Las 10 principales diferencias entre Bootstrap y Tailwind CSS

Introduction

When building modern, responsive web applications, developers often turn to CSS frameworks to streamline the design process and maintain consistent user experiences. Two popular CSS frameworks that cater to different design philosophies are Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS. While Bootstrap is a component-based framework that offers pre-designed UI components and elements for rapid prototyping, Tailwind CSS takes a utility-first approach, providing low-level CSS classes for developers to create custom UI components. 

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In this article, we will explore the top 10 differences between these two frameworks, along with examples to help you better understand their unique features and capabilities, and ultimately make an informed decision about which framework to choose for your project.

Related: 

• Integrate Tailwind with VueJS
• Integrate Tailwind with ReactJS

Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS are both popular CSS frameworks that can be used to build responsive and modern web designs. Here are the top 10 differences between them, with examples:

1. Approach

• Bootstrap is a component-based framework, providing pre-designed UI components and elements.
• Tailwind CSS is a utility-first framework, offering low-level CSS classes to create custom UI components.

Example

Bootstrap: 

<button >Submit</button>

Tailwind CSS: 

<button >Submit</button>

2. Styling

• Bootstrap applies global styles and includes pre-designed themes.
• Tailwind CSS doesn't apply global styles and encourages custom styling.

3. Customisation

• Bootstrap offers limited customisation through SCSS variables.

$primary: #4a148c;
@import 'bootstrap/scss/bootstrap';

• Tailwind CSS provides extensive customisation through configuration files.

module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      backgroundColor: {
        'primary': '#4a148c',
      },
    },
  },
  variants: {},
  plugins: [],
};

4. File size

• Bootstrap has a larger file size, including components you may not use.
• Tailwind CSS generates a smaller file size, only including used utilities.

5. JavaScript

• Bootstrap requires jQuery for some components, like modals and tooltips.
• Tailwind CSS doesn't require JavaScript for styling, but can be extended with JavaScript if needed.

6. Learning curve

• Bootstrap has a gentle learning curve, as it relies on familiar HTML and CSS syntax.
• Tailwind CSS has a steeper learning curve, due to its utility-first approach and custom syntax.

7. Responsiveness

• Bootstrap uses a predefined 12-column grid system for responsiveness.

<div >
 <div >
  <div >Column 1</div>
  <div >Column 2</div>
  <div >Column 3</div>
 </div>
</div>

• Tailwind CSS offers a flexible grid system with custom breakpoints.

<div >
 <div >
  <div>Column 1</div>
  <div>Column 2</div>
  <div >Column 3</div>
 </div>
</div>

8. Design constraints

• Bootstrap may limit design creativity due to its pre-designed components.
• Tailwind CSS encourages unique designs through its utility-first approach.

9. Community and ecosystem

• Bootstrap has a larger community and extensive third-party libraries and templates.
• Tailwind CSS has a growing community, but fewer third-party resources.

10. Versioning

• Bootstrap is currently on version 5.
• Tailwind CSS is currently on version 3.

Enlaces útiles

1. Documentación oficial de Bootstrap
2. Documentación oficial de Tailwind CSS
3. Ejemplos y plantillas de Bootstrap
4. Componentes CSS de Tailwind