vue-element-admin 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
Front-end starter template for admin dashboards, built on Vue and Element UI.
Open source · MIT
A free Vue 3 admin dashboard template built with Vite, TypeScript, and a monorepo layout.
The short answer
Choose vue-element-admin if you need…
- Developers building internal admin dashboards in Vue
- Teams that want a Element UI based layout with login and permissions already sketched out
- Developers who want working example pages for tables, forms and editors to adapt
- Developers learning how a larger Vue single-page app can be structured
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-element-admin | Vben Admin | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Other | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 90.1k | 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 | 2 years ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
vue-element-admin
vue-element-admin is a starter codebase for building admin websites, the back-office pages where people manage data, users and settings. It uses Vue for the interface and element-ui for ready-made components, and includes sample pages such as login, tables, charts and editors. Developers use it as a starting point so they don't have to build login, routing and layout from scratch.
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-element-admin
- Developers building internal admin dashboards in Vue
- Teams that want a Element UI based layout with login and permissions already sketched out
- Developers who want working example pages for tables, forms and editors to adapt
- Developers learning how a larger Vue single-page app can be structured
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-element-admin
- Covers many common admin needs in one codebase, such as permissions, i18n, multi-level routing and Excel export
- Built on well-known tools (Vue, vuex, vue-router, axios, element-ui, Mock.js) with a large existing community
- MIT licensed with a live demo and documentation site
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-element-admin
- Non-developers who want a finished tool to install and use, since this is code to build from
- Projects that need React or another framework, because the README only covers Vue
- Projects that must support Internet Explorer, since the README says low-version browsers are not supported and the browser table is inconsistent on this point
- Anyone who needs the latest Vue 3 stack, since the README badges show Vue 2.6.10 and element-ui 2.7.0
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-element-admin
- Built on Vue 2 and element-ui 2 per the README badges, which are older than current defaults
- The README contradicts itself on i18n: it says master no longer supports i18n after v4.1.0, yet the feature list includes I18n
- Feature list is long, so you will likely need to remove parts you don't use
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-element-admin
Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/PanJiaChen/vue-element-admin.gitInstall dependencies
npm installVben 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-element-admin and Vben Admin?
vue-element-admin: Front-end starter template for admin dashboards, built on Vue and Element UI. Vben Admin: A free Vue 3 admin dashboard template built with Vite, TypeScript, and a monorepo layout. vue-element-admin suits developers building internal admin dashboards in vue, while Vben Admin suits developers starting a new vue 3 admin or back-office project.
Are vue-element-admin and Vben Admin free?
vue-element-admin: Free and open source. Vben Admin: Free and open source.
Is vue-element-admin or Vben Admin more popular?
vue-element-admin has more GitHub stars (90.1k) than Vben Admin (33.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to vue-element-admin and Vben Admin?
Other options people compare them with include vue-admin-template, SoybeanAdmin, Vue Admin Better, Vuestic Admin, vue-pure-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.