The Ultimate Comparison: Ant Design vs Material# Ant Design vs Material UI: Which React UI Library to Choose
Tags: opensource, javascript, webdev, github
Published: 2023-07-19 14:15:34

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IDURAR is Open Source ERP/CRM (Invoice / Inventory / Accounting / HR) Based on Mern Stack (Node.js / Express.js / MongoDb / React.js ) with Ant Design (AntD) and Redux
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/idurar/idurar-erp-crm


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6sxcbe3s2jflj0lbt8ld.png)

React is a popular JavaScript library that is widely used for building user interfaces. When it comes to building React projects, having a UI library with pre-built components can save developers a lot of time and effort. Two of the most commonly used React libraries are Ant Design and Material UI.

 Both libraries offer a comprehensive set of pre-built components and have a large community of developers. In this article, we'll compare Ant Design and Material UI in terms of design principles, components and features, customization options, and performance and scalability. We'll also discuss use cases for each library and their pros and cons so that you can decide which library is best suited for your project.

## Background on Ant Design

Ant Design is an open-source design system that was launched by Alibaba Group in 2015. It has gained immense traction among React developers due to its comprehensive set of pre-built UI components and its use of Chinese user interface design principles and guidelines. The library contains an array of components such as form controls, navigation elements, and data visualization tools that are essential for creating beautiful designs with ease.

One of the advantages of using Ant Design is its simplicity. The library presents a set of hooks and components to be utilized with functional components inside React. Furthermore, you can access a large collection of modification options that allow you to alter the appearance and behaviour aspects of these elements as you wish.

Ant Design also offers excellent documentation, which makes it easy for developers to get started. The documentation is well-organized, and the code snippets are easy to understand. Additionally, the library has a large community of developers who contribute to its development, making it a reliable and robust library for React projects.
Example:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/b141ssc5w15ghos2w39f.png)
IDURAR GitHub Repository: https://github.com/idurar/idurar-erp-crm

IDURAR Website: https://www.idurarapp.com/

## Background on Material UI

Material UI is another popular open-source library for building React applications. It was launched in 2014 and has since become one of the most widely used UI libraries for React. Material UI provides a comprehensive set of pre-built components that are based on Google's Material Design guidelines. These components are highly customizable and can be used to create modern and responsive user interfaces.

One of the benefits of using Material UI is its focus on accessibility. The library offers a range of accessibility features, such as support for screen readers and keyboard navigation. Additionally, Material UI has excellent documentation and a large community of developers who contribute to its development.

Material UI also offers a wide range of customization options, allowing developers to easily modify the appearance and behaviour of their components. The library has an extensive set of CSS classes and styles that developers can use to customize their components. Additionally, Material UI supports theming, which allows developers to create a consistent look and feel throughout their application.
Example:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/dy8826mc4lw6mpvwbhgt.png)
Crema Website: https://cremawork.com/mui/
Material UI GitHub Repository: https://github.com/mui/material-ui

## Design Principles
Ant Design and Material UI have different design principles that are reflected in their components and styles. Ant Design uses Chinese design principles and guidelines, while Material UI is based on Google's Material Design guidelines.

Ant Design's design principles are centred around simplicity, elegance, and consistency. The library aims to provide a set of UI components that are easy to understand and use. Ant Design's components are designed to be highly customizable, allowing developers to easily modify the appearance and behaviour of their components.

Material UI's design principles are focused on material design, which is based on the use of grid-based layouts, responsive animations, and transitions. The library's components are designed to be highly modular, allowing developers to easily combine them to create complex UIs. Material UI components are also highly customizable, and the library has an extensive set of CSS classes and styles that developers can use to modify the appearance of their components.

## Components and Features

Ant Design and Material UI both offer a wide range of pre-built components for building user interfaces. Ant Design has a comprehensive set of components such as form controls, navigation elements, and data visualization tools. Material UI also offers a wide range of components, including buttons, forms, dialogues, and data tables.

One of the advantages of Ant Design is its support for internationalization (i18n). The library provides built-in support for multiple languages, making it easy to create applications that can be used by people from all over the world. Ant Design also offers a range of data visualization components, such as charts and graphs, which can be used to create informative and visually appealing interfaces.

Material UI components are highly modular, which makes it easy to create complex UIs by combining different components. The library also offers a wide range of customization options, allowing developers to modify the appearance and behaviour of their components. Additionally, Material UI has a built-in grid system that makes it easy to create responsive layouts.

## Customization Options

Both Ant Design and Material UI offer a wide range of customization options for their components. Ant Design provides a large collection of modification options that allow you to alter the appearance and behaviour aspects of its components as you wish. The library also supports theming, which allows developers to create a consistent look and feel throughout their applications.

Material UI also offers a wide range of customization options. The library has an extensive set of CSS classes and styles that developers can use to modify the appearance of their components. Additionally, Material UI supports theming, allowing developers to create a consistent look and feel throughout their applications.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0780wqdiknxoxs0jmqsg.png)

## Performance and Scalability

When it comes to performance and scalability, both Ant Design and Material UI are highly performant and scalable. Ant Design has been optimized for performance, and its components are designed to be highly efficient. Additionally, the library is lightweight and has a small footprint, which makes it a good choice for applications that require fast load times.

Material UI also has good performance and scalability. The library's components are optimized for performance, and the library has been designed to be highly efficient. Additionally, Material UI has been designed to work well with other libraries and frameworks, making it a good choice for large-scale applications.

## Use Cases

Ant Design and Material UI are both great choices for building React applications. However, they have different use cases. Ant Design is a good choice for applications that require a consistent and elegant design. The library's components are highly customizable, which makes it easy to create unique and visually appealing interfaces. Additionally, Ant Design's support for internationalization makes it a good choice for applications that need to be used by people from all over the world.

Material UI is a good choice for applications that require a modern and responsive design. The library's components are highly modular, which makes it easy to create complex UIs. Additionally, Material UI's support for accessibility makes it a good choice for applications that need to be accessible to people with disabilities.

## Pros and Cons

Both Ant Design and Material UI have their pros and cons. Ant Design's pros include its simplicity, elegant design, and support for internationalization. However, the library's cons include its lack of customization options and its limited support for accessibility.

Material UI's pros include its focus on accessibility, its extensive set of customization options, and its modular design. However, the library's cons include its large footprint and its potential for performance issues in large-scale applications.

## Conclusion

When it comes to choosing between Ant Design and Material UI, there is no clear winner. Both libraries offer a comprehensive set of pre-built components and have a large community of developers. Choosing between the two libraries ultimately depends on your project's requirements. If your project requires a consistent and elegant design, Ant Design may be the better choice. If your project requires a modern and responsive design, Material UI may be the better choice. Additionally, if accessibility is a concern, Material UI may be the better choice due to its focus on accessibility.