# Headless UI vs MUI

| Attribute | Headless UI | MUI |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 68.9 (62% (medium)) | 72.5 (71% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 45,352 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 28,721 | 98,935 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 7,182,960 | 10,342,076 |
| description.long | Open-source library of fully accessible UI components designed to be completely unstyled, providing seamless integration with Tailwind CSS | Material UI is a comprehensive React component library implementing Google's Material Design, providing ready-to-use UI components and advanced components for complex applications. It combines free foundational components with optional commercial plans offering additional features and support. |
| features.capabilities | `{"paradigm":"Headless component library","bundle_size":"tiny","ssr_support":true,"virtual_dom":true,"component_model":true}` | `{"paradigm":"React component library","component_model":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"React"},{"name":"Vue"},{"name":"Tailwind CSS"}]` | - |
| language.primary | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"FR","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://headlessui.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:00:21.344Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Community","summary":"Free forever","features":["MIT-licensed","40+ free components","Community support","MUI Core libraries (Base UI, Material UI, Joy UI, MUI System)"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$299/developer/year or $24.92/developer/month","features":["Everything in Community","Pro support","MUI X Pro access","10+ Pro features","Multi-app license"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"developer","amount":299,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$599/developer/year or $49.92/developer/month","features":["Everything in Pro","Premium support","Access to new features first","MUI X Premium access","5+ Premium features"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"developer","amount":599,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"$1,399/developer/year or $116.58/developer/month (minimum 15 seats)","features":["Everything in Premium","Priority support","Customer Success Manager","Technical support for all libraries","Guaranteed response time","Pre-screening","Issue escalation","Security questionnaire & custom agreements","Multi-app license included"],"minSeats":15,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"developer","amount":1399,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier available. Pro from $24.92/developer/month, Premium from $49.92/developer/month, Enterprise from $116.58/developer/month (annual billing)","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://mui.com/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:22:03.913Z","startingPrice":{"amount":299,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 12 | 7 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.10","date":"2026-04-07T17:11:30Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.9","date":"2025-09-25T13:51:49Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.8","date":"2025-09-12T15:34:21Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.7","date":"2025-07-30T14:04:23Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.6","date":"2025-07-24T14:50:04Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.5","date":"2025-07-23T11:23:56Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.4","date":"2025-05-20T14:17:25Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.3","date":"2025-05-12T21:49:39Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.2","date":"2025-04-17T13:18:58Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.1","date":"2025-04-04T14:48:26Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/tailwindcss%40v0.2.2","date":"2025-02-06T13:22:42Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/tailwindcss@v0.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.2.0","date":"2024-10-25T13:52:27Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.10","date":"2024-10-10T18:58:56Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.9","date":"2024-10-03T09:58:43Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.8","date":"2024-09-12T10:36:03Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.7","date":"2024-09-11T15:33:57Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/vue%40v1.7.23","date":"2024-09-09T09:07:12Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/vue@v1.7.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.6","date":"2024-09-09T19:15:42Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.5","date":"2024-09-04T14:37:47Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/tailwindlabs/headlessui/releases/tag/%40headlessui/react%40v2.1.4","date":"2024-09-03T15:26:48Z","type":"stable","version":"@headlessui/react@v2.1.4"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.3.1","date":"2026-08-06T10:11:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.3.0","date":"2026-08-05T08:44:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.2.0","date":"2026-07-03T08:02:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.1.2","date":"2026-06-23T17:03:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.1.1","date":"2026-06-23T17:02:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.1.0","date":"2026-06-08T08:42:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.1","date":"2026-05-07T05:40:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v7.3.11","date":"2026-05-07T03:31:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.3.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v7.3.10","date":"2026-04-08T07:52:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.3.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0","date":"2026-04-08T12:05:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-beta.1","date":"2026-04-02T13:57:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-beta.0","date":"2026-03-26T00:50:11Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-alpha.4","date":"2026-03-20T09:42:41Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-alpha.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-alpha.3","date":"2026-03-12T09:24:12Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-alpha.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-alpha.2","date":"2026-03-05T07:49:57Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-alpha.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v7.3.9","date":"2026-03-05T08:16:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.3.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-alpha.1","date":"2026-03-05T07:48:40Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-alpha.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v9.0.0-alpha.0","date":"2026-02-18T07:29:52Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v9.0.0-alpha.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v7.3.8","date":"2026-02-12T09:45:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.3.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/mui/material-ui/releases/tag/v7.3.7","date":"2026-01-08T08:16:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.3.7"}]` |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 4.2 | 7.9 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40headlessui%2Freact&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Frontend UI Frameworks)

| Capability | Headless UI | MUI |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Paradigm | Headless component library | React component library |
| Reusable component model | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Rendering** |  |  |
| Virtual DOM | ✓ | - |
| Signals / fine-grained reactivity | - | - |
| SSR support | ✓ | - |
| **DX** |  |  |
| First-class TypeScript | - | - |
| **State** |  |  |
| Built-in state management | - | - |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Official router | - | - |
| **Performance** |  |  |
| Runtime size | Tiny (<10kb) | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:48:03.994Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*