Vue Admin Better vs Vben Admin
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 Vue 2 admin dashboard template with Element UI, built to skip heavy abstraction and long build waits.
Open source · MIT
A free Vue 3 admin dashboard template built with Vite, TypeScript, and a monorepo layout.
The short answer
Choose Vue Admin Better if you need…
- Front-end developers with about a year of experience who want an admin panel starting point
- Teams already using Vue 2 and Element UI
- Developers who want to read and customize the template source
- Projects that need role-based permissions and multiple layouts or themes
Choose Vben Admin if you need…
- Developers starting a new Vue 3 admin or back-office project
- Teams that want TypeScript and Vite already set up
- Developers learning how a larger Vue admin project is structured
- Projects that need built-in internationalization and theming
Side-by-side
| Vue Admin Better | Vben Admin | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 18.9k | 33.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 17 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Vue Admin Better
Vue Admin Better is a starter template for building back-office admin panels (dashboards with menus, pages and permissions) using Vue 2 and Element UI. The README says it avoids over-wrapping the code so projects stay simple to read and change. It is MIT licensed and includes features such as RBAC with JWT permission control and dynamic backend-driven routes.
Vben Admin
Vue Vben Admin is a free, open source starter template for building back-office admin panels, the kind of web dashboards used to manage data and users. It is built on Vue 3, Vite, and TypeScript, and the README says it can also be used as a learning reference. Developers typically clone it as a starting point instead of building an admin interface from scratch.
Best for
Vue Admin Better
- Front-end developers with about a year of experience who want an admin panel starting point
- Teams already using Vue 2 and Element UI
- Developers who want to read and customize the template source
- Projects that need role-based permissions and multiple layouts or themes
Vben Admin
- Developers starting a new Vue 3 admin or back-office project
- Teams that want TypeScript and Vite already set up
- Developers learning how a larger Vue admin project is structured
- Projects that need built-in internationalization and theming
Strengths
Vue Admin Better
- Includes RBAC with JWT, dynamic routes, and multiple permission modes according to the README
- MIT license, and the README states the open-source version is free for commercial use
- Ships with many example pages and a large set of configuration options (README claims 40+ pages and 50+ settings)
Vben Admin
- Uses current mainstream tools: Vue 3, Vite, and TypeScript
- Includes built-in features for themes, internationalization, and route-based permissions, per the README
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Not ideal for
Vue Admin Better
- People who need Vue 3 specifically: the README points to separate repositories for Vue 3 with Element Plus or Arco Design
- Beginners new to Vue, since the README lists Vue.js experience as a prerequisite
- Anyone who needs a non-Vue admin framework
Vben Admin
- Non-developers who want a ready-to-use dashboard with no setup, because it requires cloning and running a development toolchain
- Projects on older Vue 2 stacks, since the README says version 5.0 is not compatible with previous versions and the old code lives on a separate v2 branch
- Teams that need Internet Explorer support, since the README states it supports modern browsers only
Trade-offs
Vue Admin Better
- The README is in Chinese and the top-level description is mostly promotional; some sections point to paid versions and community links
- Targets Vue 2 and Element UI in this repository; Vue 3 is maintained in separate repositories
- The README's install command uses a specific third-party npm mirror URL that you may need to change
Vben Admin
- The README says version 5.0 is not compatible with earlier versions, so older tutorials or code may not apply
- Setup assumes familiarity with the command line, pnpm, and Node tooling
- The README is truncated and light on detailed architecture or API documentation, so you will rely on the external docs site
Getting started
Vue Admin Better
Clone the project
git clone -b master https://github.com/zxwk1998/vue-admin-better.gitInstall dependencies
pnpm i --registry=http://mirrors.cloud.tencent.com/npm/Vben Admin
Get the project code
git clone https://github.com/vbenjs/vue-vben-admin.gitEnable corepack and install dependencies
npm i -g corepack
pnpm installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Vue Admin Better and Vben Admin?
Vue Admin Better: A Vue 2 admin dashboard template with Element UI, built to skip heavy abstraction and long build waits. Vben Admin: A free Vue 3 admin dashboard template built with Vite, TypeScript, and a monorepo layout. Vue Admin Better suits front-end developers with about a year of experience who want an admin panel starting point, while Vben Admin suits developers starting a new vue 3 admin or back-office project.
Are Vue Admin Better and Vben Admin free?
Vue Admin Better: Free and open source. Vben Admin: Free and open source.
Is Vue Admin Better or Vben Admin more popular?
Vben Admin has more GitHub stars (33.7k) than Vue Admin Better (18.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Vue Admin Better and Vben Admin?
Other options people compare them with include vue-element-admin, SoybeanAdmin, iView Admin, Ant Design Vue Pro, Vuestic Admin.
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.