Tailwind UI alternatives for Next.js and React
Tailwind UI, now called Tailwind Plus, is the official paid collection from the team behind Tailwind CSS. If you want free and open-source code, blocks that install with the shadcn CLI, or app screens with the motion already designed, these are the options worth a look.
What Tailwind UI does well
Tailwind Plus is made by the Tailwind CSS team and was called Tailwind UI until March 2025. It has a large set of UI blocks for marketing sites, application screens and ecommerce in HTML, React and Vue, plus site templates and Catalyst, a React UI kit built on Headless UI. Their blog describes it as a one-time purchase with lifetime access. It is a natural pick when you want Tailwind's own design conventions from the people who make Tailwind.
Why people look at other options
- You want free, open-source code under the MIT licence.
- Your app runs on shadcn/ui and you want blocks that come in through the shadcn CLI, so Cursor, v0 or Lovable can add them for you.
- You want the animation designed for you, not layouts you animate yourself afterwards.
- You want plain Tailwind class names you can drop into any stack.
Free Tailwind kits with lots of blocks
- Preline UIA big free set of Tailwind components and blocks in plain HTML first, plus a Figma design system.Preline UI next to qodesign
- FlowbiteA conventional open-source set of Tailwind components with React, Vue, Svelte and Angular versions, MIT.Flowbite next to qodesign
- daisyUIA Tailwind plugin with short class names and built-in themes, MIT, on any framework.daisyUI next to qodesign
shadcn/ui blocks for Next.js
- shadcn/uiThe free, MIT base most Next.js apps start from, with its own blocks for dashboards and login pages.shadcn/ui next to qodesign
- shadcnblocksReady-made sections for assembling whole pages on shadcn/ui, with free blocks and an open-source repo.shadcnblocks next to qodesign
- TailarkMarketing site blocks for shadcn/ui and Next.js from a shadcn registry, with a free plan.Tailark next to qodesign
App UI kits with a design system
- Untitled UI ReactReact components on React Aria and Tailwind CSS v4 with a matching Figma kit, open-source parts under MIT.Untitled UI React next to qodesign
- HeroUIA whole accessible design system on React Aria and Tailwind CSS v4, formerly NextUI.HeroUI next to qodesign
Free, from the same team
- Headless UIMade by Tailwind Labs too: unstyled, accessible menus, dialogs and form controls for React and Vue, MIT. Catalyst is built on it.Headless UI next to qodesign
When qodesign is the better fit
Pick qodesign when the screen you need is inside your app and should move: a login, an OTP screen, a checkout, a cart or a tab bar. Each piece is a whole interaction in React + TypeScript and Tailwind, with an HTML version and a PROMPT.md you paste into Cursor, v0 or Lovable so the agent wires it to your own logic. You buy one piece at a time instead of a whole collection, and the free kit and the MIT repo on GitHub let you try them first.
Questions
- Is Tailwind UI the same as Tailwind Plus?
- Yes. Tailwind Labs renamed Tailwind UI to Tailwind Plus in March 2025. Their announcement says the content stayed the same (components, templates and the Catalyst UI kit) and it is still a one-time purchase with lifetime access.
- Is there a free alternative to Tailwind UI?
- Yes. Preline UI, Flowbite and daisyUI all have free Tailwind components, and shadcn/ui is free and MIT for React apps. Headless UI, from the Tailwind team itself, is free and MIT too.
- Which Tailwind UI alternative works with shadcn/ui?
- shadcn/ui's own blocks, shadcnblocks and Tailark are all built for shadcn/ui and Next.js. Tailark installs from a shadcn registry, which lets an AI editor add the blocks for you.
- Do these work in a Cursor, v0 or Lovable app?
- Yes. They are all React with Tailwind, or plain Tailwind class names. The difference is how a piece gets in: copy and paste, a shadcn registry your agent can call, or a prompt like the PROMPT.md that comes with each qodesign piece.