tailwindcss vs styled-components vs @mui/system vs emotion vs @chakra-ui/system vs @stitches/react | CSS-in-JS and Utility-First CSS Libraries Comparison

Package	Downloads	Stars	Size	Issues	Publish	License

tailwindcss	21,505,726	86,974	656 kB	94	4 days ago	MIT
styled-components	6,382,140	40,770	1.77 MB	318	5 days ago	MIT
@mui/system	5,770,377	95,290	944 kB	1,871	10 days ago	MIT
emotion	615,603	-	-	-	4 years ago	MIT
@chakra-ui/system	514,397	38,887	156 kB	9	a year ago	MIT
@stitches/react	269,014	7,769	521 kB	120	-	MIT

Package

Downloads

Stars

Size

Issues

Publish

License

tailwindcss

21,505,726

86,974

656 kB

4 days ago

MIT

styled-components

6,382,140

40,770

1.77 MB

318

5 days ago

MIT

@mui/system

5,770,377

95,290

944 kB

1,871

10 days ago

MIT

emotion

615,603

4 years ago

MIT

@chakra-ui/system

514,397

38,887

156 kB

a year ago

MIT

@stitches/react

269,014

7,769

521 kB

120

MIT

Styling Approach

tailwindcss:
tailwindcss is a utility-first CSS framework that provides a comprehensive set of pre-defined utility classes for styling. Instead of writing custom CSS, you apply styles directly in your HTML or JSX by adding utility classes, promoting a more consistent and efficient styling workflow.
styled-components:
styled-components is a CSS-in-JS library that allows you to write scoped styles directly within your component files. It automatically generates unique class names to prevent style collisions, making it easy to manage styles at the component level.
@mui/system:
@mui/system supports both inline styles and styled components, providing flexibility in how you apply styles. It also integrates seamlessly with the Material-UI component library, allowing for consistent styling across all components.
emotion:
emotion allows for both styled components and traditional CSS styles, giving you the freedom to choose how you want to apply styles. It also supports dynamic styling, theming, and has a powerful CSS prop for inline styles.
@chakra-ui/system:
@chakra-ui/system uses a props-based styling approach, allowing you to pass style values directly to components as props. This makes it easy to apply styles dynamically and ensures that styles are scoped to the component level.
@stitches/react:
@stitches/react employs a CSS-in-JS approach with a focus on atomic CSS generation. This means that styles are generated on-demand, resulting in smaller CSS bundles and improved performance. It also supports theming and responsive styles out of the box.

Theming Support

tailwindcss:
tailwindcss supports theming through the use of custom properties (CSS variables) and the theme function in your configuration file. While it does not have built-in theming capabilities, you can easily create a theme system by defining custom utility classes and using them throughout your project.
styled-components:
styled-components supports theming through a ThemeProvider component, which allows you to define a theme object and access it within your styled components. This makes it easy to create consistent, theme-aware styles across your application.
@mui/system:
@mui/system provides a robust theming system that is fully integrated with Material Design. It allows for deep customization of the theme, including colors, typography, spacing, and more. The theming capabilities are designed to work seamlessly with the entire Material-UI component library.
emotion:
emotion has excellent theming support, allowing you to create a theme context and access theme values within your styled components. It is highly flexible and works well with both static and dynamic theming, making it easy to implement complex theming solutions.
@chakra-ui/system:
@chakra-ui/system offers built-in theming support with a focus on accessibility and customization. You can easily create and switch between themes, and the library provides a set of accessible default styles that can be extended or overridden as needed.
@stitches/react:
@stitches/react includes theming support with a lightweight API. You can define global themes and create theme-aware components, allowing for easy customization and dynamic theme switching without adding significant overhead to your application.

Performance

tailwindcss:
tailwindcss is highly performant because it generates a static CSS file with all the utility classes at build time. This means there is no runtime overhead, and the styles are applied instantly. However, to maintain performance, it is important to configure the purge option to remove unused styles in production.
styled-components:
styled-components is generally performant, but it can introduce some overhead due to the dynamic nature of CSS-in-JS. However, it has made significant improvements in recent versions to reduce the impact on performance, especially when used with server-side rendering.
@mui/system:
@mui/system is optimized for performance, especially when used with the Material-UI component library. It supports server-side rendering (SSR) and code splitting, which helps reduce the initial load time and improves the overall performance of your application.
emotion:
emotion is highly performant, with a focus on minimizing the amount of CSS generated and reducing the time it takes to apply styles. It uses a fast CSS-in-JS engine that optimizes style injection and supports server-side rendering for improved performance.
@chakra-ui/system:
@chakra-ui/system is designed with performance in mind, using a lightweight architecture that minimizes re-renders and optimizes style calculations. The props-based styling approach ensures that only the necessary styles are applied, reducing the overall CSS footprint.
@stitches/react:
@stitches/react is one of the most performant CSS-in-JS libraries available, thanks to its atomic CSS generation and minimal runtime overhead. It generates only the styles that are needed for each component, resulting in smaller CSS bundles and faster rendering times.

Ease of Use: Code Examples

tailwindcss:
tailwindcss is easy to use once you become familiar with its utility-first approach. The learning curve may be steep for those used to traditional CSS, but the framework promotes a more efficient and consistent styling workflow. The documentation is extensive, and there are many resources available to help developers get started.

Example:
```
<button class="bg-blue-500 text-white py-2 px-4 rounded hover:bg-blue-600">
  Click Me
</button>
```
styled-components:
styled-components is praised for its intuitive API and strong focus on developer experience. The ability to write CSS directly within your JavaScript files makes it easy to understand and manage styles. The library also provides excellent documentation and a variety of examples.

Example:
```
import styled from 'styled-components';

const Button = styled.button`
  background-color: #007bff;
  color: white;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 5px;
  cursor: pointer;
  &:hover {
    background-color: #0056b3;
  }
`;

function App() {
  return <Button>Click Me</Button>;
}
```

@mui/system:

@mui/system is user-friendly, especially for those familiar with Material Design. The integration with the Material-UI component library provides a consistent and cohesive styling experience. The theming system is well-documented, making it easy to customize styles across your application.

Example:

import { styled } from '@mui/system';

const StyledButton = styled('button')(({ theme }) => ({
  backgroundColor: theme.palette.primary.main,
  color: theme.palette.common.white,
  padding: theme.spacing(2),
  borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius,
  '&:hover': {
    backgroundColor: theme.palette.primary.dark,
  },
}));

function App() {
  return <StyledButton>Click Me</StyledButton>;
}

emotion:

emotion is known for its developer-friendly API and excellent documentation. It provides a seamless experience for writing styles, whether you prefer using styled components or the CSS prop. The flexibility of the library allows developers to choose the styling method that best suits their workflow.

Example:

/** @jsxImportSource @emotion/react */
import { css } from '@emotion/react';

const buttonStyle = css`
  background-color: hotpink;
  color: white;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 5px;
  cursor: pointer;
  &:hover {
    background-color: darkviolet;
  }
`;

function App() {
  return <button css={buttonStyle}>Click Me</button>;
}

@chakra-ui/system:
@chakra-ui/system provides a simple and intuitive API for styling components. Its props-based approach makes it easy to apply styles without having to write custom CSS. The documentation is thorough, and the library is designed to be accessible to developers of all skill levels.

Example:
```
import { Box } from '@chakra-ui/react';

function App() {
  return (
    <Box
      as="button"
      bg="blue.500"
      color="white"
      p={4}
      borderRadius="md"
      _hover={{ bg: 'blue.600' }}
    >
      Click Me
    </Box>
  );
}
```

@stitches/react:

@stitches/react offers a straightforward API for styling components, with a focus on simplicity and performance. The documentation is clear, and the library provides examples that make it easy to understand how to use its features effectively.

Example:

import { styled } from '@stitches/react';

const Button = styled('button', {
  backgroundColor: '$blue500',
  color: 'white',
  padding: '10px 20px',
  borderRadius: '5px',
  '&:hover': {
    backgroundColor: '$blue600',
  },
});

function App() {
  return <Button>Click Me</Button>;
}

Styling Approach

Theming Support

Performance

Ease of Use: Code Examples

Documentation

Community

Contributing