AdminLTE vs CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Free Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard template with responsive layouts and dark mode.
Open source · MIT
Free Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard template with AI-coding context files included.
The short answer
Choose AdminLTE if you need…
- Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly
- Teams that already use Bootstrap and want a consistent dashboard look
- Developers who want a template in their framework, such as React, Vue, Laravel or Django, via the listed sibling editions
- Projects that need dark mode and right-to-left (RTL) layout out of the box
Choose CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template if you need…
- Developers building an internal admin or dashboard page with Bootstrap
- Teams who want a starting layout instead of building one from zero
- Developers who use AI coding assistants like Cursor or Claude Code
- Developers who prefer plain Bootstrap over React, Vue or Angular
Side-by-side
| AdminLTE | CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 45.7k | 12.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Astro | HTML |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 3 months ago |
What each one is
AdminLTE
AdminLTE is a free, MIT-licensed set of ready-made dashboard pages and components built on Bootstrap 5.3, used as the starting point for admin panels and back-office screens. It is responsive across phone and desktop sizes and uses vanilla JavaScript without jQuery. People use it to avoid designing an admin interface from scratch.
CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
This is a free starter template for building admin panels and dashboards using Bootstrap 5, a popular CSS framework. It gives you pre-built layouts, pages and components so you do not have to design an admin interface from scratch. It also includes documentation files meant to help AI coding assistants understand the project.
Best for
AdminLTE
- Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly
- Teams that already use Bootstrap and want a consistent dashboard look
- Developers who want a template in their framework, such as React, Vue, Laravel or Django, via the listed sibling editions
- Projects that need dark mode and right-to-left (RTL) layout out of the box
CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
- Developers building an internal admin or dashboard page with Bootstrap
- Teams who want a starting layout instead of building one from zero
- Developers who use AI coding assistants like Cursor or Claude Code
- Developers who prefer plain Bootstrap over React, Vue or Angular
Strengths
AdminLTE
- Ships a broad set of prebuilt admin pages and components, reducing starting effort
- Available through CDN, npm and Composer, so it fits several workflows
- Released under the MIT license, which permits commercial use
CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
- Free and MIT licensed, so it can be used in commercial projects per the license
- Built on Bootstrap 5 with a documented folder structure
- Includes AI assistant context files such as .cursorrules and ARCHITECTURE.md
Not ideal for
AdminLTE
- People who want a finished application with a backend, database or login system already built, since this is a front-end template
- Projects not using Bootstrap, since the template is built on Bootstrap 5.3 and its styles would need to be adapted
- Designers looking for a fully custom visual identity, as the default look is a standard admin theme
CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
- People who need a finished app without any coding, since this is a developer starter template
- Teams that need a React, Vue or Angular version; the README points to separate projects for those
- Projects needing the paid CoreUI PRO components, which the README describes as separate products
Trade-offs
AdminLTE
- The README describes a documentation overhaul and frequent releases, so checking the version you use against the changelog is advisable
- Being a template, most of its value is in its look and layout; you still need to supply the data and server logic
- The README's development section lists specific Node.js version requirements that you must match to build from source
CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
- The README mentions many paid CoreUI PRO and add-on products, which may make the free scope less clear
- The README is truncated, so details of the full feature list and version history are not confirmed here
- Setup depends on Node.js and npm tooling that the README does not fully spell out
Getting started
AdminLTE
Install from npm (version 4)
npm install admin-lte@4Install from Composer
composer require almasaeed2010/adminlteCoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/coreui/coreui-free-bootstrap-admin-template.git my-projectGo into the project folder
cd my-projectFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between AdminLTE and CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template?
AdminLTE: Free Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard template with responsive layouts and dark mode. CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template: Free Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard template with AI-coding context files included. AdminLTE suits developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly, while CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template suits developers building an internal admin or dashboard page with bootstrap.
Are AdminLTE and CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template free?
AdminLTE: Free and open source. CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, AdminLTE or CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template?
AdminLTE is easier to get started with (rated beginner); CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is AdminLTE or CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template more popular?
AdminLTE has more GitHub stars (45.7k) than CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template (12.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to AdminLTE and CoreUI Free Bootstrap Admin Template?
Other options people compare them with include Tabler, Gentelella, Bootstrap, Bootswatch, Bootstrap Table.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.