Is Plex UI a shadcn/ui alternative?

Yes. Both provide React components on top of modern tooling, but Plex UI adds an official Figma system, a 9-step control size scale, and a tighter Figma-to-code workflow.

When should I choose shadcn/ui over Plex UI?

Choose shadcn/ui if you want a fully free, unopinionated starting point and plan to build your own design system conventions from scratch.

When does Plex UI make more sense?

Plex UI is a better fit when your team needs synchronized Figma and React assets, consistent 9-size controls across components, and production-ready tokens for scaling product UI.

Plex UI vs shadcn/ui

A fair, side-by-side comparison for teams evaluating a shadcn alternative with stronger Figma integration, token architecture, and predictable sizing.

Key differences

Plex UI gives you 9 production-ready control sizes, while shadcn/ui provides 4 common size presets.
shadcn/ui stays unmatched for zero-cost entry and open-source ecosystem depth.
Plex UI adds an official Figma system and explicit Figma-to-code parity for design and engineering teams.
Both support modern React, TypeScript, accessibility, and Tailwind CSS 4 workflows.

Plex UI vs shadcn/ui feature comparison table

Feature	Plex UI	shadcn/ui
Button/control sizes	9 sizes (22px to 48px)	4 presets (sm/default/lg/icon)
Total components	35 components + 14 hooks	Large open registry, setup-dependent
Figma design system	Official paid kit
Design tokens	3-layer token architecture	Project-level CSS variables
Figma-to-code parity	Exact parity by design	No official parity workflow
AI editor compatibility	Designed for AI-assisted workflows	Works well, not AI-specific
Icon library	467+ icons bundled	No bundled icon set
Dark mode approach	Token-driven via semantic variables	Theme class + CSS variables
Accessibility	Radix-based	Radix-based
TypeScript support
Tailwind version	Tailwind CSS 4	Tailwind CSS 4
Pricing	React free; Figma from $49	React free; community Figma kits ~ $99
Community size	Growing commercial + OSS audience	Very large open-source community

Button/control sizes

Plex UI

9 sizes (22px to 48px)

shadcn/ui

4 presets (sm/default/lg/icon)

Total components

Plex UI

35 components + 14 hooks

shadcn/ui

Large open registry, setup-dependent

Figma design system

Plex UI

Official paid kit

shadcn/ui

Design tokens

Plex UI

3-layer token architecture

shadcn/ui

Project-level CSS variables

Figma-to-code parity

Plex UI

Exact parity by design

shadcn/ui

No official parity workflow

AI editor compatibility

Plex UI

Designed for AI-assisted workflows

shadcn/ui

Works well, not AI-specific

Icon library

Plex UI

467+ icons bundled

shadcn/ui

No bundled icon set

Dark mode approach

Plex UI

Token-driven via semantic variables

shadcn/ui

Theme class + CSS variables

Accessibility

Plex UI

Radix-based

shadcn/ui

Radix-based

TypeScript support

Plex UI

shadcn/ui

Tailwind version

Plex UI

Tailwind CSS 4

shadcn/ui

Tailwind CSS 4

Pricing

Plex UI

React free; Figma from $49

shadcn/ui

React free; community Figma kits ~ $99

Community size

Plex UI

Growing commercial + OSS audience

shadcn/ui

Very large open-source community

Where shadcn/ui wins

Completely free starting point for teams that want maximum control and no commercial dependency.
Massive community momentum, examples, and ecosystem references.
Highly customizable approach for teams comfortable owning every design and implementation decision.

Where Plex UI wins

9-step control sizing gives more precision for dense dashboards and spacious marketing layouts.
Official Figma + React system improves handoff and consistency across design and engineering.
Three-layer token model scales better for theming and component-level overrides.
Built with explicit AI editor compatibility in mind for fast code generation workflows.

Pricing comparison: Plex UI vs shadcn/ui

The React libraries are free in both ecosystems. The difference is in the design layer: Plex UI offers a first-party Figma system from $49, while shadcn/ui has no official Figma product and teams typically rely on third-party community kits.

Who should use which?

Choose shadcn/ui if you need

A fully free, open-source-only stack.
Maximum flexibility to define your own design conventions from scratch.
Broad community snippets for experimentation.

Choose Plex UI if you need

Design and code systems that stay aligned over time.
Consistent sizing with 9-step controls across key components.
A production-ready token architecture for long-term scaling.

Explore Plex UI

Review the component docs, then compare plan details if you also want the full Figma design system.

View docs See pricing