Radix UI vs Base UI: Which Library Fits Your React Project?

Headless UI libraries have become essential tools for building modern React applications. They provide accessible, interactive components like dropdowns without dictating their visual style.

Two libraries have emerged as leading solutions: Radix UI and Base UI. The relationship between these libraries is particularly interesting since Base UI was created by some of the same developers who worked on Radix UI.

In December 2025, Base UI officially reached v1.0 stable release, signaling production readiness. Shortly after, shadcn/ui made a landmark update: developers can now choose between Radix UI and Base UI when initializing projects.

While Radix UI remains the established choice with widespread adoption, Base UI offers a modern alternative with better component coverage, built-in features like multi-select, combobox, and autocomplete, a more intuitive render prop pattern (vs. Radix’s asChild), and a consolidated dependency structure using a single package.

For a new project, Base UI is the modern recommended choice. For an existing Radix project, only migrate if you need its specific features or encountered Radix’s bugs, as it’s more than a simple refactor (especially large projects).

Background

Radix UI: The Pioneer

Radix UI originated from Modulz, which was acquired by WorkOS in June 2022. The library pioneered the headless UI approach in the React ecosystem, focusing on:

• Comprehensive accessibility out of the box
• Unstyled primitives that accept any styling solution
• Modular architecture with granular npm packages
• The asChild pattern for component composition

Radix UI’s approach resonated with the community, leading to widespread adoption in popular projects such as shadcn/ui, Vercel’s design system, and countless production applications.

However, the project’s momentum has noticeably shifted following its acquisition by WorkOS. As shared by a team member:

the company that bought the project didn’t really invest in it so the team working on it left, and there was a build-up of tech debt over the years.

Community sentiment now reflects these challenges. Developers have reported encountering bugs with open issues that appear unlikely to be fixed, with one stating:

Every two weeks or so I come across a bug in radix-ui that’s been opened years ago. It would be nice to migrate to a component lib that’s actively maintained.

These concerns raise significant questions about Radix UI’s long-term maintenance and future trajectory, with many in the community seeking a more actively supported alternative.

Base UI: The Modern Alternative

Base UI is a joint venture from the creators of Radix, Material UI, and Floating UI—all committed for the long haul. The team leveraged their extensive experience to address pain points they observed in existing solutions, including Radix UI:

• Comprehensive component coverage including advanced patterns like multi-select and combobox
• The render prop pattern for more intuitive composition
• Single dependency (@base-ui/react) instead of multiple packages
• Built-in support for modern features

The release of v1.0.0 in December 2025 was met with enthusiasm, with active development, responsive maintainers, and MUI’s established track record providing confidence. A community member remarked:

If there was any reason to wait to transition from Radix UI to Base UI I think it’s gone.

Architecture and Developer Experience

Component Composition Patterns

One of the most visible differences between the libraries lies in their composition patterns.

Radix UI’s asChild Pattern:

import * as Select from '@radix-ui/react-select'

<Select.Trigger asChild>
  <button className="custom-button">
    <Select.Value />
  </button>
</Select.Trigger>

The asChild prop tells Radix to merge its props with the child element instead of rendering a wrapper.

Base UI’s render Prop:

import * as Select from '@base-ui/react/select'

<Select.Trigger render={<button className="custom-button" />}>
  <Select.Value />
</Select.Trigger>

Base UI’s render prop provides a more explicit and familiar pattern. As noted in community discussions, many developers find the render prop “more intuitive than asChild.”

Component API Structure

While Base UI shares similar design principles with Radix UI, and the team includes former Radix developers, significant API divergences exist in key components, making direct migration a non-trivial task.

The Select component exemplifies this fundamental difference in data handling and structure. Radix relies on a purely declarative JSX structure. The available options are defined solely through nested <Select.Item> children. The component internally traverses this tree to derive values and labels:

<Select.Root>
  <Select.Trigger>
    <Select.Value placeholder="Select a fruit" />
  </Select.Trigger>
  <Select.Portal>
    <Select.Content>
      <Select.Viewport>
        <Select.Item value="apple">Apple</Select.Item>
        <Select.Item value="banana">Banana</Select.Item>
      </Select.Viewport>
    </Select.Content>
  </Select.Portal>
</Select.Root>

Base UI adopts a data-driven model. Options are primarily passed as a structured array via the items prop to the root component. This allows the component to have explicit knowledge of all data before rendering, which improves SSR compatibility and performance. The JSX children then map over this data:

<Select.Root
  items={[
    { label: "Select a fruit", value: null },
    { label: "Apple", value: "apple" },
    { label: "Banana", value: "banana" },
  ]}
>
  <Select.Trigger>
    <Select.Value />
  </Select.Trigger>
  <Select.Portal>
    <Select.Positioner>
      <Select.Popup>
        <Select.List>
          {items.map((item) => (
            <Select.Item key={item.value} value={item}>
              {item.label}
            </Select.Item>
          ))}
        </Select.List>
      </Select.Popup>
    </Select.Positioner>
  </Select.Portal>
</Select.Root>

A developer attempting to port from Radix to Base UI noted: “Base UI and Radix UI implement Select differently enough that it’s more than a simple refactor.”

Advanced Features

Additionally, Base UI offers some advanced features that Radix does not provide:

• Multi-Select: Base UI includes native multi-select support in its Select component, a feature frequently requested in Radix UI. A community member expressed: “Base UI has some core stuff Radix UI, and thus ShadCN UI, lack such as a <Select multiple> or a non-dialog Combobox and Autocomplete field.”
• Combobox and Autocomplete: Base UI provides a dedicated Combobox component that doesn’t require dialog patterns, making it more suitable for inline autocomplete scenarios.
• Number Field: Base UI’s NumberField includes innovative features like multiple scrub areas, allowing users to adjust values through mouse gestures—a pattern common in design tools.

Dependency Management

Radix UI is built on a highly modular architecture, where each component is distributed as a separate NPM package, such as @radix-ui/react-select and @radix-ui/react-dialog. This design philosophy has a notable side effect: projects must install individual dependencies for every component used, which can lead to a rapid increase in the number of entries within package.json.

In contrast, Base UI adopts a unified package strategy, bundling all components into the single @base-ui/react dependency. This significantly streamlines the project’s dependency tree, making installation, updates, and maintenance considerably easier. As highlighted by a developer who migrated to Base UI, “a nice bonus is only needing one dependency (@base-ui/react) instead of multiple @radix-ui/react-* packages.”

Bundle Size

Radix UI: You can install each component separately, which is like buying only the exact ingredients you need for a recipe. Each one is a small, independent package. Your final project’s size depends only on the specific parts you choose to add.

Base UI: You install one complete package, like getting a whole toolbox. Modern development tools are very good at automatically removing any parts of that toolbox you don’t use. This means the final size for each component you do use ends up being about the same, or sometimes even a little smaller.

Ecosystem and Tooling

Radix UI Ecosystem: The ecosystem around Radix UI is very large and established. It includes shadcn/ui, which was originally built for it, along with official products like Radix Themes. There are also many independent component collections and a wide variety of community-made examples and extensions available.

Base UI Ecosystem: The ecosystem for Base UI is newer but is growing quickly. It now officially includes shadcn/ui, which added support for Base UI. There is increasing support from other developers, and new libraries like “coss.com/ui” and “basecn” are being created specifically as alternatives or extensions for it.

shadcn/ui’s Dual Support

The announcement of shadcn/ui supporting both libraries marks a watershed moment. As stated in the December 2025 changelog:

Start with a component library. Choose between Radix or Base UI. We rebuilt every component for Base UI, keeping the same abstraction. They are fully compatible with your existing components, even those pulled from remote registries.

This support gives developers flexibility. When they set up a new project with npx shadcn create command and create tool, they can now pick their preferred library. The CLI then automatically configures all components for that specific choice, so there is no extra setup needed. This creates a smooth experience that fits right into the existing shadcn way of working, and all the components from the shadcn collection will work perfectly with either library.

When to Choose Each Library

Choose Radix UI If

1. You have an existing Radix-based codebase: Migration costs may outweigh benefits
2. You prioritize maximum ecosystem compatibility: More third-party integrations exist
3. You prefer the established, proven option: Extensive production validation
4. Your needs match Radix’s component coverage: No need for Combobox, multi-select, etc.

Choose Base UI If

1. Starting a new project: No migration costs, modern patterns from day one
2. You need advanced components: Combobox, multi-select, and other features
3. You prefer the render prop pattern: More intuitive composition
4. You value simplified dependencies: Single package vs. multiple
5. Active maintenance matters: MUI’s track record and commitment
6. You’re building complex UIs: Better component coverage for advanced scenarios

Recommendations

Based on current evidence and community feedback, consider these recommendations:

For New Projects: Base UI offers a compelling proposition with modern patterns, comprehensive features, and active development. Unless you have specific reasons to prefer Radix (team familiarity, specific third-party dependencies), starting with Base UI provides access to the latest features and patterns.

For Existing Radix Projects, Migration should be evaluated based on:

• Current pain points (missing features, bugs)
• Team capacity for migration work
• Application complexity
• Timeline and priorities

Don’t migrate just because Base UI is newer; migrate when it solves specific problems.

For Component Library Authors: Following shadcn/ui’s example by supporting both libraries maximizes flexibility for users while requiring additional maintenance. Evaluate based on your user base and resources.

Migrating from Radix UI to Base UI

For teams considering migration, key API differences require attention:

• asChild pattern must convert to render prop
• Event handlers may have different signatures
• Styling targets may need adjustment

As one developer noted, the differences are “more than a simple refactor,” suggesting teams should allocate sufficient time for thorough migration.

Conclusion

The choice between Radix UI and Base UI represents more than a technical decision—it reflects priorities around developer experience, maintenance philosophy, and long-term project sustainability.

Base UI emerges as a modern alternative addressing Radix’s limitations while bringing fresh ideas from the team’s vast experience. With v1.0 achieved and shadcn/ui support, Base UI has crossed a significant credibility threshold.

The React community benefits from having both options. Competition drives innovation, and developers gain choice.

Additional Resources

• Base UI Official Documentation
• Radix UI Official Documentation
• shadcn/ui Create Tool