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shadcn/ui

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Beautifully designed, customizable UI components for your design system.

Free, no paid tier
Free UI/UX Design Design Systems Developer Tools
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Tracked since 2026

The Bottom Line

Price
Free, no paid tier. Compare plans

Key facts

  • Provides customizable UI components as code, not a library.
  • Offers full control and flexibility for developers to extend components.
  • Open-source and free to use for building design systems.

Pros

  • Copy-paste components
  • Full control
  • Tailwind based
  • Accessible
  • Customizable

Cons

  • Not a library
  • Manual updates
  • React/Next.js focused
  • Tailwind dependency
  • Less out-of-box

What is shadcn/ui?

shadcn/ui is an open-source collection of beautifully designed UI components that developers can use as a foundation for their design systems. Unlike traditional component libraries, shadcn/ui provides the actual code for each component, allowing users to copy, paste, and fully customize them to fit their specific project needs and branding. This approach gives developers complete control over the components, enabling them to extend and build upon them without being constrained by a fixed API or styling. It's ideal for developers and teams looking for a flexible, unopinionated starting point for their UI, ensuring consistency and accelerating development while maintaining full ownership of their codebase. The components are designed to be integrated directly into projects, promoting a "bring your own styles" philosophy.

Available on: Web

Data compiled by Toolradar Pricing checked · How we evaluate
Source ui.shadcn.com

Key Features

  • Copy-paste components
  • Radix primitives
  • Tailwind styling
  • Customizable
  • TypeScript support
  • Open source

Pricing Plans

Pricing checked Oct 1, 2026. Source: ui.shadcn.com, read Oct 1, 2026

shadcn/ui plans and prices, checked October 2026
Plan Price Details
Free

Free

  • Open source
  • 105k+ GitHub stars
  • Full component library
+2 more
  • Customizable and extendable
  • Copy and paste components
View full pricing

Is shadcn/ui worth the price?

Great value

The pricing for shadcn/ui is exceptionally generous, as it is entirely free.

This open-source project provides a full, customizable UI component library at no cost, making it an outstanding value. It is best for developers and teams looking for high-quality, free UI components.

Full shadcn/ui pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

shadcn/ui by the numbers

shadcn/ui compared with 43 Design Systems tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
Metric shadcn/ui Peer median Position (1 is best)
Free plan Yes 35 of 43 have one n/a
Listed as an alternative to 10 tools 3 #8 of 43 (joint)
Integrations listed 1 4 #9 of 10 (joint) tools with at least one integration recorded
Compare-page visits, last 30 days 74 visits 39 #6 of 16 tools with 20+ compare-page visits

Visitors most often compare shadcn/ui with Ant Design (last 30 days, Oct 2026).

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All Design Systems data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.

Cite this: Toolradar, “shadcn/ui by the numbers”, Oct 2026.

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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

shadcn/ui vs Ant Design Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins shadcn/ui vs Material UI Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins shadcn/ui vs Radix UI Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

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shadcn/ui FAQ

How does shadcn/ui differ from traditional UI component libraries?

shadcn/ui provides the actual code for each component, which developers can copy, paste, and customize directly. This contrasts with traditional libraries that offer pre-built components with fixed APIs, giving users full control over their UI code.

Which teams would benefit most from using shadcn/ui?

Teams looking for a flexible, unopinionated starting point for their UI will find shadcn/ui beneficial. It is ideal for developers who need to maintain full ownership of their codebase and ensure consistency across their design system.

Does shadcn/ui include a free tier?

Yes, shadcn/ui is entirely free to use, and no paid plan is required to access its components or features. It is an open-source collection available for all developers.

What kind of customization is possible with shadcn/ui components?

Developers can fully customize shadcn/ui components to fit specific project needs and branding because they receive the actual code. This approach allows for extensive modification and extension without being constrained by a fixed API or styling.

How does shadcn/ui compare to Chakra UI?

Unlike Chakra UI, which is a traditional component library, shadcn/ui provides copy-pasteable code for its components, offering developers full control and ownership. This allows for deeper customization and integration directly into a project's codebase.

What are the main trade-offs when choosing shadcn/ui?

A key trade-off is that shadcn/ui is not a traditional library, meaning updates are manual, and it requires a Tailwind CSS dependency. It also offers less out-of-the-box functionality compared to some other solutions, focusing instead on flexibility and control.

Can shadcn/ui be used for building complex design systems?

Yes, shadcn/ui is designed to be a foundation for design systems, offering customizable UI components. Its approach allows developers to extend and build upon the components, ensuring consistency and accelerating development while maintaining full ownership of the codebase.

Source: ui.shadcn.com

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