Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Purgecss VS Skeleton CSS

Compare Purgecss VS Skeleton CSS and see what are their differences

Purgecss logo Purgecss

Easily remove unused CSS

Skeleton CSS logo Skeleton CSS

A Beautiful Boilerplate for Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Development
  • Purgecss Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-28
  • Skeleton CSS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

Purgecss features and specs

  • Reduced File Size
    PurgeCSS analyzes your CSS files and removes unused selectors, significantly reducing the size of your CSS files, leading to faster load times.
  • Performance Improvement
    By eliminating unnecessary CSS, PurgeCSS can improve the performance of your website, as there is less CSS for the browser to parse and execute.
  • Enhanced Maintainability
    With PurgeCSS, your CSS becomes cleaner and more manageable, making it easier for developers to maintain and update.
  • Integration
    PurgeCSS can be easily integrated into build tools like Webpack, Gulp, and Grunt, allowing seamless automation in the development workflow.
  • Customizability
    PurgeCSS offers configuration options that allow developers to specify content sources, safelisting of selectors, and more, making it highly customizable.

Possible disadvantages of Purgecss

  • Configuration Complexity
    Setting up PurgeCSS may require a detailed configuration to correctly identify which CSS selectors are in use, which can be complex for larger projects.
  • Potential Removal of Used Styles
    If not configured properly, PurgeCSS might accidentally remove dynamic classes generated by JavaScript or conditional rendering, affecting the functionality of the site.
  • Initial Setup Time
    The initial setup and integration process can be time-consuming, especially for projects with a large codebase or complex structure.
  • Limited Dynamic Content Handling
    PurgeCSS may struggle with highly dynamic sites where CSS classes are generated at runtime, requiring careful management or additional tools to ensure accuracy.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers may need to spend additional time learning how to effectively use PurgeCSS, especially if they are new to the tool or similar CSS management solutions.

Skeleton CSS features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Skeleton CSS is extremely lightweight, with a file size of just about 400 lines of code, making it quick to load and easy to manage compared to bulkier frameworks.
  • Simplicity
    Its simplicity makes it easy to learn and implement, which is ideal for beginners or for small projects that don't require complex styling.
  • Responsive Grid
    Skeleton CSS includes a responsive grid system, which helps in creating responsive layouts that easily adjust to various screen sizes.
  • Clean Design
    Skeleton offers a clean and minimal design by default, providing a good starting point for further customization without unnecessary bloat.

Possible disadvantages of Skeleton CSS

  • Limited Components
    Skeleton CSS lacks the range of components available in larger frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation, making it less flexible for larger or more complex projects.
  • Customization
    While its simplicity is an advantage, it also means less out-of-the-box customization options compared to more comprehensive frameworks.
  • Community and Support
    Skeleton CSS has a smaller community and fewer resources or plugins available, meaning less peer and developer support is accessible compared to more popular frameworks.
  • Scalability
    It is less suited for large-scale applications where a more feature-rich and modular framework might be necessary to manage complex requirements.

Analysis of Purgecss

Overall verdict

  • Purgecss is a valuable tool for developers looking to optimize their CSS for production environments. It is especially useful for projects where CSS can become bloated due to unused styles. However, users should be cautious when configuring Purgecss to ensure that essential styles are not accidentally removed.

Why this product is good

  • Purgecss is designed to remove unused CSS, which can reduce the file size of your stylesheets, improve loading times, and ensure more efficient use of resources. It scans your HTML, JavaScript, and other files to determine which CSS classes are actually used, and eliminates the rest. This is particularly beneficial in large projects or when using CSS frameworks that include many utility classes.

Recommended for

    Purgecss is recommended for web developers working on projects with significant CSS codebases, especially when using CSS frameworks like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS. It's also ideal for teams focused on performance optimization and efficient resource management in web applications.

Analysis of Skeleton CSS

Overall verdict

  • Skeleton CSS is a good choice for developers seeking a minimalist framework that provides essential styling without unnecessary complexity. It's particularly beneficial for small projects or when you need to rapidly prototype designs. However, for larger projects with extensive UI component requirements, a more comprehensive framework might be more suitable.

Why this product is good

  • Skeleton CSS is a lightweight CSS framework designed for simplicity and ease of use. It provides a flexible grid system and basic styles for common HTML elements, making it ideal for starting projects quickly without the overhead of more complex frameworks. Its minimalistic approach ensures that developers have a clean slate to work from, without being overwhelmed by pre-designed components or themes. Additionally, its simplicity makes it easy to learn and modify, which is great for developers who prefer more control over their project's appearance.

Recommended for

    Skeleton CSS is recommended for developers who appreciate a minimalist approach, those working on small to medium-sized projects, designers who want a lightweight starting point without a steep learning curve, and anyone looking to quickly prototype ideas without being bogged down by extensive styling rules or pre-existing themes.

Purgecss videos

How to use PurgeCSS to Remove Unused CSS Classes from Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, and more!

More videos:

  • Review - Gatsby.js with Tailwind CSS and PurgeCSS

Skeleton CSS videos

Skeleton Anatomy and Physiology Review Bones 01

More videos:

  • Review - skeleton anatomy easy review for practical exam bones and structures
  • Review - Unboxing and Review Head Unit Skeleton SKT 8197 Universal

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Purgecss and Skeleton CSS)
Developer Tools
54 54%
46% 46
CSS Framework
32 32%
68% 68
Design Tools
42 42%
58% 58
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Purgecss and Skeleton CSS

Purgecss Reviews

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Skeleton CSS Reviews

22 Best Bootstrap Alternatives & What Each Is Best For
Balance Functionality and Performance: High functionality might come with the cost of performance. For example, MUI is exceptional for material design, but it might be heavier compared to lighter frameworks like Skeleton. Strive for a balance between the functionality you need and the performance you can afford to sacrifice.
Source: thectoclub.com
15 Top Bootstrap Alternatives For Frontend Developers in 2024
However, it's important to note that Skeleton lacks active maintenance, posing a significant drawback. Additionally, the security of the Skeleton website is currently questionable. Furthermore, its use of outdated markup for layout, such as floats and clear fixes, may present compatibility issues in modern web development environments.
Source: coursesity.com
9 Best Bootstrap Alternatives | Best Frontend Frameworks [2024]
Skeleton is a lightweight CSS framework, majorly popular for its 12-column fluid grid, which consists of rows and columns, similar to other CSS grids. The newer version of Skeleton adopts a mobile-first approach, which enables the layout to be the center of attraction, irrespective of the screen size. Being lightweight, Skeleton can speed up the front-end development process.
Source: hackr.io
Top 10 Best CSS Frameworks for Front-End Developers in 2022
As the name suggests, the Skeleton is a light framework. If your website is small and straightforward, Skeleton provides a necessary collection of CSS elements to speed up your development. It provides lightly styled forms, tabs, buttons, etc. You get a responsive grid, Vanilla CSS, and media queries for your project without the larger frameworks' complexities. It is a great...
Source: hackr.io
15 Best CSS Frameworks: Professional Bootstrap and Foundation Alternatives
As a two-in-one solution, Skeleton quickly made it on our list. This is both a boilerplate and a comprehensive CSS framework. We enjoyed customizing its 12-column grid during our testing, and we found out that it has virtually no learning curve.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Purgecss should be more popular than Skeleton CSS. It has been mentiond 36 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.

Purgecss mentions (36)

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Skeleton CSS mentions (17)

  • Concrete.css
    I had been using similar projects such as skeleton[0] and milligram[1] for small experiments such as repfl[2], and wanted to create something similar that I would find aesthetically pleasing and that would fit in as little space as possible. The current version of concrete.css is less than 1kb minzipped! [0] http://getskeleton.com/ [1] https://milligram.io/ [2] https://repfl.ch/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: How to build online calculator website?
    Here's my personal goto: Find some minimal CSS framework. My preference is Skeleton [0] or Bootstrap [1]. The key is just finding something minimal that works without too much fuss. Personally, I rather have a minimal framework provide 'responsiveness' so I don't have to worry about it but I also want it to get out of the way of anything I do. Use JQuery [2]. Don't rely on CSS for animations or interactivity. In... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Suggest minimal CSS framework
    I've used http://getskeleton.com/ in the past. I think it's probably just what you're looking for. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Pdf generated from form
    I use an older css library called skeleton. Itโ€™s a utility framework that came out before css grid. It has a really nice and easy to use grid system built without css-grid. I had to get rid of the media queries to get it work but itโ€™s been great otherwise! Source: over 3 years ago
  • what do you do when coding for responsive?
    I use a minified and customised simple boilerplate / grid system based in skeleton (http://getskeleton.com/). It has no mediaqueries predefined, but the rules for each screen resolution are stated. I start making the website for computer screen formats (large resolutions) and end adapting up the design to phone screens. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Purgecss and Skeleton CSS, you can also consider the following products

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

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

CSS Peeper - Smart CSS viewer tailored for Designers.

Materialize CSS - A modern responsive front-end framework based on Material Design

CSSViewer - A simple CSS property viewer

Foundation - The most advanced responsive front-end framework in the world