Gentelella vs Tabler
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 admin dashboard template built with vanilla JavaScript, SCSS and Vite, without Bootstrap or jQuery.
Open source · MIT
Free, open source Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard UI kit with dark mode and RTL support.
The short answer
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
Choose Tabler if you need…
- Developers building internal admin panels or dashboards quickly
- Teams already comfortable with Bootstrap who want ready-made components
- Projects that need dark mode or right-to-left (RTL) layouts
- Developers using a framework such as React, Vue or Laravel who want a styled UI base
Side-by-side
| Gentelella | Tabler | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 21.6k | 42k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | HTML | Astro |
| Last code update | 6 days ago | 7 days ago |
What each one is
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.
Tabler
Tabler is a set of ready-made layouts, components and demo pages for building admin panels, dashboards and web apps. It is built on Bootstrap 5 and ships as CSS and JavaScript you can load from a CDN or install with npm. It is useful for people who want a polished interface without designing every screen from scratch.
Best for
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
Tabler
- Developers building internal admin panels or dashboards quickly
- Teams already comfortable with Bootstrap who want ready-made components
- Projects that need dark mode or right-to-left (RTL) layouts
- Developers using a framework such as React, Vue or Laravel who want a styled UI base
Strengths
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
Tabler
- Free and MIT-licensed, with a large set of demo pages and components listed in the README
- Includes dark mode and RTL versions of its stylesheets
- Works with plain HTML and with many common frameworks, with setup guides in the docs
Not ideal for
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
Tabler
- People who want a finished app with no coding, since it is a UI kit rather than a ready-to-use product
- Projects that do not use Bootstrap and do not want to adopt its styling system
- Teams that need a design system built from scratch rather than a pre-styled one
Trade-offs
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
Tabler
- Depends on Bootstrap 5, so you inherit its structure and conventions
- The README is truncated, so details about the full feature list and browser support are not confirmed here
- Bundled plugins add to the package and you must choose which stylesheets to load
Getting started
Gentelella
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ColorlibHQ/gentelella.gitTabler
Install the package with npm
npm install @tabler/coreAdd the Tabler skill for a coding agent
npx skills add tabler/tablerFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Gentelella and Tabler?
Gentelella: Free admin dashboard template built with vanilla JavaScript, SCSS and Vite, without Bootstrap or jQuery. Tabler: Free, open source Bootstrap 5 admin dashboard UI kit with dark mode and RTL support. Gentelella suits developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework, while Tabler suits developers building internal admin panels or dashboards quickly.
Are Gentelella and Tabler free?
Gentelella: Free and open source. Tabler: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Gentelella or Tabler?
Tabler is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Gentelella is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Gentelella or Tabler more popular?
Tabler has more GitHub stars (42k) than Gentelella (21.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Gentelella and Tabler?
Other options people compare them with include AdminLTE, Bootstrap, Bootswatch, Bootstrap Table, SoybeanAdmin.
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.