Tachyons vs. Open Props
By SW Habitation
Tachyons
Open Props
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,
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<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 Open Props?
Open Props is a modern CSS framework built entirely around CSS custom properties (variables). Instead of sending prebuilt UI components or heavy utility classes, it provides a set of reusable design tokens that you can apply anywhere. Think of it as a toolbox of modern CSS features rather than a ready-made UI kit.
It’s not a traditional framework like Bootstrap or Tailwind. Instead, it’s closer to a design system foundation—a library of variables for colors, typography, shadows, gradients, animations, spacing, and sizes. Developers can use these variables in raw CSS, Sass, or even combine them with other frameworks.
Because it’s framework-agnostic, Open Props works well with plain HTML, React, Vue, Angular, or even with utility-first libraries like Tailwind.
Key Features of Open Props
- Design Tokens Out-of-the-Box: Colors, gradients, fonts, shadows, borders, animations, spacing.
- Framework-Agnostic: Works with vanilla CSS, SCSS, PostCSS, Tailwind, or any frontend setup.
- Utility Classes (Optional): Comes with optional helpers like margin: var(--size-3).
- Theming Made Simple: Supports dark/light mode with just a few variable overrides.
- Modern CSS-Only: No JavaScript, only pure CSS properties.
- Lightweight by Design: Extremely small bundle size compared to component-heavy frameworks.
- CDN Ready: Drop in via a <link> or import with NPM.
Advantages of Open Props
- Flexible: Can be used standalone or alongside other CSS frameworks.
- Theming Support: Switch to dark mode or brand colors by redefining tokens.
- Beginner-Friendly: Easy for anyone who already knows CSS variables.
- Ultra Lightweight: Just variables, no unnecessary bloat.
- Encourages Best Practices: Pushes developers towards scalable, token-based design systems.
- Easy to Customize: Override props once to apply across your project.
Disadvantages of Open Props
- Small Community: Limited templates, examples, and resources compared to Bootstrap/Tailwind.
- Not Plug-and-Play: Great for design systems, but not ideal if you want instant UI.
- No Prebuilt Components: You’ll need to design buttons, modals, navbars yourself.
- Challenging Learning Curve for Beginners: Requires understanding of CSS variables and design tokens.
Comparison Between Tachyons vs Open Props
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 Open Props
- Developers who want flexibility without being tied to Tailwind/Bootstrap.
- Building custom design systems from scratch.
- Lightweight personal projects or portfolios.
- Teams that want theming and scalability at the token level.
- Adding modern CSS tokens to legacy projects.
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
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 Open Props a CSS framework like Bootstrap or Tailwind?
No, Open Props is not a framework. It’s a collection of CSS custom properties (design tokens).
Can I customize the values in Open Props?
Yes, Open Props variables can be overridden to fit your own design system.
Does Open Props make my CSS heavy?
No, Open Props is lightweight and you can import only the modules you need.
Does Open Props work with React, Vue, Next.js, etc.?
Yes, Open Props is framework-agnostic and works anywhere CSS works.
Is Open Props safe to use in production?
Yes, Open Props is stable, actively maintained, and widely used in real projects.