Vuetify vs PrimeVue vs CoreUI — Best Vue.js Admin Template?
Building a Vue admin dashboard? Vuetify, PrimeVue, and CoreUI for Vue are the top contenders. This comprehensive comparison will help you make the right choice for your project.
🔍 Quick Overview
| Feature | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design System | Material Design | PrimeTek Design | Bootstrap 5 |
| Components | 80+ | 90+ | 100+ |
| Admin Templates | ❌ (Community only) | ✅ (Paid) | ✅ Included |
| Free Version | ✅ Limited | ✅ Limited | ✅ Full Dashboard |
| PRO Pricing | $199/dev | $249/dev | $99/dev ⭐ |
| Vue 3 Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| TypeScript | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dark Mode | ✅ (Custom) | ✅ (PRO) | ✅ FREE + PRO |
| Bootstrap Compatible | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Best For | Material Design | Enterprise apps | Bootstrap devs |
📦 What is Vuetify?
Vuetify is the most popular Material Design component framework for Vue.js, offering a rich set of UI components with Google’s Material Design principles.
Pros:
- ✅ Material Design 3 implementation
- ✅ Largest Vue community (39k+ GitHub stars)
- ✅ Excellent documentation
- ✅ Rich ecosystem and plugins
- ✅ Active development
Cons:
- ❌ No official admin template (FREE)
- ❌ Material Design not suitable for all projects
- ❌ Bundle size can be large
- ❌ PRO features require subscription
- ❌ Migration between major versions can be complex
🎨 What is PrimeVue?
PrimeVue is part of the PrimeTek suite, providing comprehensive UI components with excellent data handling capabilities for Vue.js applications.
Pros:
- ✅ 90+ components
- ✅ Outstanding DataTable component
- ✅ Multiple themes
- ✅ Professional support
- ✅ Good TypeScript support
Cons:
- ❌ Proprietary design language
- ❌ PRO required for full features
- ❌ Smaller community than Vuetify
- ❌ Less familiar than Bootstrap
- ❌ Annual licensing fee
🚀 What is CoreUI for Vue?
CoreUI for Vue.js is a Bootstrap 5-based Vue admin template with the most extensive component library in the Bootstrap-Vue ecosystem.
Pros:
- ✅ 100+ components (most in category)
- ✅ Bootstrap 5 (industry standard)
- ✅ FREE full dashboard included
- ✅ Best pricing ($99 vs $199/$249)
- ✅ Full dark mode in FREE version
- ✅ Vue 3 + Composition API
- ✅ Multiple themes included
- ✅ Production-ready layouts
Cons:
- ❌ Not Material Design
- ❌ Smaller community than Vuetify
- ❌ Fewer third-party plugins
🏆 Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Component Library Size
| Library | Basic Components | Advanced Components | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vuetify | 50+ | 30+ | ~80 |
| PrimeVue | 60+ | 30+ | ~90 |
| CoreUI | 70+ | 30+ | 100+ ⭐ |
Admin Dashboard Templates
| Feature | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| FREE Dashboard | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Complete |
| PRO Dashboard | Community | Sakai ($249) | ✅ Multiple Themes |
| Dark Mode (FREE) | Custom only | ❌ | ✅ |
| RTL Support (FREE) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Layout System | ❌ | Limited | ✅ Full System |
| Starter Templates | Community | Limited | ✅ Multiple |
Pricing Comparison
| Plan Type | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Developer | $199/year | $249/year | $99 one-time ⭐ |
| Team (5 devs) | $995/year | $990/year | $297 one-time ⭐ |
| License Type | Annual | Annual | Perpetual ⭐ |
| Updates | 1 year | 1 year | Lifetime |
| 3-Year Cost (1 dev) | $597 | $747 | $99 ⭐ |
Cost Savings: CoreUI saves you 83% over 3 years compared to PrimeVue!
💰 Detailed Pricing Breakdown
| Plan | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Version | ✅ Components only | ✅ Components only | ✅ Full Dashboard ⭐ |
| PRO (1 dev) | $199/year | $249/year | $99 one-time ⭐ |
| PRO (5 devs) | $995/year | $990/year | $297 one-time ⭐ |
| PRO (10 devs) | $1,990/year | $1,590/year | $497 one-time ⭐ |
| Support Duration | 1 year | 1 year | Lifetime ⭐ |
Example Savings (Team of 5, 3 years):
- Vuetify: $2,985
- PrimeVue: $2,970
- CoreUI: $297 ⭐ (saves $2,673!)
🎯 Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Vuetify if:
- ✅ You specifically want Material Design 3
- ✅ You need the largest Vue community
- ✅ Budget for annual subscription is not an issue
- ✅ You’re building Material-style interfaces
- ✅ You want extensive third-party integrations
Choose PrimeVue if:
- ✅ You need the best DataTable in Vue ecosystem
- ✅ You want a unique design system
- ✅ You’re building complex enterprise applications
- ✅ You’re using other PrimeTek products
- ✅ You need advanced data visualization
Choose CoreUI if:
- ✅ You prefer Bootstrap 5 and its ecosystem
- ✅ You want the best value ($99 vs $199/$249)
- ✅ You need a ready-made admin dashboard
- ✅ You want the most comprehensive component set
- ✅ You’re building SaaS, dashboards, or admin tools
- ✅ You want perpetual license (pay once, use forever)
- ✅ Your team knows Bootstrap
🧪 Real-World Use Cases
| Use Case | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Admin Dashboard | ⭐ CoreUI | Complete dashboard, best value |
| Material Design App | Vuetify | Native Material Design |
| Enterprise Data App | PrimeVue | Superior DataTable |
| Budget-Conscious | ⭐ CoreUI | 50-83% cheaper |
| Bootstrap Migration | ⭐ CoreUI | Seamless integration |
| SaaS Product | ⭐ CoreUI | Ready layouts |
| Startup MVP | ⭐ CoreUI | FREE = full dashboard |
| Material Theme | Vuetify | Best Material implementation |
🔥 Why Developers Switch to CoreUI
“We tried Vuetify but needed Bootstrap compatibility. PrimeVue was too expensive. CoreUI gave us everything — 100+ components, Bootstrap 5, and a complete dashboard for $99.” — Lead Developer, FinTech Startup
Top reasons for switching:
- 50-83% cost savings
- Bootstrap familiarity (faster onboarding)
- 100+ components (most comprehensive)
- FREE complete dashboard
- Perpetual license (no annual fees)
- Vue 3 + Composition API
- Multiple themes included
📊 Community & Ecosystem
| Metric | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Stars | 39,000+ | 10,000+ | 3,500+ |
| npm Downloads/week | 400K+ | 200K+ | 50K+ |
| Documentation | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Community Size | Large | Medium | Growing |
| Stack Overflow | 15K+ questions | 1K+ | 500+ |
🚀 Performance Comparison
| Metric | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bundle Size | ~400KB | ~300KB | ~220KB ⭐ |
| Tree Shaking | ✅ Good | ✅ Good | ✅ Excellent |
| Load Time | Medium | Medium | Fast ⭐ |
| Runtime Perf | Good | Good | Excellent |
| SSR Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
🛠️ Developer Experience
| Feature | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Curve | Medium | Medium | Low ⭐ |
| TypeScript | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Good | ✅ Excellent |
| Vue 3 Composition API | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Vite Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Storybook | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Nuxt Integration | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
📚 Component Coverage
| Category | Vuetify | PrimeVue | CoreUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Components | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Layout System | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Advanced |
| Navigation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Data Tables | ✅ | ✅ Best | ✅ |
| Forms | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Extensive |
| Charts | ❌ (3rd party) | ✅ | ✅ (PRO) |
| Calendar | ❌ (3rd party) | ✅ | ✅ (PRO) |
| Advanced Inputs | Limited | ✅ | ✅ Most |
🎁 Special Offer
Limited Time:
- 💰 25% off CoreUI PRO
- 🎯 Code:
VUEJS2026 - ⏰ Valid until March 31, 2026
👉 Try CoreUI FREE 👉 Get PRO ($99)
🤔 Decision Tree
Need Material Design 3 specifically?
├─ Yes → Vuetify
└─ No
└─ Need most advanced DataTable?
├─ Yes → PrimeVue
└─ No
└─ Want Bootstrap components?
├─ Yes → **CoreUI** ⭐
└─ No
└─ Budget > $199/year?
├─ Yes → Your choice
└─ No → **CoreUI** ⭐
📚 Related Resources
Direct Comparisons:
Framework Guides:
🧠 Final Verdict
For most Vue.js developers building admin panels, dashboards, or SaaS products, CoreUI offers:
✅ Most Components — 100+ (vs 80-90) ✅ Best Value — $99 vs $199/$249 ✅ Bootstrap — Industry standard ✅ Complete Dashboard — FREE version ✅ Perpetual License — Pay once
Unless you specifically need Material Design or PrimeVue’s DataTable, CoreUI is the smarter choice.
🚀 Get Started
Last updated: February 2026