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Bootswatch VS Bootstrap Themes

Compare Bootswatch VS Bootstrap Themes and see what are their differences

Bootswatch logo Bootswatch

Free themes for Bootstrap

Bootstrap Themes logo Bootstrap Themes

Official themes from Bootstrap's creators
  • Bootswatch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-01
  • Bootstrap Themes Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-27

Bootswatch features and specs

  • Easy Integration
    Bootswatch themes can be easily integrated into Bootstrap projects, allowing developers to quickly switch themes without extensive configuration changes.
  • Variety of Themes
    Bootswatch offers a wide range of themes to choose from, providing flexibility and a variety of design options for different project needs.
  • Free and Open Source
    All themes provided by Bootswatch are free to use and open-source, making it accessible for developers without cost concerns.
  • Consistent Updates
    Bootswatch is regularly updated in line with Bootstrap versions, ensuring compatibility and access to the latest features and bug fixes.
  • Customization
    While Bootswatch provides predefined themes, they are also customizable, allowing developers to tailor themes further according to project-specific requirements.

Possible disadvantages of Bootswatch

  • Limited Custom Designs
    Although Bootswatch offers multiple themes, the design options can be somewhat generic and might not suit highly tailored design needs.
  • Dependency on Bootstrap
    Bootswatch themes require a base knowledge of Bootstrap, making it less ideal for developers unfamiliar with the Bootstrap framework.
  • Potential Overhead
    Integrating Bootswatch may add additional CSS dependencies, potentially increasing the size of the final stylesheets if not managed properly.
  • Not Unique
    Since Bootswatch themes are publicly available, using them as-is can result in websites that look similar to others, lacking uniqueness.
  • Less Control Over Details
    Using predefined themes often means limited control over specific style details, which might be a drawback for projects requiring intricate design specifications.

Bootstrap Themes features and specs

  • Consistent Design
    Bootstrap themes ensure a consistent and cohesive look across different web pages because they follow the standardized framework styles.
  • Responsive Layout
    Bootstrap themes are built with mobile responsiveness in mind, which means they automatically adjust to different screen sizes, improving user experience on all devices.
  • Time-Saving
    Using a pre-designed Bootstrap theme can significantly speed up the web development process as it saves time on designing and coding from scratch.
  • Customizable
    Even though Bootstrap themes come with preset designs, they offer customization options that allow developers to tailor them to specific needs and branding.
  • Active Community
    Bootstrap has a large, active community that contributes to regular updates, bug fixes, and wide-ranging support, making it easier to find solutions to common issues.

Possible disadvantages of Bootstrap Themes

  • Limited Originality
    Bootstrap themes can lead to sites looking similar to others unless significant customizations are made, reducing originality in design.
  • Overhead
    Some themes come with additional features that may not be needed, potentially increasing file sizes and load times.
  • Learning Curve
    Although Bootstrap is well-documented, beginners may experience a learning curve when it comes to understanding and customizing themes.
  • Dependency on jQuery
    Some Bootstrap components still require jQuery, adding an additional dependency to projects which may not be necessary with modern JavaScript frameworks.
  • Potential Cost
    High-quality, premium Bootstrap themes can come with a cost, which might be a concern for smaller projects or individual developers.

Bootswatch videos

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Bootstrap Themes videos

Here's Why Most Bootstrap Themes Suck

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Bootswatch and Bootstrap Themes)
Developer Tools
47 47%
53% 53
Design Tools
47 47%
53% 53
Web App
48 48%
52% 52
CSS Framework
59 59%
41% 41

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Bootstrap Themes might be a bit more popular than Bootswatch. We know about 20 links to it since March 2021 and only 18 links to Bootswatch. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Bootswatch mentions (18)

  • A tour of CLI tools for installing Java and creating projects
    ? What is the base name of your application? Jhispterdemo ? Which *type* of application would you like to create? Monolithic application (recommended for simple projects) ? What is your default Java package name? com.mycompany.myapp ? Would you like to use Maven or Gradle for building the backend? Gradle ? Do you want to make it reactive with Spring WebFlux? Yes ? Which *type* of authentication would you like to... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • I made a tool that takes any Pokemon and makes a colour palette out of it! (for web devs) v2
    The colors primarily, I suppose. Something similar to what you see in https://bootswatch.com/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • *very new to using R on posit cloud* | is there a list of themes that can be put in the “theme:” function anywhere? i haven’t been able to find any online. just curious! i like to make my docs look pretty :)
    That ^ . And I’ve found the Bootswatch page a very helpful visual aid. https://bootswatch.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Update 1.6 for Bucket budgeting app OpenBudgeteer
    Themes are now supported. Visit Bootswatch for more details. To select a theme use the new option APPSETTINGS_THEME as docker environment variable or in the appsettings.json file. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How should I style my django app?
    Others have said Bootstrap already, let me just chime in and point you towards bootswatch (https://bootswatch.com/) , they have great, free themes with great examples, I basically learned bootstrap in large parts by copying example code from their site and tweaking it to my needs / dissecting and trying to understand it. Source: over 2 years ago
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Bootstrap Themes mentions (20)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Bootswatch and Bootstrap Themes, you can also consider the following products

Bootstrap - Simple and flexible HTML, CSS, and JS for popular UI components and interactions

Fluent Design for Bootstrap - First web UI Kit based on Microsoft Fluent Design system

Bootstrap Zero - Open-source, free Bootstrap templates collection.

Bootstrap Magic - Create your Bootstrap 4.0 themes easily with magic

Bootstrap 4 Cheat Sheet - An interactive Bootstrap 4 cheat sheet

BootStarters - Huge open source collection of free themes for Bootstrap 5