qodesign vs SmoothUI
SmoothUI is a free, MIT licensed set of 181 animated React components for shadcn/ui, built with Tailwind CSS and Motion. qodesign sells a small set of finished, animated screens for Next.js + Tailwind, each with a PROMPT.md for your AI editor.
| qodesign | SmoothUI | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3 each (one dashboard $9), or $29 once for all 16 paid | Free and open source (MIT). Its FAQ says there are no premium tiers or hidden fees |
| Free | 6 free components, 5 MIT with no email needed | Everything: every component, block and template is free, for personal and commercial projects |
| Size | 16 paid + 6 free components, more added as they ship | 181 animated components in its llms.txt and FAQ, plus blocks (hero, pricing, testimonials and more) and whole templates such as a chat surface |
| What's in a download | React + Tailwind (TSX), PROMPT.md, HTML file | See their site |
| Licence | Personal, commercial and client projects; no reselling the source | MIT (GitHub and its FAQ) |
| Stack | React + TypeScript, Tailwind (most also use Framer Motion), HTML version included | React, Tailwind CSS v4 and Motion (GSAP in some pieces). Installs with its own CLI or as an official shadcn registry (@smoothui), and the code lands in your project. Primitives ship on Base UI by default. It has an MCP setup, an llms.txt and a public API |
| Best for | One memorable animated moment in your app (login, checkout, nav, dashboard) | shadcn/ui projects that want lots of free motion, especially AI chat pieces, and don't mind wiring the screen together themselves |
Which one to pick
- Pick SmoothUI if
- Pick SmoothUI if you want a big free shelf of animated parts for a shadcn/ui app and you like assembling screens yourself. It installs with one command per piece and it's very good value at zero dollars.
- Pick qodesign if
- Pick qodesign when you want one screen already finished: an animated login, tab bar or checkout with the states and timing done, plus a PROMPT.md so Cursor, v0 or Lovable wire it into your app without breaking the motion.
qodesign pieces to look at first
Related reading: How to choose a React + Tailwind component library in 2026