Chakra UI
A React component library for building accessible web apps and design systems quickly.
- Stars
- 40.7k
- Forks
- 3.7k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Chakra UI is a set of ready-made React components, such as buttons and form controls, that developers can assemble into web interfaces. The README says the components are accessible and that the library works with Next.js RSC. It is aimed at building web apps and design systems more quickly.
- Install the library in a React project and build page layouts from its components
- Create a web app with a consistent look across buttons, forms and other controls
- Build a design system for a product team on top of the component set
- Follow the documentation site to learn the component APIs and theming
Great for
- React developers who want prebuilt UI components instead of styling from scratch
- Teams building web apps or internal design systems in React
- Developers who care about accessibility and want components that aim to handle it
- Projects using Next.js that want to try React Server Components support
Not ideal for
- People who are not writing React code, since the library is specific to React
- Developers who want a fully custom look without any component framework, since the library provides its own design system
- Projects that cannot take on a dependency on Emotion, since the install requires @emotion/react as a peer dependency
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js · A React project
Install with npm
npm i @chakra-ui/react @emotion/reactInstall with Yarn
yarn add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/reactInstall with pnpm
pnpm add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/reactInstall with Bun
bun add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react - 2
Run it
- Create or open a React project
- Run one of the install commands above in the project folder
- Import components from @chakra-ui/react in your code
- Follow the installation guide at chakra-ui.com/docs/get-started/installation to finish setup
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the documentation at chakra-ui.com for the latest version
- Check the v2 and v1 docs only if you are maintaining an older project
- Use the codemod package mentioned in the latest release for migrations, per its name
- Follow the contribution guide if you want to help improve the library
Downloads
Strengths
- The README states the components are accessible, and the topics list includes WAI-ARIA and a11y
- MIT licensed with a large community and active repository, per the metadata
- Installation is a single package plus its peer dependency, with commands shown for Yarn, npm, pnpm and Bun
Trade-offs
- The README is short on technical detail, so specifics like theming options and bundle size are not covered here
- Requires learning the library's own component APIs and conventions
- Depends on Emotion as a peer dependency, which adds to the setup
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chakra-ui (this) | 40.7k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | React developers who want prebuilt UI components instead of styling from scratch |
| material-ui | 99.3k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | React developers who want a consistent, prebuilt set of UI components |
| mantine | 31.9k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | React developers building web apps who want many components out of the box |
| react-bootstrap | 22.6k | Library | beginner | 6 days ago | React developers who already use Bootstrap styling |
| bootstrap-vue | 14.4k | Library | intermediate | 7 months ago | Developers maintaining an existing Vue 2 app that already uses BootstrapVue |
| sweetalert2 | 18.1k | Library | beginner | 9 days ago | Web developers who want nicer popups than the browser's built-in alert and confirm boxes |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.