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Comparison guide

Bootstrap vs Tailwindcss

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Hero image for Bootstrap vs Tailwindcss

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Tailwindcss

67.7 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Tailwindcss

118.1M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Bootstrap

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Bootstrap

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Tailwindcss

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

bootstrap icon

bootstrap

Very Popular

Version 5.3.8

0
85
Excellent

The most popular front-end framework for developing responsive, mobile first projects on the web.

Weekly Downloads
6.2M
9%
Bundle (gzip)
2.8 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
tailwindcss icon

tailwindcss

Extremely Popular

Version 4.3.2

0
85
Excellent

A utility-first CSS framework for rapidly building custom user interfaces.

Weekly Downloads
118.1M
6%
Bundle (gzip)
67.7 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Bootstrap and Tailwindcss? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Tailwindcss leads with 118.1M weekly downloads — roughly 19.1x more. Bootstrap has 6.2M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Tailwindcss has the smallest gzipped bundle at 67.7 KB. Bootstrap comes in at 2.8 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Bootstrap has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Tailwindcss has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Bootstrap if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Tailwindcss if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Bootstrap and Tailwindcss are solid choices for JavaScript development. Bootstrap has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is bootstrap better than tailwindcss?
It depends on your needs. Bootstrap has a health score of 85/100 while Tailwindcss scores 85/100. Tailwindcss has more weekly downloads (118.1M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, bootstrap or tailwindcss?
Tailwindcss has the smaller gzipped bundle at 67.7 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use bootstrap vs tailwindcss?
Based on npm download statistics, Bootstrap has approximately 6.2M weekly downloads and Tailwindcss has approximately 118.1M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, bootstrap or tailwindcss?
Bootstrap currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Bootstrap has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Tailwindcss scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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