Angular Material vs. Bootstrap: Which Is the Better Choice for Frontend Professionals?

Posted on July 16, 2024 | Updated on October 2, 2024

Creating high-end user interfaces and quality user experiences is essential in today’s digital world. A well-designed, responsive website can make a huge difference in attracting and retaining users. To create these experiences for users, front-end developers use tools like Angular Material and Bootstrap. 

Each can provide the necessary components and frameworks to build sleek, functional websites. Yet, which is better for your project? By comparing Angular Material vs. Bootstrap, you can determine which tool best fits your needs.

Quick Comparison of Angular Material vs. Bootstrap

The following comparison chart briefly overviews the differences between Angular Material and Bootstrap.

FeatureBootstrapAngular
Ease of UseEasy to learn and implementSteeper learning curve, but powerful once mastered
DesignGreat for responsive design and UI componentsFocuses more on functionality and dynamic web apps
CustomizationLimited customization optionsHighly customizable due to component-based structure
ScalabilitySuitable for small to medium-sized projectsIdeal for large-scale applications with complex features
Community SupportLarge community with abundant resourcesStrong community support with active development
PerformanceLightweight, fast loadingPerformance can vary based on implementation
Project SizeWell-suited for smaller projectsBest for larger projects requiring structure and organization
IntegrationEasily integrates with other librariesWorks well with TypeScript and other Angular-specific tools
UpdatesRegular updates and improvementsRegular updates with new features and enhancements
DocumentationWell-documented with plenty of examplesComprehensive documentation and tutorials available
Use CaseQuick prototyping, simple web pagesLarge-scale web applications, enterprise-level projects

What Is Angular Material?

Angular Material is a UI component library designed and maintained by the Angular team at Google. It provides a collection of reusable and well-tested components that follow the Material Design principles — simplicity, consistency and visual appeal. Angular Material integrates with Angular applications, allowing for quick development of responsive user interfaces. 

The library offers elements like buttons, cards, dialogues and more, all optimized for performance and usability. The library also comes with a set of tools for customizing themes and styles. 

Yet, what is excellent about Angular Material is its modular approach. The UI component library enables developers to import only the components they need, thereby keeping their applications lightweight and efficient. As such, developers can focus on building the core functionality of their applications while ensuring the UI remains user-friendly.

The key features and benefits of Angular Material include:

  • UI components that adhere to Google’s Material Design guidelines.
  • Flexible and responsive layout directives.
  • Powerful theming with customization capabilities.
  • Adherence to accessibility standards.
  • Extensive documentation.
  • Components optimized for performance.
  • Complex development process.

When to Use Angular Material

Developers typically choose Angular Material for large-scale websites and applications. They use it when building web applications that must handle a large amount of user interaction and data manipulation. Angular Material is also best for providing tools to manage these complexities easily. While it seamlessly integrates with Angular, it also allows extensive customization to create sophisticated, scalable applications.

Two colleagues focused on their computer screens.

What Is Bootstrap?

Bootstrap is a popular front-end CSS framework originally developed by Twitter for designing responsive and mobile-first websites. It provides various pre-designed UI components and templates, including typography, forms, navigation and other interface elements. You can also easily customize and extend each component to make adjustments accordingly. 

Developers love Bootstrap for its responsive grid system. It allows developers to create fluid layouts that adjust seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices. However, Bootstrap also includes a good set of utility classes that make styling and aligning elements straightforward. 

The key features and benefits of Bootstrap:

  • 12-column responsive grid system.
  • A large library of pre-designed components.
  • Highly customizable.
  • Designed with a mobile-first approach.
  • Components are compatible with all major browsers.
  • Large and active community for support.
  • A wide range of utility classes to apply common CSS styles.
  • Ideal for rapid prototyping.

When to Use Bootstrap

Bootstrap is best for projects that require quick development and a strong focus on responsive design. It’s an excellent choice for creating websites that look good on all devices. Plus, many use it for smaller projects where time-to-market is crucial. Additionally, Bootstrap’s pre-designed components are simple to tailor to your project needs. Developers can implement a professional design quickly without diving too deeply into custom CSS or JavaScript.

How Bootstrap and Angular Material Differ

Bootstrap and Angular Material vary greatly in several of the following ways: 

  • Integration: Angular Material is easy to implement in Angular projects and works efficiently with Angular’s reactive forms, dependency injection, and other core features. Bootstrap is framework-agnostic and can work well with any web development project, whether it’s built with Angular, React, Vue or HTML/CSS/Javascript.
  • Design philosophy: Bootstrap utilizes a mobile-first, responsive design approach, while Angular Material emphasizes clean lines and a cohesive visual language.
  • Component library: Angular has a rich set of components for complex applications. Meanwhile, Bootstrap offers many essential UI components but may require additional customization or extensions for more complex needs.
  • Customization: Angular Material and Bootstrap provide customization options.
  • Learning curve: Developers find Angular Material to have a steeper learning curve than Bootstrap.
  • Performance: Bootstrap loads quickly across different devices but can be slower for dynamic content. Angular Material offers excellence for dynamic, complex applications.

Angular Material vs. Bootstrap: Which Is Better?

Choosing between Angular Material and Bootstrap depends on your project and skills. If you’re building a large application that needs a consistent, polished look, Angular Material is better. The system works to offer various tools and components to create advanced applications. 

However, Bootstrap is great for projects where you need to develop quickly. It offers more control and enables the addition or customization of third-party components. It is also easy to learn and can help you get your project up and running fast.

A woman working on her laptop while enjoying a cup of coffee at a table.

The Pros and Cons of Angular Material vs. Bootstrap

The following pros and cons give you a final way to compare Angular Material vs. Bootstrap.

Pros of Angular Material:

  • Leverages Angular’s powerful features.
  • Provides a straightforward, cohesive look across all components.
  • CSS flexbox support for solving CSS layout issues.
  • Built-in options and configurations.
  • Ensures ARIA standards for making applications usable for all users.

Cons of Angular Material:

  • Some components may not be responsive on mobile devices.
  • Overriding CSS can be difficult.
  • Numerous options and configurations can cause frustration.
  • Adding on new components may be complex and confusing.

Pros of Bootstrap:

  • Easy to create responsive sites.
  • Can be used with any web development project.
  • Offers numerous pre-designed components and utility classes.
  • Provides a powerful grid system.
  • Active worldwide community.

Cons of Bootstrap:

  • Achieving a unique look requires further customization to avoid the “Bootstrap look.”
  • Needs third-party plug-ins for additional customization or more complex UI elements.
  • Including the full library can add bloat to small projects.

Angular Material vs. Bootstrap

Angular Material and Bootstrap each have their strengths, but they were also made for different uses. Consider this factor when making your decision. Once you assess your project needs, you can make your decision and ensure a smooth development process from the start.

About The Author

Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her husband and dog in their RV, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or curled up with a good book with her cats Gem and Cali.

You can find more of Eleanor's work at www.eleanorhecks.com.

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