@emotion/react vs styled-components vs @material-ui/core vs @chakra-ui/utils
UI Component Libraries and Styling Solutions Comparison
1 Year
@emotion/reactstyled-components@material-ui/core@chakra-ui/utilsSimilar Packages:
What's UI Component Libraries and Styling Solutions?

These packages are essential tools for building user interfaces in React applications. They provide various utilities and components that help developers create visually appealing and functional UIs. Each package has its unique approach to styling and component design, catering to different needs and preferences in web development. Understanding their features and how they align with project requirements is crucial for making informed decisions when selecting a library for UI development.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
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Package
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@emotion/react11,301,44517,794817 kB3546 months agoMIT
styled-components7,661,81740,8251.77 MB32010 days agoMIT
@material-ui/core1,422,62995,9625.96 MB1,750-MIT
@chakra-ui/utils1,205,06839,26272.3 kB88 months agoMIT
Feature Comparison: @emotion/react vs styled-components vs @material-ui/core vs @chakra-ui/utils

Design Philosophy

  • @emotion/react:

    Emotion focuses on performance and flexibility, allowing developers to write styles in JavaScript while maintaining a clean separation of concerns. It supports dynamic styling and theming, making it a versatile choice for modern web applications.

  • styled-components:

    Styled Components allows developers to utilize the full power of CSS within JavaScript, promoting a component-based architecture. It encourages encapsulation of styles, making it easier to manage and maintain styles in large applications.

  • @material-ui/core:

    Material-UI is built around Google's Material Design principles, providing a rich set of components that are visually appealing and consistent. It encourages a structured approach to UI design, making it easy to create professional-looking applications.

  • @chakra-ui/utils:

    Chakra UI emphasizes simplicity and accessibility, providing a set of components that are easy to use and customize. It promotes a design system that is consistent and adheres to best practices in accessibility, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.

Theming and Customization

  • @emotion/react:

    Emotion supports theming through its ThemeProvider, enabling developers to define a theme and apply it throughout the application. The dynamic nature of Emotion allows for easy adjustments to styles based on theme changes.

  • styled-components:

    Styled Components allows for dynamic theming by leveraging props and context. Developers can create reusable styled components that adapt their styles based on the current theme, providing flexibility in design.

  • @material-ui/core:

    Material-UI offers a robust theming solution that allows for extensive customization of components. Developers can create custom themes and override default styles, ensuring that applications align with branding requirements.

  • @chakra-ui/utils:

    Chakra UI provides a straightforward theming system that allows for easy customization of component styles. Developers can create and apply themes globally or locally, ensuring a cohesive look across the application.

Performance

  • @emotion/react:

    Emotion is designed for high performance, with a focus on minimizing runtime overhead. It generates styles at build time, ensuring that styles are applied efficiently and reducing the impact on rendering performance.

  • styled-components:

    Styled Components can introduce some performance overhead due to runtime style generation. However, it provides tools like server-side rendering and caching to mitigate performance issues.

  • @material-ui/core:

    Material-UI components are optimized for performance, but developers need to be mindful of the size of the library. Tree-shaking and code-splitting can help manage bundle size effectively.

  • @chakra-ui/utils:

    Chakra UI is optimized for performance, ensuring that components are lightweight and responsive. It uses a tree-shaking approach, allowing developers to import only the components they need, reducing bundle size.

Learning Curve

  • @emotion/react:

    Emotion's learning curve is moderate, especially for developers familiar with CSS-in-JS concepts. Its flexibility may require some time to fully leverage its capabilities, but the documentation is thorough.

  • styled-components:

    Styled Components is relatively easy to learn for developers familiar with CSS. Its integration with JavaScript may take some adjustment, but the benefits of scoped styles and dynamic styling are significant.

  • @material-ui/core:

    Material-UI has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive component library and adherence to Material Design principles. However, its documentation and examples provide valuable guidance for developers.

  • @chakra-ui/utils:

    Chakra UI has a gentle learning curve, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels. Its intuitive API and comprehensive documentation facilitate quick onboarding and implementation.

Community and Ecosystem

  • @emotion/react:

    Emotion is widely used in the React community, with a strong ecosystem of tools and libraries that complement its functionality. Its popularity ensures ongoing support and development.

  • styled-components:

    Styled Components has a robust community and ecosystem, with numerous resources, tutorials, and integrations available. Its widespread use in the React ecosystem ensures continued support and innovation.

  • @material-ui/core:

    Material-UI has a large and active community, providing extensive resources, plugins, and third-party integrations. Its popularity makes it a reliable choice for long-term projects.

  • @chakra-ui/utils:

    Chakra UI has a growing community and ecosystem, with increasing adoption among developers. It offers a variety of plugins and extensions that enhance its functionality and integration with other libraries.

How to Choose: @emotion/react vs styled-components vs @material-ui/core vs @chakra-ui/utils
  • @emotion/react:

    Select Emotion if you prefer a CSS-in-JS solution that allows for dynamic styling with a focus on performance and flexibility. Emotion is suitable for projects that require custom styling capabilities and want to leverage JavaScript for styling logic.

  • styled-components:

    Choose Styled Components if you want to write actual CSS in your JavaScript files, allowing for scoped styles and dynamic styling based on props. It is perfect for projects that require a high degree of customization and want to leverage the full power of CSS.

  • @material-ui/core:

    Opt for Material-UI if you are looking for a comprehensive set of components that follow Google's Material Design guidelines. It is great for applications that need a polished and professional look with a rich set of pre-built components and theming capabilities.

  • @chakra-ui/utils:

    Choose Chakra UI if you want a modular and accessible component library that promotes a consistent design system with a focus on usability and responsiveness. It is ideal for developers who prioritize accessibility and want to build applications quickly with pre-designed components.

README for @emotion/react

@emotion/react

Simple styling in React.

Install

yarn add @emotion/react

Usage

/** @jsx jsx */
import { jsx, css, Global, ClassNames } from '@emotion/react'

render(
  <div css={{ color: 'hotpink' }}>
    <div
      css={css`
        color: green;
      `}
    />
    <Global
      styles={{
        body: {
          margin: 0,
          padding: 0
        }
      }}
    />
    <ClassNames>
      {({ css, cx }) => (
        <div
          className={cx(
            'some-class',
            css`
              color: yellow;
            `
          )}
        />
      )}
    </ClassNames>
  </div>
)

More documentation is available at https://emotion.sh.