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CSS Scan VS Pattern Lab

Compare CSS Scan VS Pattern Lab and see what are their differences

Kimp
Kimp is an unlimited design company, specializing in graphic design (including print and digital designs, custom illustrations, landing page designs and email designs) and video design. featured
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  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

CSS Scan logo CSS Scan

Instantly check or copy computed CSS from any element for only ~95$

Pattern Lab logo Pattern Lab

Create atomic design systems with Pattern Lab.
  • CSS Scan Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-14
  • Pattern Lab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-20

CSS Scan features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    CSS Scan offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for developers of all skill levels to inspect and copy CSS styles directly from the browser.
  • Time-Saving
    It significantly reduces the time needed to debug and replicate styles by allowing quick copying of well-structured CSS rules from any element on the page.
  • Accuracy
    The tool ensures that the copied CSS maintains the exact styling, including computed styles and vendor prefixes, providing high accuracy in replication.
  • Live Edits
    CSS Scan enables live editing of styles, allowing developers to make real-time changes and see the results instantly, which is beneficial for testing and adjustments.
  • Visual Representation
    The extension visually displays how CSS rules are applied, making it easier to understand complex styling hierarchies and cascades.

Possible disadvantages of CSS Scan

  • Cost
    CSS Scan is a paid tool, so there is a financial investment required, which might not be feasible for all developers, especially those working on personal or non-commercial projects.
  • Browser Compatibility
    As a browser extension, its functionality may be limited to supported browsers, potentially excluding users of less common or unsupported browsers.
  • Limited Scope
    While CSS Scan is powerful for copying and analyzing CSS, it does not offer features for editing or managing CSS files directly, requiring another tool or manual intervention for those tasks.
  • Dependency
    Relying on a third-party tool can be a downside if the tool experiences downtime, changes its pricing, or ceases development, leaving users in a difficult position.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using browser extensions can raise privacy concerns, as they typically have access to the pages you visit; ensuring the trustworthiness of the extension is crucial.

Pattern Lab features and specs

  • Component-Driven Development
    Pattern Lab encourages a modular approach by allowing developers to create reusable components, which promotes consistency and efficiency in developing user interfaces.
  • Atomic Design
    It is built on the Atomic Design methodology, which helps in designing systems by breaking down interfaces into basic building blocks, leading to more manageable and scalable design systems.
  • Live Style Guide
    Pattern Lab generates a live style guide that updates in real time as components are developed, making it easy for designers and developers to stay in sync with the design system.
  • Platform Agnostic
    Pattern Lab can be integrated with various development stacks and workflows, making it flexible and adaptable to a wide range of projects.
  • Enhanced Collaboration
    By facilitating a shared language and set of tools between designers and developers, Pattern Lab improves collaboration and reduces communication barriers.

Possible disadvantages of Pattern Lab

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For teams that are new to the Atomic Design methodology or to Pattern Lab itself, there can be a significant learning curve required to get up to speed.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Setting up a project can be complex, especially for beginners, as it requires understanding both the tool and the underlying design principles thoroughly.
  • Limited Customization
    Although flexible, Pattern Lab does have limitations in terms of customizations, which may not be suitable for very specific or unique project requirements.
  • Performance Overheads
    As projects grow in size and complexity, managing and compiling a large number of components can lead to performance overheads, affecting build times.
  • Maintenance Burden
    Keeping the Pattern Lab and its components in sync with the ongoing changes in projects can become a maintenance burden over time, requiring dedicated resources.

CSS Scan videos

+ Add

Chrome CSS Viewer CSS Scan 2.0 - All Your CSS Secrets Revealed

More videos:

  • Review - CSS Scan and Microthemer are buddies

Pattern Lab videos

+ Add

Introduction to Pattern Lab

More videos:

  • Review - Using Pattern Lab to Design More Efficiently

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CSS Scan and Pattern Lab)

CSS Scan

Pattern Lab

Developer Tools
89 89%
Developer Tools
11% 11
Design Tools
88 88%
Design Tools
12% 12
CSS Framework
77 77%
CSS Framework
23% 23
React
0 0%
React
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using CSS Scan and Pattern Lab. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CSS Scan should be more popular than Pattern Lab. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. 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.

CSS Scan mentions (13)

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Pattern Lab mentions (6)

  • Unlocking the frontend – a call for standardizing component APIs pt.2
    While this helped ease integration work, in parallel to that we also started exploring more systematic approaches on the frontend side itself. With the advent of Brad Frost Atomic Design, and tools like Pattern Lab, we started using a more component-centric approach. This included colocating all styling (CSS), behavior (JavaScript) and semantic structure (HTML) for a component, and way better encapsulation as a... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Atomic Design: A Methodology for Building Design Systems
    In order to apply this methodology in your work, you can use a tool called Pattern Lab, created by Brad Frost and Dave Olsen. Pattern Lab is a tool to create atomic design systems. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Integrating Accessibility In The Web Development Process
    Something that would really help to work with tested components and stay consistent with the code and guarantee code quality would be a component library created with Storybook or Pattern Lab, for example. Developers who have a high level of knowledge of how to write accessible code can create components and test them before implementing them. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • How do you make the styling of the site flexible to fast change, but not tedious to actually go in and change every single detail?
    You can read more about Atomic Design Systems and how it scales. I've used Patternlab and I find it awesome. Source: over 3 years ago
  • fractal.build as an atomic design tool
    Fractal seemed easier, at least to me, to understand and maintain, than PatternLab, which I failed to install due a bug in the current installer (and when I managed to install the grunt version, I was already told that there is fractal as a possible alternative). - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing CSS Scan and Pattern Lab, you can also consider the following products

CSS Scan Pro - The easiest way to get and edit the CSS of any website, live

Storybook - Storybook is an open source tool for developing UI components in isolation for React, Vue, and Angular. It makes building stunning UIs organized and efficient.

Hoverify - All-in-one browser extension to improve your web dev experience.

Swanky Docs - A simple, flexible and powerful ecosystem for creating beautiful documentation.

CSS Peeper - Smart CSS viewer tailored for Designers.

Backlight - Backlight is a unique collaborative platform to build Design Systems code-side.📐 Design tokens🧩 Component code and stories📖 Documentation site📦 Managed release to npmEverything in one place, in a true collaborative workspace.Try 👉 backlight.dev

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