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Shadcn/UI now defaults to Base UI instead of Radix
- Authors
- Name
- DeepHorus
Starting July 2026, shadcn/ui has officially switched its default component library from Radix to Base UI, marking a significant shift in the widely used React component ecosystem. The change comes after months of community adoption and development, with Base UI now powering all new projects initialized through shadcn/ui.
Launched in January 2023, shadcn/ui initially relied on Radix for its unstyled, accessible headless components. Radix, developed by a team that later created Base UI, was considered unmatched at the time. However, the team behind Base UI leveraged their experience to build a new library that incorporates lessons learned from Radix, culminating in a stable 1.6.0 release with over 6 million weekly downloads.
Key data indicates that the community had already embraced Base UI: projects created using npx shadcn create now choose Base UI over Radix by a 2-to-1 margin. New default behaviors include Base UI being preselected in npx shadcn init, appearing first in documentation tabs, and being the primary option in the shadcn/create tool. Radix remains accessible via a single flag (-b radix) for those who prefer it.
Importantly, Radix is not deprecated and will continue to receive updates and new components, except for those exclusive to Base UI. Users with existing Radix-based projects are not required to migrate, as shadcn/ui emphasizes stability and backward compatibility. The decision to default to Base UI reflects community preference rather than an abandonment of Radix.
For those considering migration, shadcn/ui has introduced a specialized skill for coding agents like Claude Code or Cursor. Rather than a codemod, the skill provides knowledge of every rename, prop change, and behavior difference between the libraries. This allows agents to handle customized componentsāvariants, class changes, and custom propsāthat codemods cannot reliably manage. The migration is progressive: users can migrate one component at a time while both libraries coexist, with changes tracked in clean git history.
Looking ahead, shadcn/ui recommends Base UI for new projects, citing its stability, active development, and growing ecosystem. The migration skill, tested on real projects with 60+ components, completed a full migration in approximately 25 minutes at roughly 10,000 tokens per component. As Base UI continues to evolve, the shadcn/ui team will support both libraries, ensuring flexibility for developers while embracing the community's clear preference.
