Bootstrap vs Gentelella
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
A free front-end toolkit of ready-made CSS and JavaScript for building responsive websites.
Open source · MIT
Free admin dashboard template built with vanilla JavaScript, SCSS and Vite, without Bootstrap or jQuery.
The short answer
Choose Bootstrap if you need…
- Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly
- Teams that want a common design system with ready-made components
- Developers who prefer installing via npm, yarn, Bun, or a direct download
- Projects that need both LTR and RTL layouts, since the README says CSS supports both
Choose Gentelella if you need…
- Developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework
- Teams that want to avoid Bootstrap and jQuery dependencies
- Projects that need many ready-made example pages such as tables, forms and charts
- Designers who want to preview and customize a dashboard theme using the built-in theme generator
Side-by-side
| Bootstrap | Gentelella | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 175k | 21.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | MDX | HTML |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 6 days ago |
What each one is
Bootstrap
Bootstrap is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code that gives web pages a consistent look and layout that adapts to different screen sizes. It is used by web developers who want to build interfaces faster instead of writing styles and interactive components from scratch. The README describes it as a front-end framework and points to a documentation site for details.
Gentelella
Gentelella is a free, MIT-licensed starter layout for admin dashboards, the kind of screens used in SaaS products, CRMs and internal tools. It is written in plain HTML, JavaScript and SCSS, and is built with the Vite build tool, so you can copy its pages and components into your own project. It ships with many example pages, including dashboards, forms, tables, charts, an inbox and a kanban board.
Best for
Bootstrap
- Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly
- Teams that want a common design system with ready-made components
- Developers who prefer installing via npm, yarn, Bun, or a direct download
- Projects that need both LTR and RTL layouts, since the README says CSS supports both
Gentelella
- Developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework
- Teams that want to avoid Bootstrap and jQuery dependencies
- Projects that need many ready-made example pages such as tables, forms and charts
- Designers who want to preview and customize a dashboard theme using the built-in theme generator
Strengths
Bootstrap
- Widely used, with the README reporting about 175,000 stars on GitHub
- Provides both compiled and minified CSS and JS files plus source maps for debugging
- Released under the MIT license, which permits commercial use
Gentelella
- Free and MIT-licensed, with the README stating it is free for personal and commercial use
- Covers a wide range of pages, including 58 HTML pages and 20 chart variants according to the README
- Built without Bootstrap or jQuery, using vanilla JavaScript and SCSS with Vite 8
Not ideal for
Bootstrap
- Projects that want a highly custom visual identity without a default look, since the framework provides a recognizable base style
- Developers who need the latest stable release today, since the default branch is for Bootstrap 6 alpha development and the README directs Bootstrap 5 users to the v5-dev branch
- Non-developers looking for a no-code website builder, since it requires editing HTML and CSS
Gentelella
- People who want a React, Vue or other SPA framework setup, since the README says it has no SPA framework; the separate Laravel edition is a different package
- Non-technical users who need a no-code tool, because it requires editing code and running a build
- Projects that depend on Bootstrap components specifically, since this template is designed without Bootstrap
Trade-offs
Bootstrap
- The default branch is currently a Bootstrap 6 alpha, so the README's quick start pins a pre-release version (6.0.0-alpha.1)
- The README does not describe component details in depth; it points to external documentation for that
Gentelella
- The README does not describe a backend, so you must add your own data and server logic
- Its size is substantial, with the README citing about 165 MB of node_modules
- Using the template requires comfort with a Node.js build workflow and editing HTML and JavaScript
Getting started
Bootstrap
Install with npm (pre-release version shown in README)
npm install bootstrap@6.0.0-alpha.1Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap.gitGentelella
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ColorlibHQ/gentelella.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bootstrap and Gentelella?
Bootstrap: A free front-end toolkit of ready-made CSS and JavaScript for building responsive websites. Gentelella: Free admin dashboard template built with vanilla JavaScript, SCSS and Vite, without Bootstrap or jQuery. Bootstrap suits developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly, while Gentelella suits developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework.
Are Bootstrap and Gentelella free?
Bootstrap: Free and open source. Gentelella: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Bootstrap or Gentelella?
Bootstrap is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Gentelella is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Bootstrap or Gentelella more popular?
Bootstrap has more GitHub stars (175k) than Gentelella (21.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Bootstrap and Gentelella?
Other options people compare them with include Tailwind CSS, Bulma, Materialize, Tabler, NES.css.
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.