Overview
HeroUI is the new name, since 16 January 2025, for NextUI. The team renamed it to avoid implying a link to the Next.js team and because it now targets any React framework; the @nextui-org packages were deprecated in favour of @heroui with a migration command.
Version 3, released in March 2026, rewrote every component. It moved from React Aria hooks to React Aria Components for accessibility, replaced Framer Motion with native CSS transitions, adopted compound components (Card.Header, Card.Body and so on) and split styles into a standalone @heroui/styles CSS package. Remove that import and you have a headless library; keep it and you can even style plain HTML with the same classes. It targets React 19 and Tailwind CSS v4. A separate HeroUI Native library offers 37 React Native components.
HeroUI positions itself against copy-paste libraries: components are a maintained package, so updates and fixes arrive when you bump versions. HeroUI Pro adds premium components (command palette, Kanban, data grid), dashboard templates, design systems and AI tooling for React and React Native under perpetual licences.
Pricing and plans
Free tier · no card
The HeroUI React and React Native libraries are free and open source under Apache 2.0.
At the limit Not stated The vendor does not say what happens at the limit, or we have not found it yet.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| HeroUI | Free | Apache 2.0, 75+ web components and 37 native components |
| Pro: Web Hero | Perpetual licence, Pro React components, Pro AI skills and MCPs, 500 AI credits | |
| Pro: Mobile Hero | Perpetual licence, Pro React Native components | |
| Pro: Super Hero | All Pro components for React and React Native |
What it does
- React Aria foundation
- Keyboard navigation, focus management and screen reader support come from React Aria Components.
- Compound components
- Every internal part is a real element you can style, move or remove.
- Standalone styles
- @heroui/styles is plain CSS with BEM class names usable without React.
- CSS animations
- v3 uses CSS transitions and keyframes instead of a JavaScript animation runtime.
- HeroUI Native
- A React Native library with shared design tokens and Tailwind v4 support via Uniwind.
- Figma kit
- A HeroUI v3 Figma design system is available.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Polished default look with accessibility from React Aria
- Updates through a package instead of copied code
- Web and React Native libraries share design tokens
- Apache 2.0 licence
Limitations
- v3 is a rewrite; moving from v2 means changing component structure to compound parts
- Requires Tailwind CSS v4 and targets React 19
- Compound components mean more lines of JSX than v2
- Pro prices were not published in readable form on the pricing page
Who it suits
Good for
- React apps on Tailwind v4 wanting styled, accessible defaults
- Teams shipping both web and React Native
- Former NextUI users
Look elsewhere if
- Projects on Tailwind v3 or older React versions
- Teams wanting to own and edit every component's source (see shadcn/ui)
Pricing history
-
HeroUI v3 stable and HeroUI Pro pre-sale
The v3.0.0 release notes (March 2026; added to the docs repository on 21 March 2026) announced a ground-up rewrite on React Aria Components and Tailwind v4, and a pre-sale of HeroUI Pro. Source ↗
-
NextUI renamed HeroUI
Announced 16 January 2025: NextUI became HeroUI and the @nextui-org packages were deprecated in favour of @heroui, with no breaking changes in the rename. Source ↗
Alternatives to HeroUI
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angular Material Official Material Design components for Angular | — | ||
| shadcn/ui Copy-in React component collection and registry CLI | — | ||
| Ant Design Enterprise React component library | — | ||
| shadcn-svelte Copy-in Svelte component collection and CLI | — | ||
| Base UI Unstyled accessible React components | — | ||
| Vuetify Material Design component framework for Vue | — |
Questions
Is HeroUI the same as NextUI?
Yes. NextUI was renamed HeroUI on 16 January 2025 and the @nextui-org packages are deprecated.
Is HeroUI free?
Yes. The libraries are open source under Apache 2.0; HeroUI Pro is a separate paid product.
What is HeroUI built on?
Tailwind CSS v4 for styling and React Aria Components for accessibility.
Sources read for this page