With so many web design frameworks on the web now, creating user interfaces (UI) is more efficient than ever. As a technical consultant who specializes in the front end, I have the pleasure of learning about various tools and technologies because I work with so many different clients.
A recent engagement introduced me to Angular Material. I had no previous experience with the framework, but it was a game-changer. Angular Material has out-of-the-box components with customization capabilities.
For example, I was able to use the Sass map to set the colors of our application for consistent use. Opting for a custom theme streamlined our development process. No more deciphering individual color codes — we had a unified palette that ensured consistency and saved valuable time.
My favorite part of Angular Material is its documentation. It’s comprehensive, clear, and brimming with examples. For instance, I was assigned a ticket to create the navigation panel. I was able to easily locate their navigation drawer component and add the open and close functionality with the material button toggle.
I truly enjoyed designing the user interface with Angular Material, but that is not the only framework out there. In this article, we’ll go over the 10 best frameworks I have used and what makes them so great.
Table of Contents
What is a web design framework?
Frameworks offer a foundation that we can build upon. They eliminate repetitive coding by offering pre-built components and a standardized structure. Using frameworks is like completing a puzzle. The pieces are there, but it’s my job to piece them together based on requirements.
Think of your frameworks as specialized toolkits. Each brings its own collection of components, libraries, and best practices. You can choose whichever option best matches your use case or aesthetic.
Each framework has its own specialty. For example, some are best suited to showcase single-page applications with dynamic UIs. Others focus more on crafting visually pleasing landing pages.
Remember, each framework is what you make of it. You can save time on coding while ensuring quality and consistency across your site. This is especially helpful if you plan on spending the bulk of your time crafting your site’s content. You can use frameworks to move more quickly through the web-building stage.
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How I Tested These Frameworks
Every framework has its unique benefits and limitations. When looking for the right framework, I always start by evaluating the development project’s needs. From there, I can determine what will work best.
For this post, I specifically looked for the following in each framework mentioned in this article:
- User experience (UX) — intuitive, accessible, and responsive experiences.
- Design — customizable themes, robust components, and clean code.
- Tech — Fast loading, SEO-friendly, and secure websites.
- Developer experience (DX) — Clear docs, strong community, and manageable learning curve.
- Project fit — Alignment with needs, scalability, and personal preference.
To test the frameworks, I’ll build a site for a mock SaaS company called Fit US. This imaginary application connects fitness partners to increase their chances of achieving their workout goals. Partners can reward each other when milestones are hit. They can even exercise together if they choose.
Now, let’s take a look at some popular web design frameworks and test a few listed.
Best Web Design Frameworks
1. Material Design for Bootstrap
I save hours of development by using Material Design for Bootstrap on my development projects. What I love the most about this amazing framework is its large library of pre-made components. Whether you’re crafting a sleek navbar or a structured grid to display a web of items, the framework provides ready-to-use elements that seamlessly integrate and accelerate your workflow.
Thanks to its design flexibility and intuitive layout, Material Bootstrap can be used by developers of all rankings. The documentation empowers you to personalize themes, which makes it easier for your team to integrate your brand throughout your project while using this framework.
But if you don’t want to customize, Material Bootstrap has a ton of templates that you can use to plug and play. While there are several components and layouts that can be used for free, Material Bootstrap Pro offers much more with its paid plans.
What I like: Material Bootstrap works for various development projects due to its various offerings and pre-designed layout templates. I also love how easy the installation process is. I simply downloaded a zip file, unzipped the file, and opened it using Visual Studio Code.
Pricing: Free option available. Individual plans start at $199 for a single project. Enterprise plans start at $ 5,769 for 10 developers.
Framework Test: Fit US
I created a fake Sass site called Fit US to help individuals find reliable support for their fitness journey. Material Bootstrap’s intuitive component library proved ideal for constructing the various sections of the platform, including a dedicated space for user testimonials — a key element in fostering trust and community spirit.
Navigation elements like the navigation bar and footer were swiftly implemented, while card components provided a visually appealing structure for showcasing personal fitness stories.
Let’s focus on the testimonials card. These cards were super easy to create.
I simply located the cards’ HTML under the Components section in the side menu bar. The buttons, font, and card appearance came pre-styled. I added this information to my index.html file. I edited the text to reflect the information I wanted to see on the cards. This process took me about five minutes.
The framework’s container class and d-flex utility facilitated precise element alignment, ensuring a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing interface. This combination of speed, flexibility, and visual control makes Material Bootstrap a compelling choice for projects requiring efficient and effective web design solutions.
2. Semantic UI
Semantic UI is a popular framework thanks to its human readability. Many frameworks have randomly named classes and functions, but not Semantic.
I enjoy using this framework because it embraces human language, using terms like “button,” “grid,” and “dropdown” as class names. You don’t need to know the specifics of CSS or HTML to start building. This not only reduces the learning curve but also makes collaboration a breeze.
What I like: Semantic UI is free and open source, making it an affordable option for all team sizes.
Pricing: Free
3. Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS is a great framework to use if you want an efficient and developer-friendly tool to build your application’s UI.
While other frameworks rely on predefined styles, Tailwind offers an extensive library of utility classes. This approach allows developers the freedom to create custom utility classes, color palettes, and breakpoints. These are all essential when building a sleek and consistent design.
What I like: Tailwind is a very popular choice in the web design community, meaning it has an active support community. If you ever need guidance, you’ll be able to find the help you need.
Pricing: A free version is available. Personal plans are a one-time $299 payment for lifetime access to all features. The team plan is $799.
4. Foundation Framework
Next up is Foundation, a popular framework known for its responsive design capabilities and focus on accessibility. True to its name, developers are given a solid foundation to create applications that adapt to various screen sizes. This is especially helpful now that over 50% of applications are accessed on mobile devices.
Foundation’s robust features include a responsive grid system, pre-designed UI components, and built-in JavaScript plugins. Foundation’s framework also incorporates accessibility best practices to make sure that your creations are a great experience for all.
What I like: Foundation offers a plethora of resources, tutorials, and documentation, making it accessible to both novice and experienced developers.
Pricing: A free version is available. Standard plans start at $99.99.
5. UIKit
If you want a straightforward framework, UIKit is your tool. Its simple and lightweight toolkit makes it a popular choice in the dev world. Straying away from unnecessary complexities, UIKit offers a comprehensive set of pre-styled components. Just choose your navigation bar, buttons, modals, and more.
UIKit’s theme and page builder tool works perfectly with WordPress and Joomla.
What I like: UIKit prioritizes designs and development for mobile devices. This makes it the perfect framework for mobile app development.
Pricing: If you want to take advantage of one of their sleek layouts, you purchase a Yootheme Pro plan starting at $129.
6. Pure
Looking to build your site fast? Pure.css offers an ideal choice. Pure takes a simple approach to web development by offering reusable CSS modules. You can find frequently used design elements such as grids, buttons, forms, and menus.
Most of their elements lack pre-designed styles, so developers can easily add custom styles according to their design requirements.
What I like: Pure.css promotes optimal performance while giving developers full control over every detail. You can spin up a fast-loading web page in minutes by using this web design framework.
Pricing: A free option is available. Personal plans cost $5 a month. Small business plans cost $25 a month. Enterprise plans cost $45 a month.
7. Skeleton
Skeleton is a great tool for developers. It provides a straightforward way to transform your thoughts and ideas into a working prototype. Developers can quickly whip up a front end by pairing their content with Skeleton’s CSS files. This lightweight prototyping tool is nice to use for the initial phases of any development project, enabling rapid creation of tangible prototypes.
What I like: This tool is great for various roles needing to demonstrate a thought or idea quickly. Its user-friendliness makes it super easy to download. Most importantly, it’s free!
Pricing: Free
Framework Test: Fit US
I created the homepage for my Fit US application using the skeleton boilerplate. Downloading the framework was very easy. All I had to do was open the file in VS Code. Inside the index.html file, Skeleton identified the primary layout with comments. This is where I customized the boilerplate based on my homepage requirements.
Let’s focus on the navbar.
I placed two six-column divs that create two equal-width columns in a row. Using the six-column class also allows the creation of a responsive navbar. Whether you are on a laptop, phone, or tablet, the bar will adjust appropriately to the screen size.
I was also able to customize my navbar styles by adding the left align and right align classes to an additional CSS file and linking it to the index.html. If I have a quick project that doesn’t require custom styling, I would definitely consider using Skeleton.
8. Milligram
Milligram is a rising popular framework choice that is often used by developers who opt for a fully controlled and clean design that stays true to CSS principles.
Milligram offers the right amount of essentials (grids, buttons, forms, tables, and lists) that allow beautifully clean layouts minus the unnecessary fluff. If you are a simple developer who places importance on clean and structured content over cool transitions and animations, then Milligram is the perfect tool for you.
What I like: It’s an affordable option that gives developers full control over their digital product while simultaneously speeding up development.
Pricing: Free
9. Tachyons
Tachyons takes a utility classes approach as opposed to predefined components. The cool trick about this framework is that you have access to loads of classes like “pa3” or “f6” to design your elements.
Tachyons is known for giving developers a vast amount of flexibility and customization capabilities, all while using minimal code. If customization and speed are important to your development project, then Tachyons is just for you.
What I like: Their modular approach allows you to mix them together or use them all on their own. Using modules is more beneficial for projects that are highly custom and follow a specific theme. With Tachyons, you can make overrides with minimal to no unattended side effects.
Pricing: Free and open-source
10. Bulma
Bulma’s popularity stems from its ability to balance aesthetics, simplicity, and customization. It’s a great choice for developers looking to create elegant and user-friendly web experiences.
While some frameworks offer a ton of features, Bulma embraces a more structured approach, focusing on essential, well-designed components. This philosophy allows for customization without overwhelming developers with options.
Read our full write up on Bulma CSS.
What I like: I love Bulma’s simple grid system. You can easily add or subtract columns to customize your layout. It’s also super easy to learn, allowing developers to spin up a UI in minutes.
Pricing: Free and open-source.
Get Started With the Web Design Framework of Your Choice
I presented 10 of the best web design frameworks of 2024 for you to choose from. My personal favorite framework is Material Design for Bootstrap. It has a plethora of components that are super easy to customize and use.
Remember, frameworks are magical, but they aren’t perfect. Take a deep dive into your development project requirements first. Once you understand your goals, choose the best framework that will help your project achieve success.
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