Top CSS Frameworks to Boost Your UI Development in 2024

In this article we explore the most popular CSS/UI frameworks for 2024, helping developers select the right toolkit to accelerate UI development.

Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a mobile‑first CSS framework that provides a powerful grid system and ready‑to‑use components such as navbars, cards, and modals, enabling rapid responsive web development.

Responsive grid system.

Extensive pre‑built components.

Utility classes for quick styling.

JavaScript plugins for enhanced functionality.

Active community and comprehensive documentation.

import ButtonGroup from 'react-bootstrap/ButtonGroup';
import Dropdown from 'react-bootstrap/Dropdown';
import DropdownButton from 'react-bootstrap/DropdownButton';
import './bootstrap.css';

export function Bootstrap() {
  return (
    <div className="button">
      {['Primary', 'success', 'danger'].map((variant) => (
        <DropdownButton
          as={ButtonGroup}
          key={variant}
          id={`dropdown-variants-${variant}`}
          variant={variant.toLowerCase()}
          title={variant}
        >
          <Dropdown.Item eventKey="1">Action</Dropdown.Item>
          <Dropdown.Item eventKey="2">Another action</Dropdown.Item>
          <Dropdown.Item eventKey="3" active>Active Item</Dropdown.Item>
          <Dropdown.Divider />
          <Dropdown.Item eventKey="4">Separated link</Dropdown.Item>
        </DropdownButton>
      ))}
      <br />
      <Dropdown>
        <Dropdown.Toggle variant="success" id="dropdown-basic">Dropdown Button</Dropdown.Toggle>
        <Dropdown.Menu>
          <Dropdown.Item href="#/action-1">Action</Dropdown.Item>
          <Dropdown.Item href="#/action-2">Another action</Dropdown.Item>
          <Dropdown.Item href="#/action-3">Something else</Dropdown.Item>
        </Dropdown.Menu>
      </Dropdown>
    </div>
  );
}

Tailwind CSS

Tailwind CSS is a utility‑first framework that offers low‑level utility classes, allowing developers to craft custom designs without relying on pre‑styled components.

Utility‑first styling approach.

Highly configurable via a configuration file.

No pre‑built components; styles are built from utilities.

Responsive design with breakpoints.

Integrated PurgeCSS for production build optimization.

Just‑In‑Time (JIT) mode for fast development.

/** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
module.exports = {
  content: ["./src/**/*.{html,js}"],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
};

export function Tailwind() {
  const ContactTextArea = ({
    row,
    placeholder,
    name,
    defaultValue,
  }: {
    row: number;
    placeholder: string;
    name: string;
    defaultValue: string;
  }) => {
    return (
      <>
        <div className="mb-6">
          <textarea
            rows={row}
            placeholder={placeholder}
            name={name}
            className="w-full resize-none rounded border border-stroke px-[14px] py-3 text-base text-body-color outline-none focus:border-primary dark:border-dark-3 dark:bg-dark dark:text-dark-6"
            defaultValue={defaultValue}
          />
        </div>
      </>
    );
  };

  const ContactInputBox = ({
    type,
    placeholder,
    name,
  }: {
    type: string;
    placeholder: string;
    name: string;
  }) => {
    return (
      <>
        <div className="mb-6">
          <input
            type={type}
            placeholder={placeholder}
            name={name}
            className="w-full rounded border border-stroke px-[14px] py-3 text-base text-body-color outline-none focus:border-primary dark:border-dark-3 dark:bg-dark dark:text-dark-6"
          />
        </div>
      </>
    );
  };

  return (
    <section className="relative z-10 overflow-hidden bg-white py-20 dark:bg-dark lg:py-[120px]">
      <div className="w-full px-4 lg:w-1/2 xl:w-5/12">
        <div className="relative rounded-lg bg-white p-8 shadow-lg dark:bg-dark-2 sm:p-12">
          <form>
            <ContactInputBox type="text" name="name" placeholder="Your Name" />
            <ContactInputBox type="text" name="email" placeholder="Your Email" />
            <ContactInputBox type="text" name="phone" placeholder="Your Phone" />
            <ContactTextArea row={6} placeholder="Your Message" name="details" defaultValue="" />
            <div>
              <button type="submit" className="w-full rounded border border-primary bg-primary p-3 text-white transition hover:bg-opacity-90">
                Send Message
              </button>
            </div>
          </form>
          <div />
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>
  );
}

Foundation

Foundation is an open‑source responsive front‑end framework used by companies such as Facebook, eBay, Mozilla, Adobe, and Disney to build impressive websites and web applications.

Flexible responsive grid system.

Modular architecture, easy to customize.

Sass pre‑processor for styling.

Built‑in components and responsive navigation.

Flexbox and block grid support.

Helper function library.

import { Menu, MenuItem } from 'react-foundation';

export function Foundation() {
  return (
   <Menu style={{ marginLeft: '34px' }}>
     <MenuItem><a href="/">Home</a></MenuItem>
     <MenuItem><a href="/">Blog</a></MenuItem>
     <MenuItem><a href="/">About</a></MenuItem>
     <MenuItem><a href="/">Contact</a></MenuItem>
   </Menu>
  );
}

Bulma

Bulma is a lightweight CSS framework built on Flexbox, offering a modern, responsive design without any JavaScript dependencies.

Flexbox‑based modern CSS framework.

Intuitive syntax and easy to use.

No JavaScript dependencies.

Responsive design with built‑in modifiers.

Components such as navbar, modal, and tabs.

Extensible via Sass.

import 'bulma/css/bulma.min.css';

export function Bulma() {
  return (
    <div>
      <nav className="pagination" role="navigation" aria-label="pagination">
        <a href="/" className="pagination-previous">Previous</a>
        <a href="/" className="pagination-next">Next Page</a>
        <ul className="pagination-list">
          <li><a href="/" className="pagination-link" aria-label="Goto page 1">1</a></li>
          <li><span className="pagination-ellipsis">…</span></li>
          <li><a href="/" className="pagination-link" aria-label="Goto page 45">45</a></li>
          <li><a href="/" className="pagination-link is-current" aria-label="Page 46" aria-current="page">46</a></li>
          <li><a href="/" className="pagination-link" aria-label="Goto page 47">47</a></li>
          <li><span className="pagination-ellipsis">…</span></li>
          <li><a href="/" className="pagination-link" aria-label="Goto page 86">86</a></li>
        </ul>
      </nav>
    </div>
  );
}

UIkit

UIkit is an open‑source framework for building web application user interfaces, featuring a component‑based architecture that promotes flexibility and reusability.

Modular and lightweight.

Responsive grid system.

Pre‑designed components such as navbars, sliders, and modals.

Flexbox‑based layout.

Animations and transitions.

Customizable and themeable.

import 'uikit/dist/css/uikit.min.css';

export function Uikit() {
  return (
    <div className="uk-flex uk-flex-center uk-margin-top">
      <button
        type="button"
        className="uk-button uk-button-default uk-margin-left"
        onClick={() => alert('Cancel clicked!')}
      >
        Cancel
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

Beyond the frameworks covered here, many other CSS libraries exist; the ones listed are among the most important and popular, helping you make an informed choice for your projects in the new year.