Bootstrap vs Milligram
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
A small CSS stylesheet framework for clean, simple page styling, around 2kb gzipped.
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 Milligram if you need…
- Developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype
- People who prefer writing their own HTML with minimal framework styling
- Projects where small file size matters
- Developers who want fewer CSS resets to override
Side-by-side
| Bootstrap | Milligram | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 175k | 10.2k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | MDX | HTML |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 2 months 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.
Milligram
Milligram is a minimal CSS framework: a ready-made set of styles you add to a web page so headings, buttons, forms, tables and grids look reasonable without writing much CSS yourself. The README says it is only about 2kb gzipped and is intentionally not a full UI component kit. It is installed through npm, Yarn or Bower.
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
Milligram
- Developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype
- People who prefer writing their own HTML with minimal framework styling
- Projects where small file size matters
- Developers who want fewer CSS resets to override
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
Milligram
- Very small footprint, stated as about 2kb gzipped
- Covers common basics like typography, forms, tables and grids
- MIT licensed and free to use
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
Milligram
- People who need a large set of ready-made components like dropdowns or modals, since the README says it is not a UI framework
- Non-developers who want a no-code site builder, since it requires editing HTML and CSS
- Teams that need active, frequently updated tooling, since the latest release shown is v1.4.1 and the README does not describe a maintenance schedule
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
Milligram
- Limited scope: the README says it is not a full UI component library
- The README is brief and documentation mostly lives on the external website
- Maintenance pace is not stated in the README, so check recent activity before relying on it long term
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.gitMilligram
Install with npm
npm install milligramInstall with Yarn
yarn add milligramFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bootstrap and Milligram?
Bootstrap: A free front-end toolkit of ready-made CSS and JavaScript for building responsive websites. Milligram: A small CSS stylesheet framework for clean, simple page styling, around 2kb gzipped. Bootstrap suits developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly, while Milligram suits developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype.
Are Bootstrap and Milligram free?
Bootstrap: Free and open source. Milligram: Free and open source.
Is Bootstrap or Milligram more popular?
Bootstrap has more GitHub stars (175k) than Milligram (10.2k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Bootstrap and Milligram?
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.