mantine

By SW Habitation

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Table of contents

What isTachyons?

Key Features of Tachyons

Advantages of Tachyons

Disadvantages of Tachyons

What is Mantine?

Key Features of Mantine

Advantages of Mantine

Disadvantages of Mantine

Comparison Between Tachyons vs Mantine

Use Cases of Tachyons

Use Cases of Mantine

Other Resources

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Tachyons

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 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 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 Tachyons vs Mantine

Features	Tachyons	Mantine
Philosophy	Functional CSS with small, single-purpose classes	Modern UI components + utility hooks for flexible development
Ease of Use	Very easy, just apply atomic classes	Very beginner-friendly with simple API and built-in docs
Customization	Limited customization; mainly extend via custom CSS	Fully customizable via theme overrides, component-level props
Design System	Predefined design scale (spacing, typography, colors)	No predefined system; freedom to create your own
Responsiveness	Built-in responsive classes (mobile-first)	Responsive components and props + built-in Grid
File Size	Very small (~14KB minified)	Lightweight and tree-shakable
Learning Curve	Very low (intuitive class names)	Low to moderate (faster with React/TypeScript knowledge)
Pricing	Free & open-source	Free and open-source (MIT licensed)
Best For	Lightweight, fast prototyping & production	Custom UIs, modern dashboards, fast MVPs, RTL/dark mode projects
Styling Method	Atomic utility classes directly in HTML	Emotion (default), also supports inline styles and CSS Modules
Accessibility	No built-in a11y, but encourages semantic HTML	Fully accessible components with ARIA, keyboard nav
Dark Mode	No native dark mode, requires custom setup	Built-in toggle support via theme
Framework	Any (pure CSS, framework-agnostic)	React only
Bundle Size	Tiny (14KB gzipped)	Small to medium; optimized with tree-shaking

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 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.

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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 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.