Bulma vs Tachyons
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, utility-class CSS library for building layouts without writing custom CSS.
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 Tachyons if you need…
- Developers who want to prototype or build a UI quickly with plain HTML or a component framework
- Front-end developers who prefer utility classes over writing custom CSS
- Teams that want a consistent 8px spacing grid and a fixed color palette
- Designers who want to build and tweak layouts directly in the browser
Side-by-side
| Bulma | Tachyons | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 50k | 11.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | CSS | CSS |
| Last code update | 46 days ago | 4 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.
Tachyons
Tachyons is a CSS library made of small single-purpose classes, such as ones for spacing, color, or layout, that you add directly to HTML elements. Instead of writing your own stylesheet, you combine these classes to style a page. The README says it is lightweight (about 14kB) and designed to be responsive and mobile-first.
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
Tachyons
- Developers who want to prototype or build a UI quickly with plain HTML or a component framework
- Front-end developers who prefer utility classes over writing custom CSS
- Teams that want a consistent 8px spacing grid and a fixed color palette
- Designers who want to build and tweak layouts directly in the browser
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
Tachyons
- Small file size and designed for gzip compression, according to the README
- Works with plain HTML and several frameworks mentioned in the README
- Includes a documented class reference and community learning resources
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
Tachyons
- Projects that already rely on a large established framework such as Bootstrap or Tailwind and do not want a second system, since class sets may overlap and conflict
- Teams that want a fully custom visual identity built from scratch, because the library's look and class naming are opinionated
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
Tachyons
- Class-heavy HTML can become verbose and harder to read at scale
- The README does not detail browser support or long-term maintenance status, so verify these before relying on it
Getting started
Bulma
Install with npm
npm install bulmaInstall with Yarn
yarn add bulmaTachyons
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tachyons-css/tachyons.gitEnter the folder and install dependencies
cd tachyons && npm installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bulma and Tachyons?
Bulma: A CSS framework built on Flexbox that gives you styled layout and UI classes. Tachyons: A small, utility-class CSS library for building layouts without writing custom CSS. Bulma suits developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page, while Tachyons suits developers who want to prototype or build a ui quickly with plain html or a component framework.
Are Bulma and Tachyons free?
Bulma: Free and open source. Tachyons: Free and open source.
Is Bulma or Tachyons more popular?
Bulma has more GitHub stars (50k) than Tachyons (11.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Bulma and Tachyons?
Other options people compare them with include Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Milligram, Spectre.css, Materialize.
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.