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Tailwind CSS VS Raycast

Compare Tailwind CSS VS Raycast 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.

Raycast logo Raycast

Fastest way to control Jira, GitHub and other web apps
  • Tailwind CSS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-13
  • Raycast Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-24

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.

Raycast features and specs

  • Speed
    Raycast is known for its blazing fast performance, allowing users to quickly access and execute commands without noticeable lag.
  • Customization
    Raycast offers extensive customization options, enabling users to tailor the tool to meet their specific workflow needs and preferences.
  • Integration
    Raycast integrates seamlessly with a variety of applications and tools, improving productivity by allowing users to perform tasks directly within the launcher.
  • User Interface
    Raycast features an intuitive and clean user interface, making it easy for both beginners and advanced users to navigate and utilize its features.
  • Community Support
    Raycast has an active community that contributes plugins, custom scripts, and support, enhancing the functionality of the tool and providing valuable resources.

Possible disadvantages of Raycast

  • Platform Limitation
    As of now, Raycast is only available for macOS, limiting its accessibility for users on other operating systems such as Windows and Linux.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might face a learning curve due to the number of features and customization options available, which might be overwhelming initially.
  • Dependency on Plugins
    While plugin support enhances functionality, dependency on third-party plugins can lead to stability issues or conflicts if those plugins are not well-maintained.
  • Cost
    Although Raycast offers a free version, some advanced features and integrations may require a subscription, which could be a consideration for budget-conscious users.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any tool that integrates deeply into your system and workflows, there can be concerns regarding data privacy and security, even though Raycast maintains strong privacy policies.

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

Raycast videos

Hands on - Increase your Mac Productivity with Raycast

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Tailwind CSS and Raycast)
Developer Tools
99 99%
1% 1
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Mac
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 Raycast

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

Raycast Reviews

4 Best Spotlight Alternatives to Increase Your Mac’s Functionality
Similar to Raycast, LaunchBar also shows you your reminders and lets you manage your events, so you never miss out on what’s on your agenda for the day. And, you get the ability to create or use custom scripts to extend Raycast’s functionality and use it for automating repetitive tasks.
Source: techpp.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Tailwind CSS seems to be a lot more popular than Raycast. While we know about 1013 links to Tailwind CSS, we've tracked only 37 mentions of Raycast. 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 (1013)

  • 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 / 21 days 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 / 27 days ago
  • How to Integrate Tailwind with 11ty – With Code Examples
    It is a well-known fact that Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework. It lets you style elements directly within your HTML, thanks to pre-defined classes. Unlike other CSS frameworks that offer pre-built components, Tailwind offers these low-level utility classes that let you create your own design system. Thus, this makes crafting unique responsive designs effortless as there is not much to do with custom CSS. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • 🎨 Smooth UI Transitions in HTML with Grains.js, TailwindCSS and g-class directive
    Note: It's best to utilize TailwindCSS to use ready-made styles via their classes. g-class directive has nothing to do with TailwindCSS, however. It only switches class names based on state. After that, you can use whatever you want. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • ## Vibe Coding Adventures: Day 1 — HealthLens AI
    By having the AI building the skeleton of the project, I learn few things. First, this tool is fantastic for building impressive frontend applications with clean, well-structured Tailwind CSS styling. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

Raycast mentions (37)

  • 🤯Powerful AI Tools You Should Know v2🫵
    Raycast: Your Shortcut to Everything. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Tools that keep me productive
    Raycast is my go-to replacement for macOS' spotlight. It's like Spotlight on steroids. I previously used Alfred, another outstanding Spotlight alternative, but for some reason Raycast grew on me. I also use it for window management. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • A collection of useful Mac Apps
    Raycast - Price: Free Spotlight-like app for macOS that allows you to quickly access and execute commands, access apps, hotkeys, text expansion, clipboard manager and more. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Everything I Installed on My New Mac
    Raycast is a productivity tool that lets you search apps and do things just with a single keystroke. It's like Spotlight on steroids. I've been using it for a while now and it's been a game-changer. I can't imagine using my Mac without it. I use it to open apps, search files, run scripts, and so much more. It has a vibrant ecosystem of extensions that you can install to do even more. I highly recommend checking it... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What's the best “dark mode” themed website and app you have come across?
    Among my favorite apps/websites that support dark mode: - https://around.co/ - https://fig.io/ - https://liveblocks.io/ - https://raycast.com/ - https://volta.net/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Alfred - Alfred is an award-winning app for macOS which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords, text expansion and more. Search your Mac and the web, and be more productive with custom actions to control your Mac.

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.

Keypirinha - A lightning fast and flexible keystroke launcher for Windows. No installation required (portable).

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

Slapdash - Fastest way to work across your cloud apps ⚡️