Vanilla Framework CSS vs. Open Props
By SW Habitation
Vanilla Framework CSS
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 is Vanilla Framework CSS?
Vanilla Framework is an open-source, lightweight, and extensible CSS framework developed by Canonical (the creators of Ubuntu). It’s designed to provide a consistent and responsive design foundation without unnecessary bloat. Unlike component-heavy frameworks such as Bootstrap or Foundation, Vanilla focuses on clean base styles, responsive layouts, and utility classes that can be extended into full design systems.
It’s particularly popular for enterprise projects and design systems where consistency, accessibility, and scalability matter more than having hundreds of prebuilt UI widgets.
Key Features of Vanilla Framework
- Lightweight & Scalable: Provides only what you need, no bloat.
- Responsive Grid System: Built-in grid system for mobile-first design.
- Accessibility First: Designed with WCAG compliance in mind.
- Design Consistency: Used by Canonical across Ubuntu products.
- Sass Support: Highly customizable via Sass variables and mixins.
- Framework Agnostic: Works with plain HTML, React, Angular, Vue, or any setup.
Advantages of Vanilla CSS
- Good Documentation: Clear guidelines with usage examples.
- Clean and Lightweight: Minimal CSS, loads fast, and avoids bloat.
- Consistent UI/UX: Ideal for creating unified design systems.
- Enterprise-ready: Backed by Canonical, proven in large-scale projects.
- Customizable with Sass: Change themes, colors, and spacing easily.
- Accessibility Focused: WCAG-compliant components for inclusive design.
Disadvantages of Vanilla Framework
- Less Popular in Freelance/Startup Space: Mainly adopted by enterprises like Canonical.
- No Built-in JavaScript: Only CSS, you’ll need custom JS for interactivity.
- Limited Community Support: Not as popular as Bootstrap or Tailwind.
- Learning Curve with Sass: Beginners may find customization tricky.
- Smaller Ecosystem: Fewer templates, themes, and third-party plugins.
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 Vanilla Framework CSS vs Open Props
Use Cases of Vanilla Framework CSS
- Company Websites: clean, responsive base styling.
- Dashboards & Web Apps: modular grid + utility classes.
- Design Systems: consistent Sass variables & mixins.
- Prototypes / MVPs: fast setup with pre-styled elements.
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
Is Vanilla Framework free to use?
Yes, it is open-source and completely free to use under the LGPLv3 license.
Does Vanilla Framework include JavaScript components?
No, it’s a CSS-only framework, so you need to implement JavaScript for dropdowns, modals, etc.
Is Vanilla Framework beginner-friendly?
Yes, for basic usage. But customization requires some knowledge of Sass.
Who uses Vanilla Framework?
It is used by Canonical (Ubuntu) and related projects, but developers can also use it for general web projects.
Should I use Vanilla Framework instead of Bootstrap?
If you want a lightweight, enterprise-ready design system with a focus on accessibility, Vanilla is great. But if you need ready-to-use components with JS support, Bootstrap might be better.
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.