Head to head
Stop guessing which one. Put them side by side.
Up to 4 tools, same rows for each: what it is, what it really costs, the trap, and how to wire it up. The URL carries your picks — send it to anyone.
21st.devshadcn/ui
Quick read
- Free with no card: shadcn/ui.
| Field | 21st.dev21st.dev | shadcn/uiui.shadcn.com |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 12,000+ React/Tailwind components in native shadcn registry format, plus ~50 community themes, 29,000 searchable icons, shaders and gradients. Every item exposes an AI-ready prompt written specifically for Lovable, Cursor and Claude Code. | 50+ accessible components built on Radix (now Base UI by default) and Tailwind, distributed as source copied into your repo rather than an npm dependency. Also ships Blocks, Charts, a Themes browser, and the registry protocol. 121k stars. |
| Category | Core design stack | Core design stack |
| Cost tier | mixed | free |
| Pricing | Free (2 copies/day) · $6/mo · $15/mo +AI | Free · MIT |
| Why builders pick it | The themes page is the fastest visual win you have. A theme here is a shadcn token set — colors, type, radius. Copy the :root/.dark blocks into index.css and the whole app re-skins with zero component edits. Browse the themes page and pick one that matches the look you are already going for. | This is already your project. The reason it matters strategically: React Bits, 21st.dev, Magic UI, Kokonut and ElevenLabs UI all publish into its registry, so wiring the official shadcn MCP once gives Claude an install path into every one of them. |
| Watch out for | not logged | not logged |
| How to wire it up | npx @21st-dev/magic@latest | npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client claude |
| Editor's pick | Yes | Yes |
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# Tool comparison — 21st.dev vs shadcn/ui Source: Kbaise, a directory of tools that work with Lovable projects. Pick one and tell me why before writing any integration code. ## 21st.dev (21st-dev) - URL: https://21st.dev/ - Category: Core design stack - Cost: mixed — Free (2 copies/day) · $6/mo · $15/mo +AI - What it is: 12,000+ React/Tailwind components in native shadcn registry format, plus ~50 community themes, 29,000 searchable icons, shaders and gradients. Every item exposes an AI-ready prompt written specifically for Lovable, Cursor and Claude Code. - Why builders pick it: The themes page is the fastest visual win you have. A theme here is a shadcn token set — colors, type, radius. Copy the :root/.dark blocks into index.css and the whole app re-skins with zero component edits. Browse the themes page and pick one that matches the look you are already going for. - Wiring: npx @21st-dev/magic@latest - Full dossier: /api/public/tools/21st-dev ## shadcn/ui (shadcn-ui) - URL: https://ui.shadcn.com/ - Category: Core design stack - Cost: free — Free · MIT - What it is: 50+ accessible components built on Radix (now Base UI by default) and Tailwind, distributed as source copied into your repo rather than an npm dependency. Also ships Blocks, Charts, a Themes browser, and the registry protocol. 121k stars. - Why builders pick it: This is already your project. The reason it matters strategically: React Bits, 21st.dev, Magic UI, Kokonut and ElevenLabs UI all publish into its registry, so wiring the official shadcn MCP once gives Claude an install path into every one of them. - Wiring: npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client claude - Full dossier: /api/public/tools/shadcn-ui ## Quick read - Free with no card: shadcn/ui. ## Rules 1. Prefer the free tier when no budget was stated, and say what the ceiling is. 2. Read the full dossier before integrating. 3. Fetch /api/public/models before writing any AI model ID.
Agents can fetch the same thing: GET /api/public/compare?slugs=21st-dev,shadcn-ui