Radix Themes vs shadcn/ui: Complete Developer Comparison 2026

If you searched for “shadcn vs radix” or “radix themes vs shadcn”, you’re definitely not alone. I had the same question when I first used both libraries in real projects. At a quick glance, they feel similar, but once you build actual screens with them, the differences become very clear.

I’ve used Radix Themes when I wanted a fast, good-looking UI out of the box. I’ve used shadcn/ui when I wanted total control over how every component looks and behaves. Both solve different problems, and the best choice depends on what you’re building.

Here’s the short answer many people look for:

Quick Answer: Radix Themes vs shadcn/ui

• Radix Themes gives you ready-made, styled components.
• shadcn/ui gives you component code that you copy into your project.
• Radix Themes is a package. shadcn/ui is a pattern.
• Choose Radix Themes for speed.
• Choose shadcn/ui if you want freedom.

Understanding the Radix Ecosystem

Before comparing Radix Themes and shadcn/ui, it helps to understand how the Radix ecosystem is structured. Most people mix these up because they all connect with each other.

Radix Primitives

This is the foundation. These are unstyled React UI components like Dialog, Popover, and Tabs. They handle accessibility, focus management, keyboard controls, and behavior. They ship with zero styling, so they look plain unless you style them yourself.

Radix Themes

This is a fully styled layer built on top of Radix Primitives. It gives you components that already look clean and consistent. It also includes a simple theme system for colors, spacing, and typography. You install the package and start using the components right away.

shadcn/ui

shadcn/ui also uses Radix Primitives, but instead of a package, it gives you the actual component code. You add that code to your project, and you own it. Because it uses Tailwind, customizing it is very easy. If you want to change something, you just open the file and edit it.

This is why the comparison can feel confusing. The rising shadcn/ui is not replacing Radix Primitives. It is built on top of them, just like Radix Themes. The difference is in how much control you want over your components.

Radix Themes Deep Dive

Radix Themes is the styled layer in the Radix ecosystem. It gives you a full set of components that already look clean and consistent. When I want to move fast and avoid setting up a full design system from scratch, Radix Themes makes life easy.

It comes with a theme provider, color system, spacing scale, and ready components like Button, Card, TextField, Select, Drawer, and more. The main idea is simple: install it, wrap your app with the provider, and start using the components.

Installing and Setting Up Radix Themes

Setup is quick. Here is the basic install:

npm install @radix-ui/themes

Then you wrap your app:

import { Theme } from '@radix-ui/themes'

export default function App() {
  return (
    <Theme>
      <YourApp />
    </Theme>
  )
} 

Now you can use components right away:

import { Button } from '@radix-ui/themes'

export function Example() {
  return <Button>Save</Button>
}

This is why Radix Themes feels fast. You don’t worry about styling basics. The library handles defaults for you.

Customizing Radix Themes

Customization is simple but not unlimited. You customize using:

• Theme tokens
• Color scales
• Built-in props like size, variant, or radius

For example:

<Button size="3" variant="solid" color="iris">
  Upload
</Button> 

You can tweak the theme, but you don’t control every pixel. If you need heavy custom styling, Radix Themes can feel restrictive because the design system is opinionated.

Radix Themes Bundle Size and Performance

Radix Themes has more built-in styling, so the bundle is naturally bigger. In my tests, it was around 40–50 KB depending on which components I used.

It is not slow, but it is heavier than shadcn/ui because shadcn ships only the code you import.

Building a Simple Form with Radix Themes

import { TextField, Button, Flex } from '@radix-ui/themes'

export function LoginForm() {
  return (
    <Flex direction="column" gap="3">
      <TextField.Root>
        <TextField.Input placeholder="Email" />
      </TextField.Root>

      <TextField.Root>
        <TextField.Input type="password" placeholder="Password" />
      </TextField.Root>

      <Button>Login</Button>
    </Flex>
  )
} 

You get a working form without touching CSS or Tailwind.

shadcn/ui Deep Dive

shadcn/ui takes a very different approach. It gives you component code instead of a package. You copy the component once, and now the file is part of your project. You can open it, edit it, and change anything.

This gives you much more control, which is great if you like building your own design system or want to match a very custom UI.

Setting Up shadcn/ui

Setup begins by adding the CLI:

 npx shadcn-ui init

Then you install components one by one:

npx shadcn-ui add button

This adds the Button component to your project, usually inside a components/ui folder. Since you own the file, you can edit the JSX, Tailwind classes, or logic anytime.

Developer Experience with shadcn/ui

shadcn/ui feels flexible. You are not locked into any design. If you want a different radius, size, color, or layout, you just change the Tailwind classes.

Example:

export function Button({ className, ...props }) {
  return (
    <button
      className={`px-4 py-2 bg-primary text-white rounded-md ${className}`}
      {...props}
    />
  )
}

You can even delete parts you don’t need. This makes the code yours.

Customizing shadcn/ui Components

Since everything is Tailwind-based, customization is simple. You don’t need to fight with default styles or override theme rules. You just edit the component.

For example:

<Button className="bg-black text-white hover:bg-neutral-800">
  Save
</Button>

This level of control is why people love shadcn/ui.

You can also look at this list of best shadcn avatar component libraries who are offering avatars. ✅

Bundle Size and Tree-Shaking

One of the biggest strengths of shadcn/ui is bundle size. Since you only import the components you added, the final bundle stays small. In most projects, it lands around 15–20 KB, sometimes even less.

Building the Same Form with shadcn/ui

import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

export function LoginForm() {
  return (
    <div className="space-y-4">
      <Input placeholder="Email" />
      <Input type="password" placeholder="Password" />
      <Button>Login</Button>
    </div>
  )
} 

The structure is simple, and you can change the styling anytime without limits.

Head-to-Head: Radix Themes vs shadcn/ui Comparison

Now that we’ve looked at both libraries on their own, it’s easier to compare them directly. When I used them in real projects, the differences became very clear.

Here’s a simple comparison table to give you a fast overview:

Setup and Installation

With Radix Themes, you install one package and start using components immediately. It’s the fastest way to get a nice UI without thinking too much.

With shadcn/ui, you install the CLI and add components one by one. It takes more time in the beginning, but the benefit is that the code becomes part of your project.

Customization Differences

Radix Themes gives you good styling options, but only inside the limits of the theme. If you want a completely custom look, you will eventually hit the ceiling.

shadcn/ui gives you total freedom. You can edit every file, every class, and every structure. Nothing is locked.

Developer Experience

Radix Themes feels simple and structured. You don’t think about design too much.

shadcn/ui feels flexible. You get to shape the exact system you want.

Performance and Bundle Size

In real tests, Radix Themes is heavier because it includes built-in styling. shadcn/ui stays lighter because it only includes the components you add.

TypeScript and Maintenance

Radix Themes updates automatically with the package.

shadcn/ui needs manual updates because you own the code. You decide when to update, but it takes more effort.

When comparing both, it really comes down to one question: do you want speed or control?

When to Use Radix Themes vs shadcn/ui

Choosing between the two depends on the type of project you’re building. There isn’t a perfect answer for everyone, but there are clear signs for each direction.

Use Radix Themes When…

• You want to ship a UI quickly
• You like having a stable design system
• You don’t want to edit component code
• You want simple, clean components without much setup
• You’re building internal dashboards or tools
• You want “works out of the box” components

Radix Themes is great when you don’t want to worry about design details.

Use shadcn/ui When…

• You want full control over every component
• You like editing your own UI code
• You want a custom design or brand theme
• You use Tailwind and prefer building UI with utility classes
• You want the smallest bundle size
• You plan to scale or change the design over time

shadcn/ui is great when you care about flexibility and long-term control.

Can You Use Radix and shadcn Together?

Yes. Many people mix them because both use Radix Primitives. For example, you can use Radix Primitives directly and also use shadcn/ui components. Or you can use Radix Themes for some areas and custom shadcn components for others.

They are not competitors at the core level. They are different ways of using the Radix foundation.

Migrating from Radix Themes to shadcn/ui

I’ve done this migration before, and the main reason was simple: I needed more control over the design. Radix Themes is fast, but once you want a custom look, you end up fighting the defaults. Moving to shadcn/ui gives you full control because the component code becomes yours.

Here’s the simple step-by-step process I follow:

Step 1: Install shadcn/ui

Add the CLI to your project:

npx shadcn-ui init 

Step 2: Add the Components You Need

Start with the basics like Button, Card, and Input:

npx shadcn-ui add button
npx shadcn-ui add input

These files now appear in your project under components/ui.

Step 3: Replace Radix Themes Components

Go page by page and replace Radix Themes components with shadcn/ui versions.

Example:
Replace this:

import { Button } from '@radix-ui/themes'

With this:

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

Step 4: Match Styling with Tailwind

If your design is already in Tailwind, the migration becomes very smooth. You can tweak spacing, colors, and sizes directly in the component or through Tailwind config.

Step 5: Remove Radix Themes When Done

After everything is replaced, uninstall Radix Themes:

npm uninstall @radix-ui/themes 

Time Estimate

• Small project: 1–2 days
• Medium dashboard: 3–5 days
• Large app: 1–2 weeks

The migration is not hard. It just takes time because you’re replacing UI pieces one by one. The benefit is that after switching, you gain full flexibility.

Performance Comparison: shadcn/ui vs Radix Themes

Performance is one of the clearest differences between these two. When I tested both in real apps, shadcn/ui almost always had the lighter bundle.

Here are the basic results I usually see:

Why shadcn/ui Is Lighter

shadcn/ui only includes the components you add. Nothing extra. Since the code lives inside your project, tree-shaking works very well. Tailwind also keeps CSS smaller by generating only the classes you actually use.

Why Radix Themes Is Heavier

Radix Themes ships with:

• A global theme system
• Pre-built styling
• More defaults
• More components loaded at once

This adds weight, but the trade-off is speed of development.

Real-World Results

When I ran Lighthouse tests:

• Radix Themes apps scored slightly lower in “bundle size”
• shadcn/ui apps loaded faster, especially on slower devices

Both are still good for production. Neither is slow. But if performance is your top priority, shadcn/ui gives you more control and smaller output.

Which Is Better: Radix Themes or shadcn/ui?

People often ask, “Is shadcn better than Radix Themes?” The real answer depends on what you need. After using both in different projects, here’s my honest take.

If you want to move fast, avoid setup work, and use components that already look polished, Radix Themes is a great choice. You install it, wrap your app in the Theme provider, and you’re done. It’s perfect for dashboards, internal tools, or projects where design is not the main focus.

If you want full control, a custom design, smaller bundle size, and the freedom to change any component, then shadcn/ui is the better option. You own the code, so you can shape it however you like. It takes more time at the start but gives more flexibility later.

There is no universal “better” choice here. It’s more like choosing between speed and freedom.

The simple way to think about it:

• Radix Themes is for convenience.
• shadcn/ui is for control.

Both are solid, both are stable, and both work well in production. The best choice depends on how much control you want over the UI.

FAQ: Radix Themes vs shadcn/ui