head to head · open source
layui vs primitives
layui has 30,580 GitHub stars, 7,343 forks, 43 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. primitives has 19,479 stars, 1,306 forks, 356 open issues and last shipped 25 days ago. layui leads on adoption by 57% (30,580 vs 19,479 stars). layui is written in JavaScript under MIT; primitives is written in TypeScript under MIT. layui has attracted 24% as many forks as stars, primitives 7%. layui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (component-library, ui-kit), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| layui | primitives | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 19K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-05 | 2026-10-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.3K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick layui if
- You weight community size — 31K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick primitives if
- You want the primitives feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and primitives fits your workflow better
About layui
Layui 中文 · English 原生态 Web UI 组件库 Layui 是一套开源免费的 Web UI 组件库，采用纯原生态的 HTML CSS JavaScript 开发模式，它为更便捷地构建现代 Web 界面而生。多年来，凭借别具一格的内外风格而被广泛应用。它给非前端开发者极大地降低了构建复杂网页界面的门槛，开发者只需面向浏览器，即可让页面所需呈现的元素与交互，变得信手拈来。 使用文档 Layui 3 （正在开发中） Layui 2 项目参与 项目参与者 破旧立新 🌱 2016年10月14日，Layui 发布了 1.0.0 首版，此后多年被广泛应用于众多 Web 平台。 2021年10月13日，Layui 发布了原官网下线的公告（ 导读 ），并将文档站点切换到了 Gitee Pages，社区及日常维护亦全面转移到了 Gitee 和 Github 平台，以此呼吁大家拥抱其他更好的主流框架，导致大家误以为 Layui 停更了。事实上，自那以后，Layui 仍然在 Github 和 Gitee 保持活跃，并不存在所谓的停止更新，从当时的 2.6.8 一直连续迭代到如今的最新版本。 2023年4月24日，Layui 发布了 2.8.0 正式版，并上线了新的文档站点，这是一次朴实的回归，更是情怀的延续。 但我们仍然坚持两年前那则公告中的观点，
read the full layui overview →
About primitives
Radix Primitives An open source UI component library for building high quality, accessible design systems and web apps. Radix Primitives is a low level UI component library with a focus on accessibility, customization and developer experience. You can use these components either as the base layer of your design system, or adopt them incrementally. Installation First, install pnpm if you haven't already. Open your terminal and run: Then, install the dependencies: Documentation For full documentation, visit radix ui.com/primitives/docs. Releases For changelog, visit radix ui.com/primitives/docs/overview/releases…
read the full primitives overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is layui or primitives more popular?
layui has 30,580 GitHub stars and primitives has 19,479. layui has the larger community by that measure.
Are layui and primitives free?
Both are open source. layui is licensed under MIT and primitives under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between layui and primitives?
layui is written in JavaScript and primitives in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, layui or primitives?
Choose layui if you want the larger community (30,580 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose primitives if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.