AdminLTE vs Gentelella
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Free Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard template with responsive layouts and dark mode.
Open source · MIT
Free admin dashboard template built with vanilla JavaScript, SCSS and Vite, without Bootstrap or jQuery.
The short answer
Choose AdminLTE if you need…
- Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly
- Teams that already use Bootstrap and want a consistent dashboard look
- Developers who want a template in their framework, such as React, Vue, Laravel or Django, via the listed sibling editions
- Projects that need dark mode and right-to-left (RTL) layout out of the box
Choose Gentelella if you need…
- Developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework
- Teams that want to avoid Bootstrap and jQuery dependencies
- Projects that need many ready-made example pages such as tables, forms and charts
- Designers who want to preview and customize a dashboard theme using the built-in theme generator
Side-by-side
| AdminLTE | Gentelella | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 45.7k | 21.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Astro | HTML |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 6 days ago |
What each one is
AdminLTE
AdminLTE is a free, MIT-licensed set of ready-made dashboard pages and components built on Bootstrap 5.3, used as the starting point for admin panels and back-office screens. It is responsive across phone and desktop sizes and uses vanilla JavaScript without jQuery. People use it to avoid designing an admin interface from scratch.
Gentelella
Gentelella is a free, MIT-licensed starter layout for admin dashboards, the kind of screens used in SaaS products, CRMs and internal tools. It is written in plain HTML, JavaScript and SCSS, and is built with the Vite build tool, so you can copy its pages and components into your own project. It ships with many example pages, including dashboards, forms, tables, charts, an inbox and a kanban board.
Best for
AdminLTE
- Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly
- Teams that already use Bootstrap and want a consistent dashboard look
- Developers who want a template in their framework, such as React, Vue, Laravel or Django, via the listed sibling editions
- Projects that need dark mode and right-to-left (RTL) layout out of the box
Gentelella
- Developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework
- Teams that want to avoid Bootstrap and jQuery dependencies
- Projects that need many ready-made example pages such as tables, forms and charts
- Designers who want to preview and customize a dashboard theme using the built-in theme generator
Strengths
AdminLTE
- Ships a broad set of prebuilt admin pages and components, reducing starting effort
- Available through CDN, npm and Composer, so it fits several workflows
- Released under the MIT license, which permits commercial use
Gentelella
- Free and MIT-licensed, with the README stating it is free for personal and commercial use
- Covers a wide range of pages, including 58 HTML pages and 20 chart variants according to the README
- Built without Bootstrap or jQuery, using vanilla JavaScript and SCSS with Vite 8
Not ideal for
AdminLTE
- People who want a finished application with a backend, database or login system already built, since this is a front-end template
- Projects not using Bootstrap, since the template is built on Bootstrap 5.3 and its styles would need to be adapted
- Designers looking for a fully custom visual identity, as the default look is a standard admin theme
Gentelella
- People who want a React, Vue or other SPA framework setup, since the README says it has no SPA framework; the separate Laravel edition is a different package
- Non-technical users who need a no-code tool, because it requires editing code and running a build
- Projects that depend on Bootstrap components specifically, since this template is designed without Bootstrap
Trade-offs
AdminLTE
- The README describes a documentation overhaul and frequent releases, so checking the version you use against the changelog is advisable
- Being a template, most of its value is in its look and layout; you still need to supply the data and server logic
- The README's development section lists specific Node.js version requirements that you must match to build from source
Gentelella
- The README does not describe a backend, so you must add your own data and server logic
- Its size is substantial, with the README citing about 165 MB of node_modules
- Using the template requires comfort with a Node.js build workflow and editing HTML and JavaScript
Getting started
AdminLTE
Install from npm (version 4)
npm install admin-lte@4Install from Composer
composer require almasaeed2010/adminlteGentelella
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ColorlibHQ/gentelella.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between AdminLTE and Gentelella?
AdminLTE: Free Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard template with responsive layouts and dark mode. Gentelella: Free admin dashboard template built with vanilla JavaScript, SCSS and Vite, without Bootstrap or jQuery. AdminLTE suits developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly, while Gentelella suits developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework.
Are AdminLTE and Gentelella free?
AdminLTE: Free and open source. Gentelella: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, AdminLTE or Gentelella?
AdminLTE is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Gentelella is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is AdminLTE or Gentelella more popular?
AdminLTE has more GitHub stars (45.7k) than Gentelella (21.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to AdminLTE and Gentelella?
Other options people compare them with include Tabler, Bootstrap, Bootswatch, Bootstrap Table, SoybeanAdmin.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.