Bootstrap vs. Foundation: The Best CSS Framework selection

Bootstrap and Foundation are two major CSS Frameworks widely used in Web designing but pick up one between the two is really a hard decision. Bootstrap 4 and Foundation 6 are the latest versions of the most widely used CSS frameworks. In this article, we are going to compare the Bootstrap and Foundation to understand them better. Let us have a look on CSS Framework first:

What is a CSS Framework?

Frameworks are used to consolidate the designing of the process to speed up the entire process. A CSS framework focus on delivering a package made of the back-end, structured and standardised scripts like HTML5, CSS, or Java. The main objective is to provide assistance in structuring web-pages. In this way, it saves time from cumbersome coding and avoids coding redundancy. The main motive behind using CSS Framework is to provide ease in website designing and speed up the entire web development process.

What is Bootstrap?

Bootstrap was originally developed at Twitter by Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton.it was released on August 19, 2011 and was named Twitter Blueprint. It is now an open-source project. Bootstrap uses Grunt for its CSS and JavaScript build system and Jekyll for the written documentation. It consists of Sass and fewer style sheets. It is modular and based on a 1170px grid system with a responsive layout.

What is Foundation?

Foundation was developed by ZURB, a web development company in Campbell, California. It is an open-source. It was released in 2011 under MIT license. It is modular and mainly Sass. The grid system is based on a 940px responsive layout. Foundation has 4 distributions: Complete, Essential, Custom, and Sass. Foundation is available on npm, Bower, Meteor, and Composer. The package includes all of the source SCSS and JavaScript files, as well as compiled CSS and JavaScript.

Bootstrap and Foundation both CSS frameworks are the most popular selection for website designing. Which framework should be used is always a confusing matter. Both Bootstrap and Foundation have some pros and cons. Both the frameworks are nearly the same in terms of the UI components and features they provide. Let us have a comparison here to be sure about the selection

Bootstrap vs. Foundation: Comparison

Community support:

Bootstrap has the largest online community among all front-end frameworks. That is the reason it has a number of custom themes and templates available. Having a huge following of designers and developers provide instant help when you run into a problem. While in the case of Foundation, the community is comparatively smaller, it is growing, but still, provide support.

As Bootstrap is quite common, it has a huge community to help but you have to put extra effort to customize your UI for unique looks and feel. If your project work depends on community help, undoubtedly Bootstrap is better to opt.

CSS Pre-processor:

CSS is very simple. We can customize and design it according to our own efforts. This is nice for simple styling but in case of complex applications, it may be time-consuming. CSS pre-processor provides the ability to create CSS files with functions, mixins, variables, and other features. Bootstrap was in the Less camp till version 3 while Foundation supported Sass. But in Bootstrap 4, there is firm support for Sass camp. Mark Otto himself elaborated libsass is crazy fast.

Customization:

When it comes to Customization, no one can beat Foundation because of its flexibility. Its minimalist approach to pre-built UI components allows designers to create their own unique designs. Built-in features like the grid system add more customizability. While Bootstrap components are more polished because of the framework’s objective. You may have to carry on with the pre-existing design more often if you are trying to create unique looks and feel. Bootstrap has a huge community resource and you can find a theme that may resemble what you are trying to create.

Browser Support:

If we talk about browser support, both Bootstrap and Foundation support the latest versions of almost all major browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, etc. If we discuss the performance, both of them perform almost the same but if you have to deal with IE8 or older, Bootstrap 4 doesn’t support this browser. Foundation 6 has support for older versions of this browser as well.

Grid System:

A grid system is one of the most important features of a front-end framework. Foundation follows the mobile-first approach. It has a responsive design and a much better grid system. It has no containers and it relies heavily on rows. Foundation support fully responsive gutters that add a plus point. Both Bootstrap and Foundation support a responsive grid and flexible breakpoint. Both use the same class convention and both have flexbox grid settings available.

Which is best Bootstrap or Foundation: Conclusion

Bootstrap and Foundation both front-end framework have some pros and cons. The selection of a suitable framework totally depends on the designer’s requirement and comfort zone. To select the best framework for your solution, go through features of both the frameworks, and find out your needs.

If you are looking for large theme selection, undoubtedly you can go for Bootstrap. If you are giving importance to pixels, you must start with Foundation then. If you want support for Internet Explorer 8 as well or your project requirement includes the mobile-first requirements, you can pick up Foundation as front end framework. If your preference is a larger community for assistance, Bootstrap has a huge community. Foundation has a better grid system, collapsible rows.

If speed and stability is your priority, you must choose Bootstrap. If you are looking for more flexibility, Foundation is best for you.

Must share your views about Bootstrap vs. Foundation frameworks. We would love to hear what you think best for you. Feel free to contact MSA Technosoft for any assistance regarding website development.

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