Bootstrap vs Materialize
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
A free front-end toolkit of ready-made CSS and JavaScript for building responsive websites.
Open source · MIT
A CSS framework that gives web pages ready-made styled parts based on Google's Material Design.
The short answer
Choose Bootstrap if you need…
- Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly
- Teams that want a common design system with ready-made components
- Developers who prefer installing via npm, yarn, Bun, or a direct download
- Projects that need both LTR and RTL layouts, since the README says CSS supports both
Choose Materialize if you need…
- Developers building a web page or app who want a Material Design look quickly
- Teams that want a ready-made component set instead of custom styling
- Developers who need broad older-browser support, since the README lists IE 11+
Side-by-side
| Bootstrap | Materialize | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 175k | 38.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | MDX | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 3 months ago |
What each one is
Bootstrap
Bootstrap is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code that gives web pages a consistent look and layout that adapts to different screen sizes. It is used by web developers who want to build interfaces faster instead of writing styles and interactive components from scratch. The README describes it as a front-end framework and points to a documentation site for details.
Materialize
Materialize is a free, open-source CSS framework built on Material Design, Google's visual design system. It provides pre-styled components and layout tools so you can build web pages that look consistent without writing all the styling yourself. It is installed by download, npm, or a CDN link and is documented on its website.
Best for
Bootstrap
- Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly
- Teams that want a common design system with ready-made components
- Developers who prefer installing via npm, yarn, Bun, or a direct download
- Projects that need both LTR and RTL layouts, since the README says CSS supports both
Materialize
- Developers building a web page or app who want a Material Design look quickly
- Teams that want a ready-made component set instead of custom styling
- Developers who need broad older-browser support, since the README lists IE 11+
Strengths
Bootstrap
- Widely used, with the README reporting about 175,000 stars on GitHub
- Provides both compiled and minified CSS and JS files plus source maps for debugging
- Released under the MIT license, which permits commercial use
Materialize
- Free and MIT-licensed, so it can be used in commercial work
- Documented on an official site with a getting-started guide
- Available through several channels: direct download, npm, cdnjs, and Git clone
Not ideal for
Bootstrap
- Projects that want a highly custom visual identity without a default look, since the framework provides a recognizable base style
- Developers who need the latest stable release today, since the default branch is for Bootstrap 6 alpha development and the README directs Bootstrap 5 users to the v5-dev branch
- Non-developers looking for a no-code website builder, since it requires editing HTML and CSS
Materialize
- Projects that need a distinctive custom look, because the framework imposes Material Design styling
- Anyone wanting a non-coding design tool; this is a code library
- Projects needing the newest browser features only, since the README lists older browser minimums that may not match modern needs
Trade-offs
Bootstrap
- The default branch is currently a Bootstrap 6 alpha, so the README's quick start pins a pre-release version (6.0.0-alpha.1)
- The README does not describe component details in depth; it points to external documentation for that
Materialize
- The README marks the Bower install method as deprecated
- The README mentions a beta branch alongside the stable 1.0.0 release, so users must choose a version carefully
- The README does not describe the full list of components in detail, so fit should be checked in the docs
Getting started
Bootstrap
Install with npm (pre-release version shown in README)
npm install bootstrap@6.0.0-alpha.1Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap.gitMaterialize
Install with npm
npm install materialize-cssClone the repo
git clone https://github.com/Dogfalo/materialize.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bootstrap and Materialize?
Bootstrap: A free front-end toolkit of ready-made CSS and JavaScript for building responsive websites. Materialize: A CSS framework that gives web pages ready-made styled parts based on Google's Material Design. Bootstrap suits developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly, while Materialize suits developers building a web page or app who want a material design look quickly.
Are Bootstrap and Materialize free?
Bootstrap: Free and open source. Materialize: Free and open source.
Is Bootstrap or Materialize more popular?
Bootstrap has more GitHub stars (175k) than Materialize (38.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Bootstrap and Materialize?
Other options people compare them with include Tailwind CSS, Bulma, Tabler, NES.css, Bootswatch.
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.