shadcn/ui vs Radix UI(2026)
shadcn/ui is better for teams that need you own the code. Radix UI is the stronger choice if best accessibility in the market. shadcn/ui is open-source (from $0) and Radix UI is open-source (from $0).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
Affiliate disclosure: Some “Visit” links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you. It does not affect our rankings or editorial coverage. Learn more.
shadcn/ui
shadcn/ui is a collection of beautifully designed, accessible React components built on Radix UI and Tailwind CSS — you copy the source code directly into your project, owning it fully.
Starting at $0
Visit shadcn/uiRadix UI
Radix UI provides unstyled, WAI-ARIA compliant React primitives for building design systems — handling accessibility, keyboard navigation, and focus management so you only write styles.
Starting at $0
Visit Radix UIHow Do shadcn/ui and Radix UI Compare on Features?
| Feature | shadcn/ui | Radix UI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | open-source |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Copy-paste components | ✓ | — |
| Radix UI primitives | ✓ | — |
| Tailwind CSS styling | ✓ | — |
| Dark mode | ✓ | — |
| TypeScript | ✓ | ✓ |
| Themes (CSS variables) | ✓ | — |
| CLI for adding components | ✓ | — |
| Unstyled primitives | — | ✓ |
| WAI-ARIA compliant | — | ✓ |
| Full keyboard navigation | — | ✓ |
| Focus management | — | ✓ |
| Composition API | — | ✓ |
| CSS agnostic | — | ✓ |
shadcn/ui Pros and Cons vs Radix UI
shadcn/ui
Radix UI
Should You Use shadcn/ui or Radix UI?
Choose shadcn/ui if…
- •You own the code
- •Beautiful default design
- •Accessible (Radix)
Choose Radix UI if…
- •Best accessibility in the market
- •Fully customizable styling
- •Composable patterns