Bulma vs Milligram
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 small CSS stylesheet framework for clean, simple page styling, around 2kb gzipped.
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 Milligram if you need…
- Developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype
- People who prefer writing their own HTML with minimal framework styling
- Projects where small file size matters
- Developers who want fewer CSS resets to override
Side-by-side
| Bulma | Milligram | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 50k | 10.2k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | CSS | HTML |
| Last code update | 46 days ago | 2 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.
Milligram
Milligram is a minimal CSS framework: a ready-made set of styles you add to a web page so headings, buttons, forms, tables and grids look reasonable without writing much CSS yourself. The README says it is only about 2kb gzipped and is intentionally not a full UI component kit. It is installed through npm, Yarn or Bower.
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
Milligram
- Developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype
- People who prefer writing their own HTML with minimal framework styling
- Projects where small file size matters
- Developers who want fewer CSS resets to override
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
Milligram
- Very small footprint, stated as about 2kb gzipped
- Covers common basics like typography, forms, tables and grids
- MIT licensed and free to use
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
Milligram
- People who need a large set of ready-made components like dropdowns or modals, since the README says it is not a UI framework
- Non-developers who want a no-code site builder, since it requires editing HTML and CSS
- Teams that need active, frequently updated tooling, since the latest release shown is v1.4.1 and the README does not describe a maintenance schedule
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
Milligram
- Limited scope: the README says it is not a full UI component library
- The README is brief and documentation mostly lives on the external website
- Maintenance pace is not stated in the README, so check recent activity before relying on it long term
Getting started
Bulma
Install with npm
npm install bulmaInstall with Yarn
yarn add bulmaMilligram
Install with npm
npm install milligramInstall with Yarn
yarn add milligramFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bulma and Milligram?
Bulma: A CSS framework built on Flexbox that gives you styled layout and UI classes. Milligram: A small CSS stylesheet framework for clean, simple page styling, around 2kb gzipped. Bulma suits developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page, while Milligram suits developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype.
Are Bulma and Milligram free?
Bulma: Free and open source. Milligram: Free and open source.
Is Bulma or Milligram more popular?
Bulma has more GitHub stars (50k) than Milligram (10.2k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Bulma and Milligram?
Other options people compare them with include Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Spectre.css, Materialize, 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.