Materialize
A CSS framework that gives web pages ready-made styled parts based on Google's Material Design.
- Stars
- 38.8k
- Forks
- 4.6k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 3 months ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Materialize is a free, open-source CSS framework built on Material Design, Google's visual design system. It provides pre-styled components and layout tools so you can build web pages that look consistent without writing all the styling yourself. It is installed by download, npm, or a CDN link and is documented on its website.
- Add a styled navigation bar, cards, and forms to a simple website
- Load the framework from a CDN link to style a page without a build step
- Install via npm and include its styles in a JavaScript project
Great for
- Developers building a web page or app who want a Material Design look quickly
- Teams that want a ready-made component set instead of custom styling
- Developers who need broad older-browser support, since the README lists IE 11+
Not ideal for
- Projects that need a distinctive custom look, because the framework imposes Material Design styling
- Anyone wanting a non-coding design tool; this is a code library
- Projects needing the newest browser features only, since the README lists older browser minimums that may not match modern needs
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js (only needed for npm install or to run the documentation locally)
Install with npm
npm install materialize-cssClone the repo
git clone https://github.com/Dogfalo/materialize.git - 2
Run it
- Install with npm or download the latest release from GitHub
- Include the CSS and JavaScript files in your HTML page
- Open the page in a browser to see the Material Design styles applied
- Read the getting-started guide at materializecss.com for component examples
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the getting-started guide at materializecss.com for usage details
- Run the documentation locally with grunt monitor to browse examples offline
- Check the CHANGELOG.md or GitHub Releases before upgrading versions
- Use the CDN link if you want to avoid a build step
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and MIT-licensed, so it can be used in commercial work
- Documented on an official site with a getting-started guide
- Available through several channels: direct download, npm, cdnjs, and Git clone
Trade-offs
- The README marks the Bower install method as deprecated
- The README mentions a beta branch alongside the stable 1.0.0 release, so users must choose a version carefully
- The README does not describe the full list of components in detail, so fit should be checked in the docs
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| materialize (this) | 38.8k | Library | beginner | 3 months ago | Developers building a web page or app who want a Material Design look quickly |
| bootstrap | 175k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers building responsive websites or web app interfaces quickly |
| bulma | 50k | Library | beginner | 2 months ago | Developers who want a quick, consistent styling baseline for a web page |
| material-ui | 99.3k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | React developers who want a consistent, prebuilt set of UI components |
| milligram | 10.2k | Library | beginner | 2 months ago | Developers who want a light starting point for a simple website or prototype |
| bootstrap-table | 11.8k | Library | beginner | 7 days ago | Web developers already using Bootstrap who need sortable, paginated tables |
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.