Bootswatch

A collection of free, open source visual themes that restyle Bootstrap websites.

Stars: 14.7k
Forks: 3.6k
Licence: MIT
Language: JavaScript
Last update: 5 months ago
Type: Library

What it is

Bootswatch is a set of ready-made color and style themes for Bootstrap, the popular toolkit for building websites. Each theme replaces Bootstrap's default look with a different design, so a site can change its appearance without rewriting its layout code. It is aimed at people who already use Bootstrap or want a quick way to style a page.

Swap Bootstrap's default stylesheet for a dark or light theme by downloading one bootstrap.min.css file
Load a theme from the jsDelivr CDN with no build step
Install the bootswatch npm package and import a theme into a React app
Override theme variables in Sass before importing Bootstrap and the theme

Great for

Developers who already use Bootstrap and want a different look quickly
Prototypes and internal tools where a finished style matters more than a custom design
Developers working in React, Ruby on Rails, or plain HTML who want to load a theme via CDN, npm, or a downloaded file
Designers who want to compare Bootstrap styles before committing to one

Not ideal for

People who do not use Bootstrap, since the themes only style Bootstrap components (reason: they require Bootstrap to work)
Projects needing a fully custom brand design, since the themes are fixed looks rather than a design system you build from scratch

Step-by-step guide: how to use BootswatchInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Bootswatch alternatives Bootstrap vs Bootswatch Bootswatch vs Tailwind CSS Bootstrap Table vs Bootswatch

How to get it

1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Bootstrap (the themes replace its stylesheet)
Install from npm
npm install bootswatch
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/thomaspark/bootswatch
2
Run it
- Choose a theme from bootswatch.com
- Add the theme's bootstrap.min.css via CDN, download, or npm import in place of Bootstrap's default CSS
- Keep Bootstrap's JavaScript file included so interactive components work
- Reload your page to see the new theme
3
Get the most out of it
- Use the Sass imports to override theme variables such as $h1-font-size before loading the theme
- Load themes from jsDelivr to avoid hosting the files yourself
- Check the Help page on bootswatch.com for the JSON API and customization guidance
- If you customize a theme, edit the SASS source files and rebuild with grunt swatch to keep CSS and SASS in sync

Downloads

Source code (.zip)v5 branch · straight from GitHub Official website & docsbootswatch.com

Strengths

Free and MIT licensed, so it can be used in commercial projects
Several integration options: downloaded CSS, CDN, npm, Sass, Ruby gem, and a JSON API
Very widely known project with a large community and a long history

Trade-offs

Themes depend on Bootstrap, so you must also include Bootstrap's JavaScript for dropdowns and modals to work
The README notes that the React import method has tradeoffs and should be researched before production use
The README is truncated here, so details such as the exact list of themes and Bootstrap version compatibility are not confirmed

How it compares

Project	Stars	Type	Level	Updated	Best for
bootswatch (this)	14.7k	Library	beginner	5 months ago	Developers who already use Bootstrap and want a different look quickly
bootstrap	175k	Library	beginner	4 days ago	Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly
bootstrap-table	11.8k	Library	beginner	8 days ago	Web developers already using Bootstrap who need sortable, paginated tables
tailwindcss	98.3k	Library	intermediate	4 days ago	Web developers who build their own interfaces and want to avoid writing large custom stylesheets
bulma	50k	Library	beginner	2 months ago	Developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page
AdminLTE	45.7k	Library	beginner	5 days ago	Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly

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.