Get started CSS Frameworks 2026–2040
| Framework | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2016 | 2017 | 2020 | 2022 | 2025 | 🚥 | 2026 | 2030 | 2040 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailwind | — | — | — | — | 🚀 | 26% | 46% | 75% | 🟢 | 82% | 88% | 95% |
| Bootstrap | 🚀 | 25% | 38% | 52% | 64% | 86% | 78% | 54% | 🟠 | 48% | 35% | 20% |
| Pico / Blades | — | — | — | — | — | 🚀 | 3% | 13% | 🟢 | 15% | 20% | 25% |
| Bulma | — | — | — | 🚀 | 12% | 33% | 26% | 19% | 🔴 | 15% | 8% | — |
| Foundation | 🚀 | 12% | 18% | 24% | 27% | 28% | 18% | 14% | 🔴 | 10% | 5% | — |
| Semantic UI | — | 🚀 | 10% | 20% | 24% | 22% | 16% | 8% | 🔴 | 6% | 2% | — |
| Materialize | — | — | 🚀 | 15% | 22% | 25% | 18% | 9% | 🔴 | 7% | 3% | — |
| 960 Grid System | 48% | 15% | — | 2% | — | — | — | — | ❌ | — | — | — |
| Blueprint CSS | 22% | 6% | — | — | — | — | — | — | ❌ | — | — | — |
Percentages represent self-reported developer usage rates for each CSS framework based on the annual State of CSS Survey. Percentages do not sum to 100% because developers often use multiple frameworks simultaneously. Historical data (2011–2025) is based on developer survey results; future projections (2026–2040) are estimates based on current trajectories. Survey data reflects active developer adoption and differs from web-wide deployment statistics (e.g.,
W3Techs), where legacy systems still maintain a massive footprint.
Trends #
- Tailwind 🚀 remains the dominant utility-first standard for new projects, though in 2026 Tailwind Labs faced a major revenue drop (resulting in a 75% engineering layoff) due to AI coding tools generating utility styles directly and bypassing documentation/UI template sales.
- Bootstrap 📉 continues to decline in developer satisfaction/interest, but maintains a massive legacy base; its v5+ utility API has helped keep it relevant as a hybrid option.
- Pico / Blades 📈 emerging as a developer favorite for minimalist, semantic-first, and zero-JS setups (classless approach styling native HTML elements directly). Blades CSS is the new, fully compatible, and actively maintained successor to Pico CSS (which was last updated >1y ago).
- Bulma, Foundation, Semantic UI, and Materialize 📉 phasing out of active mainstream usage (dropping to under 10% active developer usage), transitioning into stable/maintenance status for legacy applications.
- 960 Grid System and Blueprint CSS 🛑 completely obsolete, legacy tools from the fixed-width desktop grid era before responsive web design became standard.
References #
- Historical developer adoption and usage rates:
State of CSS Surveys (2019–2025)
- Web-wide CSS framework market share statistics:
W3Techs CSS Frameworks Market Share
- Framework release dates:
- Blueprint CSS:
Christian Montoya (2007)
- 960 Grid System:
- Bootstrap:
- Foundation:
- Semantic UI:
- Materialize:
- Bulma:
- Tailwind CSS:
- Pico / Blades:
- Blueprint CSS: