Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Tailwind CSS VS Netlify CMS

Compare Tailwind CSS VS Netlify CMS and see what are their differences

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Tailwind CSS logo Tailwind CSS

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

Netlify CMS logo Netlify CMS

An open-source CMS for your Git workflow
  • Tailwind CSS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-13
  • Netlify CMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-01

Tailwind CSS features and specs

  • Utility-First Approach
    Tailwind CSS uses a utility-first approach, promoting the use of small, reusable utility classes to style elements directly in your markup. This can lead to more readable and maintainable HTML.
  • Customization
    The framework is highly customizable. You can easily configure its default theme, add your extensions, and create custom utilities. Tailwind’s config file allows for deep customization of all aspects of the framework.
  • Consistent Design
    Using utility classes ensures design consistency because the same classes will apply the same styles globally.
  • Responsive Design
    Tailwind CSS has excellent built-in support for responsive design. You can easily apply different styles for different screen sizes using responsive utility variants.
  • Performance
    Tailwind purges unused CSS in production, resulting in smaller final output files and improved performance.
  • Integrates Well with Frameworks
    Tailwind CSS integrates smoothly with modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular.
  • JIT Compiler
    The Just-in-Time (JIT) mode in Tailwind CSS generates styles on-demand, reducing the development build sizes and speeding up the development process.

Possible disadvantages of Tailwind CSS

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers coming from traditional CSS or other CSS frameworks, getting used to Tailwind's utility-first approach may take some time.
  • HTML Congestion
    Due to the utility-first approach, HTML files can get filled with numerous utility classes, making it look cluttered and harder to read.
  • Initial Setup
    Setting up Tailwind CSS initially can be complex, especially for beginners. Configuration settings and integrations with build tools can be confusing.
  • Verbosity
    Some developers find the inline utility classes verbose, particularly when complex styles are required, which can lead to bloated template files.
  • Limited Abstractions
    Tailwind doesn't provide higher-level abstractions such as components out of the box, like other frameworks (e.g., Bootstrap) do. Developers need to build and maintain these abstractions themselves.
  • Dependency Tailoring
    While Tailwind aims to be minimalistic, it may enforce some dependencies or build tool integrations that could be unnecessary for very simple projects.

Netlify CMS features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Netlify CMS is designed to be user-friendly, providing a simple interface for content editors. It allows non-technical users to manage content without needing to understand complex coding or technical details.
  • Git Integration
    Being Git-based, Netlify CMS integrates seamlessly with Git repositories, allowing you to manage content in a version-controlled manner. This makes tracking changes and collaboration among multiple content editors straightforward.
  • Static Site Support
    Netlify CMS is particularly well-suited for static site generators like Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby. It complements the JAMstack architecture, enabling consistent workflows from development to deployment.
  • Customizable
    Highly customizable, allowing developers to tailor the admin interface and workflows to match the specific needs of a project. You can define custom widgets, workflows, and even authentication methods.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Netlify CMS benefits from community contributions and transparency. Users can inspect the source code, contribute new features, or fork the repository to create bespoke solutions.
  • Built-in Previews
    Offers real-time preview capabilities, enabling content editors to see exactly how their content will appear on the live site as they are editing it. This reduces the likelihood of formatting errors and enhances content quality.
  • Deploy Hooks
    Integrates well with Netlify's deployment hooks, allowing for smooth continuous deployment processes. Changes in the CMS can trigger automatic rebuilds and deployments of the site.

Possible disadvantages of Netlify CMS

  • Complexity for Advanced Customization
    Though customizable, more advanced setups might require a more significant understanding of JavaScript, React, and Git, which can be a barrier for some developers.
  • Limited Plugins and Extensions
    Compared to other content management systems like WordPress, the ecosystem for plugins and extensions is relatively limited. This can restrict functionality and necessitate more custom development.
  • Dependency on Git
    As a Git-based CMS, it requires content editors to have at least a basic understanding of Git workflows. This could be a hurdle for smaller teams or non-technical editors.
  • Performance for Large Sites
    Managing a large number of markdown files directly in a Git repository can become cumbersome and affect performance, particularly for very large sites with many contributors.
  • Learning Curve
    While user-friendly once set up, the initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly for those unfamiliar with the JAMstack approach or static site generators.
  • Lack of Built-in Analytics
    Unlike some other CMS platforms, Netlify CMS does not come with built-in analytics or performance tracking. Users will need to integrate third-party solutions to gather such data.
  • Content Workflow
    For more complex content workflows, including roles and permissions, additional customization or third-party tools are often required. This can complicate the setup and ongoing maintenance.

Analysis of Netlify CMS

Overall verdict

  • Netlify CMS is an excellent choice for developers and content managers looking for a lightweight, customizable, and Git-based content management solution. It balances simplicity for non-technical users with the technical capabilities that developers appreciate.

Why this product is good

  • Netlify CMS is appreciated for its simplicity and flexibility, especially for static site generators like Jekyll and Hugo. It offers a user-friendly web interface for managing content without needing to engage directly with the codebase. Additionally, it integrates seamlessly with Git-based workflows, allowing for a more streamlined content management process. Users can easily create, edit, and manage web content and use features such as custom widgets, media library, and role-based access control, enhancing its functionality for various use cases.

Recommended for

    Netlify CMS is well-suited for small to medium-sized static websites, portfolios, personal blogs, and documentation sites. It is particularly beneficial for teams that want to maintain a site using a Git-based workflow without requiring a separate, more complex CMS. It's an ideal solution for Jamstack architectures where optimal performance, security, and scalability are essential.

Tailwind CSS videos

Why I Don't Like Tailwind CSS

More videos:

  • Review - Vanilla CSS vs Bootstrap vs Tailwind CSS - Which one should you choose?
  • Review - Get Started with Tailwind CSS in 15 Minutes

Netlify CMS videos

Netlify CMS

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Netlify CMS Tutorial - Build a GatsbyJS Blog in 7 Minutes!
  • Review - Netlify CMS - Content Management System (using Gridsome)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Tailwind CSS and Netlify CMS)
Developer Tools
99 99%
1% 1
CMS
0 0%
100% 100
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Tailwind CSS Reviews

  1. Awesome framework

    I use it in all my current projects. It's easy to start and very customisable. Love it so much! I improved the speed of development 2x times by using Tailwind.


22 Best Bootstrap Alternatives & What Each Is Best For
Tailwind CSS comes with features such as responsive design, customizability, hover, focus, and active states out of the box. These enable developers to build sophisticated, interactive interfaces with ease. When it comes to integrations, Tailwind CSS can be integrated with popular front-end frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular, enhancing its utility across different...
Source: thectoclub.com
15 Top Bootstrap Alternatives For Frontend Developers in 2024
If you want to learn the valuable skill of Tailwind CSS, we highly recommend taking the "Tailwind CSS From Scratch" course by Brad Traversy on Udemy. In this introductory course, you will build great-looking layouts quickly and efficiently using Tailwind CSS utility classes.
Source: coursesity.com
10 Best Free React UI Libraries in 2023
TailwindCSS is a utility-first CSS framework designed to build modern and beautiful websites in no time. Here, utility class names define what to do. Each utility class comes with pre-defined CSS properties.
11 Best Material UI Alternatives
Tailwind CSS promotes a modular approach to styling, where devs can combine classes to create unique and responsive designs. It offers utilities for layout, typography, colors, spacing, and more, allowing developers to create consistent and visually appealing interfaces with minimal effort.
Source: www.uxpin.com
Top 10 Best CSS Frameworks for Front-End Developers in 2022
Tailwind enables faster development of the front-end. Instead of a default theme or built-in UI components, you’d get pre-designed widget menus and utility classes to build your website. Tailwind has modular components, and if you make changes in one place, other parts of your code won’t get impacted. Tailwind requires the least amount of learning and is easy to use. You can...
Source: hackr.io

Netlify CMS Reviews

Best Headless CMS in 2022
Another open-source headless system, Netlify CMS, can be successfully used with any static generator for a more pleasant and faster web project. The tool is created as a single-page React app. Using Netlify, the content is stored in your Git repository alongside your code for easier versioning, multi-channel publishing, and the option to handle content updates directly in...
Source: flatlogic.com
Best Headless CMS for 2020
I did some research on headless CMS the last few weeks since I am creating some websites for small business. Therefore pricey solution are not an option and open source would be prefered. I did check out Netlify CMS and Strapi.
Source: dev.to
34 Headless CMS That Should Be On Your Radar
Netlify CMS — built by a community of open source contributors — is an extensible CMS built atop React. The platform features an editor-friendly interface and intuitive workflows for content authors.
Source: www.cmswire.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Tailwind CSS seems to be a lot more popular than Netlify CMS. While we know about 1016 links to Tailwind CSS, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Netlify CMS. 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.

Tailwind CSS mentions (1016)

  • MailPlanet🌍: Visualize email origins on a global map
    Styling: Tailwind CSS (Assumed, common with Next.js). - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • How to add markdown to a Next.js project
    This article assumes the reader is a developer that knows their way around Markdown, TypeScript, React.js, and [Next.js] https://nextjs.org/). Familiarity with Tailwind-css would also be useful. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • SonicScan - A Music Fingerprinting and Identification App
    Then I learned Tauri and used my favourite frontend framework SolidJS with TailwindCSS and DaisyUI to build the UI with MotionOne to add animations and Tauri to build the desktop/web/android/ios app. - Source: dev.to / 26 days ago
  • Top 5 Free React UI Libraries to Use in 2025
    Shadcn/ui contains a set of beautifully designed and accessible components, and it works seamlessly with major React frameworks. It’s open-source and has amassed 85.5k (and counting) GitHub stars. It’s built on the shoulders of giants — Radix UI and Tailwind CSS, making it one of the best to work with. Unlike many other UI libraries, the components are not just installed as npm modules, they’re downloaded into... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Tailwind vs Linaria: Performance Investigation
    We're going to investigate the difference in performance between Tailwind and Linaria. Tailwind, you already know. And Linaria has been getting quite a lot of traction since styled components went into maintenance mode recently. We'll cover why Linaria is a good choice for this comparison a bit further. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

Netlify CMS mentions (3)

  • Creating a website that the client can edit.
    Looks like there was a pull request merged about 8 months ago https://github.com/netlify/netlify-cms, otherwise it's been like two years. I found a post about it on netlify at one point too, where netlify basically just washed their hands of it. Shame. I REALLY loved it's simplicity and git based approach but I can't have clients using a CMS that works that way with no hope of fixes. I'm still trying to find... Source: over 2 years ago
  • The Best 10+ Open Source Headless CMS 2022
    You may give editors a friendly UI and simple workflows with the help of the open source content management system Netlify CMS for your Git workflow. It may be used with any static site generator to produce web projects that are quicker and more adaptable. Besides, it also helps in multi-channel publishing and handling content updates inside Git. It is designed as a one-page React application; thus, you can create... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Best (Low-/No-Code) Solution for Simple Web-Based Database Front Ends
    Here are a few that are in the ball park, but mostly lacking the form bit (you have to make your own though most of these offer a way to have a append-only user for the form to act as): - Strapi (https://github.com/strapi/strapi) - Directus (https://github.com/directus/directus) - React Admin (https://github.com/marmelab/react-admin) - Netlify CMS - a bit off the mark but maybe worth considering... - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Tailwind CSS and Netlify CMS, you can also consider the following products

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

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Bulma - Bulma is an open source CSS framework based on Flexbox and built with Sass. It's 100% responsive, fully modular, and available for free.

Drupal - Drupal - the leading open-source CMS for ambitious digital experiences that reach your audience across multiple channels. Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions.

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

DatoCMS - Connect DatoCMS to your favorite site generator, build the perfect backend and deploy anywhere you like.