Top UI libraries to use in 2025

User interfaces have never been more dynamic, or more demanding. As we move further into 2025, the way we design and build UI is evolving, driven by new technologies, evolving user expectations, and the relentless pace of innovation in frontend development. 

AI-assisted design tools are generating UI layouts in seconds, dark mode is no longer an afterthought but a necessity, and accessibility is moving from a compliance checkbox to a core design philosophy. 

Think of UI libraries as the foundation of a high-performance race car. The right choice gives you speed, flexibility, and precision, while the wrong one slows you down with technical debt and scalability issues. According to the State of Frontend 2024 report, UI libraries are widely adopted for accelerating development. However, many developers still face challenges in selecting the best fit for their projects

In this blog, we'll explore the top UI libraries of 2025, break down their strengths and trade-offs, and provide scenario-based recommendations to help you make the smartest choice for your next project. 

Choosing the best UI library for your project

The best libraries not only streamline development but also ensure performance, accessibility, and scalability. We're seeing a shift towards hybrid solutions that balance customization, accessibility, and developer experience. Some libraries emphasize design freedom, while others prioritize enterprise-grade consistency or accessibility-first principles.

Below, we explore the top UI libraries shaping 2025, highlighting their strengths, ideal use cases, and trade-offs.

Tailwind CSS + shadCN UI

Best for: Custom designs with complete control

Tailwind CSS, the widely adopted utility-first CSS framework, continues to dominate frontend development in 2025. Unlike traditional component libraries, Tailwind provides low-level utility classes that enable developers to create custom, unique designs without opinionated styles.

shadCN UI, a rapidly growing extension of Tailwind, bridges the gap between customization and pre-built components, offering a set of accessible, beautifully designed UI components while retaining full Tailwind flexibility.

Pros:

• Highly customizable with utility-based styling.
• Lightweight compared to traditional UI kits.
• shadCN provides pre-built, accessible components while keeping styles flexible.

Cons:

• Considerable learning curve for developers new to utility-first CSS.
• Requires design effort since it's not a plug-and-play solution.

Material UI (MUI)

Best for: Enterprise-grade applications and fast development

MUI, built on Google’s Material Design, remains a go-to choice for developers who need polished, pre-built UI components. With an extensive ecosystem and growing third-party support, MUI is perfect for data-heavy dashboards and applications requiring a consistent design language.

Pros:

• Comprehensive component library with built-in responsiveness.
• Follows Material Design principles, ensuring UX consistency.
• Strong community support and frequent updates.

Cons:

• Less flexible for projects that require custom aesthetics.
• Slightly heavier in bundle size compared to utility-first frameworks.

Chakra UI

Best for: Accessibility and responsive design

Chakra UI has gained traction as an accessibility-first UI library with intuitive defaults and easy customization. It’s especially useful for teams focusing on inclusive design while maintaining a smooth development experience.

 Pros:

• Accessibility baked in. WCAG-compliant out of the box.
• Easy to use with a simple API for theming and customization.
• Strong focus on developer experience and rapid prototyping.

Cons:

• Slightly opinionated design, which may not fit all branding needs.
• Not as feature-rich as MUI for enterprise applications.

Other libraries worth considering

Key takeaways

• For maximum design flexibility, use Tailwind CSS + shadCN UI.
• For enterprise-grade applications, go with MUI.
• For accessibility-focused projects, choose Chakra UI.
• For fully custom component-driven development, opt for Radix UI or Headless UI.
• For rapid prototyping, MUI or Tailwind CSS can help you move fast.
• For large-scale design systems, Chakra UI or Ant Design are strong contenders.

The next section will dive deeper into scenario-based recommendations, helping you match the right UI library to your specific use case.

Choosing the right UI library for your project

No UI library is a one-size-fits-all solution. The best choice depends on your project’s goals, design flexibility, performance needs, and team expertise. Below, we break down six common frontend scenarios and recommend the most suitable UI library for each.

Each UI library has its strengths and trade-offs. The key is understanding your project’s unique requirements and aligning them with the right tool.

For custom designs and complete control

Ideal use case: Your team is building a unique, brand-centric design where traditional component libraries feel restrictive. You need fine-grained control over styling while maintaining consistency across the project.

Recommended library: Tailwind CSS + shadCN UI

Tailwind CSS enables atomic styling, giving developers the freedom to craft pixel-perfect designs without fighting against predefined styles. shadCN UI provides pre-built accessible components while keeping design customization flexible.

Why?
1. Highly customizable. Build UI components exactly how you want.
2. Lightweight & scalable, avoiding unnecessary CSS bloat.
3. Dark mode & theme switching support with minimal setup.

Considerations:

• Steeper learning curve for beginners.
• Requires design effort to achieve a polished UI.

For enterprise-grade applications

Ideal use case: You’re developing a data-heavy dashboard, B2B SaaS platform, or enterprise application where consistency, productivity, and a vast component library are crucial.

Recommended library: Material UI (MUI)
MUI provides a comprehensive, well-documented component library based on Google's Material Design principles, making it ideal for complex applications that need scalability and maintainability.

Why?
1. Extensive pre-built components to speed up development.
2. Consistent UX and design system.3. Integrates well with React frameworks like Next.js.

Considerations:

• Less flexibility in design compared to Tailwind.
• Slightly larger bundle size.

For digital accessibility and responsive libraries

Ideal use case: Your app needs to be highly accessible to meet WCAG standards while providing a seamless experience across devices.

Recommended library: Chakra UI
Chakra UI is designed for accessibility, offering intuitive defaults that follow best practices for keyboard navigation, color contrast, and screen reader support.

Why?
1. Built-in accessibility features.2. Simple API for responsive design and theming.
3. Great developer experience, easy learning curve.

Considerations:

• Slightly opinionated styling.
• Not as feature-rich for complex enterprise dashboards.

For smart component-driven development

Ideal Use Case: Your project requires flexible, reusable UI primitives rather than fully styled components, allowing for complete creative control.

Recommended library: Radix UI or Headless UI
Both Radix UI and Headless UI provide unstyled, accessible components that serve as a foundation for building custom UI elements.

Why?
1. Unopinionated & framework-agnostic, works with any styling approach.
2. Fully accessible components out of the box.
3. Ideal for teams building design systems from scratch.

Considerations:

• Requires more custom styling effort.
• Not ideal for rapid development.

For rapid prototyping and quick MVP development

Ideal use case: You need to build an MVP quickly, iterating fast with pre-built components instead of designing everything from scratch.

Recommended Library: Tailwind CSS (for styling) or MUI (for pre-styled components)

Tailwind CSS allows you to structure layouts and styles rapidly. MUI provides ready-to-use components that align with Material Design.

Why?
1. Achieve faster time-to-market. Ship UI quickly without designing from scratch.
2. Great ecosystem & documentation.
3. Ideal for hackathons, startups, and proof-of-concept projects.

Considerations:

• Tailwind requires design effort unless paired with shadCN UI.
• MUI’s Material Design aesthetic may not fit every brand.

For scalable design systems and easy theming

Ideal Use Case: You’re developing a large-scale application where consistent theming and scalability are critical.

Recommended Library: Chakra UI or Ant Design
Both Chakra UI and Ant Design are excellent choices for teams that need to enforce design consistency across multiple products.

Why?
1. Theming support out of the box.
2. Component-driven architecture.
3. Ideal for enterprises and teams building white-label solutions.

Considerations:

• Ant Design is heavily opinionated and best suited for enterprise applications.
• Chakra UI has less extensive components compared to Ant Design.

How to choose the right UI library

Choosing the right UI library depends on your project goals, team expertise, and performance needs. Use this table to find the best fit:

Pro tip:

Before committing to a UI library, test it out in a sandbox environment to ensure it aligns with your project needs!

State of UI in 2025 and beyond

UI libraries are more powerful than ever, offering developers flexibility, accessibility, and performance. Whether you're building an enterprise-grade dashboard, a fast prototype, or a fully customized UI, there's a perfect library for your needs.

Aubergine specializes in scalable, high-performance UI development. From integrating and elevating an existing UI library to building one from scratch, our design and development experts can help create the right frameworks for you to build your products in the most efficient way possible.

Get in touch with us today.