Bulma 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 CSS framework built on Flexbox that gives you styled layout and UI classes.
Open source · MIT
A CSS framework that gives web pages ready-made styled parts based on Google's Material Design.
The short answer
Choose Bulma if you need…
- Developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page
- Projects that already have their own JavaScript and only need a style layer
- Teams that want to customize styles through Sass variables
- Developers working with Vue, React, or other frameworks who want Bulma-based component libraries
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
| Bulma | Materialize | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 50k | 38.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | CSS | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 46 days ago | 3 months ago |
What each one is
Bulma
Bulma is a CSS framework based on Flexbox. It ships as a single CSS file with ready-made classes for layout and common interface elements, so you can style a web page without writing much custom CSS. It contains no JavaScript, so you add your own scripts for any interactive behavior.
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
Bulma
- Developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page
- Projects that already have their own JavaScript and only need a style layer
- Teams that want to customize styles through Sass variables
- Developers working with Vue, React, or other frameworks who want Bulma-based component libraries
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
Bulma
- Based on Flexbox, with a single CSS file as its output
- No JavaScript included, so it does not force a particular JS environment
- Customizable through Sass source files and variables
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
Bulma
- People who need interactive components like modals or dropdowns out of the box, since Bulma has no JavaScript and you must supply it
- Projects that must support Internet Explorer fully, since the README says IE 10+ is only partially supported
- Teams that want a heavily opinionated design system with a fixed look, since much of the appearance is meant to be customized
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
Bulma
- Browser support is limited to recent versions of major browsers, with only partial support for IE 10+
- Interactive behavior must be written or added separately
- The README notes the project is in constant development, so details may change between releases
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
Bulma
Install with npm
npm install bulmaInstall with Yarn
yarn add bulmaMaterialize
Install with npm
npm install materialize-cssClone the repo
git clone https://github.com/Dogfalo/materialize.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bulma and Materialize?
Bulma: A CSS framework built on Flexbox that gives you styled layout and UI classes. Materialize: A CSS framework that gives web pages ready-made styled parts based on Google's Material Design. Bulma suits developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page, while Materialize suits developers building a web page or app who want a material design look quickly.
Are Bulma and Materialize free?
Bulma: Free and open source. Materialize: Free and open source.
Is Bulma or Materialize more popular?
Bulma has more GitHub stars (50k) than Materialize (38.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Bulma and Materialize?
Other options people compare them with include Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Milligram, Spectre.css, Tachyons.
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.