Flat UI
A flat-style visual theme and component set built on Bootstrap, for ready-made web pages.
- Stars
- 15.3k
- Forks
- 2.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 1.3 years ago
- Type
- Framework
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
Flat UI Free is a set of HTML, CSS, LESS and JavaScript files that restyle Bootstrap's components with a flat, minimal look. Developers use it as a starting point so their websites have a consistent modern appearance without designing every button and form from scratch. It comes with a demo page, documentation and a Photoshop file for design work.
- Start a responsive website using the compiled flat-ui CSS and JS files
- Browse the demo page and documentation to see the component styles
- Customize the LESS or SCSS variables to change colors and spacing
- Use the bundled icon fonts in a page layout
Great for
- Developers who already use or know Bootstrap and want a flatter visual style
- Designers prototyping a website who want a ready-made component look
- Small teams building simple marketing or landing pages quickly
- People who want a free MIT-licensed starting theme
Not ideal for
- Projects that need a large, actively expanding component library, since the README gives no sign of new releases beyond 2.3.0
- Anyone wanting a no-code builder; the README describes a code-based theme
- Teams needing SASS source files directly, since the README points to a third-party SASS port for that
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Node.js and npm (for npm install, version not stated in README) · Bower (optional, for bower install)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/designmodo/Flat-UI.gitInstall dependencies
npm installInstall Bower dependencies
bower install - 2
Run it
- Download the latest release zip or clone the repository
- Run npm install and bower install to install dependencies
- Open the docs/index.html or demo page to see the components
- Read docs/getting-started.html to learn how to include the files in your project
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the getting started page to see how the framework contents are organized
- Use the minified flat-ui.min files in production for smaller downloads
- Look through the docs/examples folder for working page layouts
- Check the wingrunr21 SASS port if you need SASS source files and Flat-UI Pro support
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and licensed under MIT (with CC BY 3.0 noted in the README)
- Includes both compiled and minified CSS and JS files plus documentation and examples
- Builds on Bootstrap, a widely known framework
Trade-offs
- The README mentions a Bootstrap base but gives no version compatibility details
- Licensing is listed as both CC BY 3.0 and MIT, and the README asks users to link to the website, so check terms before commercial use
- The repository's last push and release info are not described in the README, so maintenance status is unclear
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-UI (this) | 15.3k | Framework | beginner | 1.3 years ago | Developers who already use or know Bootstrap and want a flatter visual style |
| bootstrap | 175k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly |
| tabler | 42k | Library | beginner | 7 days ago | Developers building internal admin panels or dashboards quickly |
| AdminLTE | 45.7k | Library | beginner | 5 days ago | Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.