iView Admin vs vue-element-admin
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 Vue 2 admin dashboard template built on the iView UI library.
Open source · MIT
Front-end starter template for admin dashboards, built on Vue and Element UI.
The short answer
Choose iView Admin if you need…
- Developers building an internal admin panel on Vue 2
- Teams already using the iView component library
- Developers who want a reference for permissions, routing and i18n in a Vue admin app
- Projects that need table export and common admin components out of the box
Choose vue-element-admin if you need…
- Developers building internal admin dashboards in Vue
- Teams that want a Element UI based layout with login and permissions already sketched out
- Developers who want working example pages for tables, forms and editors to adapt
- Developers learning how a larger Vue single-page app can be structured
Side-by-side
| iView Admin | vue-element-admin | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | Other |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 16.3k | 90.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Vue | Vue |
| Last code update | 4 years ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
iView Admin
iView Admin is a starter template for building back-office management websites, the kind with login pages, menus, tables and forms. It is built with Vue.js 2 and the iView component library, so developers can begin from a working layout instead of building one from scratch. The README lists features such as permission control, i18n, dynamic routing, table export to CSV/XLS and error pages.
vue-element-admin
vue-element-admin is a starter codebase for building admin websites, the back-office pages where people manage data, users and settings. It uses Vue for the interface and element-ui for ready-made components, and includes sample pages such as login, tables, charts and editors. Developers use it as a starting point so they don't have to build login, routing and layout from scratch.
Best for
iView Admin
- Developers building an internal admin panel on Vue 2
- Teams already using the iView component library
- Developers who want a reference for permissions, routing and i18n in a Vue admin app
- Projects that need table export and common admin components out of the box
vue-element-admin
- Developers building internal admin dashboards in Vue
- Teams that want a Element UI based layout with login and permissions already sketched out
- Developers who want working example pages for tables, forms and editors to adapt
- Developers learning how a larger Vue single-page app can be structured
Strengths
iView Admin
- Covers many common admin needs such as login, permissions, i18n and error pages in one template
- Uses the MIT license, which permits commercial use and modification
- Has a public preview and documentation site to evaluate it before adopting
vue-element-admin
- Covers many common admin needs in one codebase, such as permissions, i18n, multi-level routing and Excel export
- Built on well-known tools (Vue, vuex, vue-router, axios, element-ui, Mock.js) with a large existing community
- MIT licensed with a live demo and documentation site
Not ideal for
iView Admin
- Projects that need Vue 3, since the README describes Vue 2.0 only
- Non-developers who want a ready-made tool without coding, because it is a template to run and modify
- Teams that prefer a different UI library, because the components depend on iView
vue-element-admin
- Non-developers who want a finished tool to install and use, since this is code to build from
- Projects that need React or another framework, because the README only covers Vue
- Projects that must support Internet Explorer, since the README says low-version browsers are not supported and the browser table is inconsistent on this point
- Anyone who needs the latest Vue 3 stack, since the README badges show Vue 2.6.10 and element-ui 2.7.0
Trade-offs
iView Admin
- The README shows Vue 2 and iView 3.x; the project's last push was in May 2022, so dependencies may be dated
- Documentation is linked externally and the README itself gives only basic setup steps
- The README mentions a Travis CI badge that may no longer reflect current build status
vue-element-admin
- Built on Vue 2 and element-ui 2 per the README badges, which are older than current defaults
- The README contradicts itself on i18n: it says master no longer supports i18n after v4.1.0, yet the feature list includes I18n
- Feature list is long, so you will likely need to remove parts you don't use
Getting started
iView Admin
Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/iview/iview-admin.gitInstall dependencies
npm installvue-element-admin
Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/PanJiaChen/vue-element-admin.gitInstall dependencies
npm installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between iView Admin and vue-element-admin?
iView Admin: A Vue 2 admin dashboard template built on the iView UI library. vue-element-admin: Front-end starter template for admin dashboards, built on Vue and Element UI. iView Admin suits developers building an internal admin panel on vue 2, while vue-element-admin suits developers building internal admin dashboards in vue.
Are iView Admin and vue-element-admin free?
iView Admin: Free and open source. vue-element-admin: Free and open source.
Is iView Admin or vue-element-admin more popular?
vue-element-admin has more GitHub stars (90.1k) than iView Admin (16.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to iView Admin and vue-element-admin?
Other options people compare them with include vue-admin-template, Ant Design Pro, react-admin, Vue Admin Better, Ant Design Vue Pro.
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.