Building UI with Tailwind CSS means writing utility classes by hand, previewing in the browser, adjusting, and repeating—dozens of times per component. Visual editors flip that workflow: you design on a canvas, and the tool writes the Tailwind for you.
This guide covers the best visual editors for React and Tailwind CSS, what features actually matter, and how to pick the right one for your project.
A visual editor for React and Tailwind CSS—often called a Tailwind builder—lets you design interfaces by dragging and dropping components instead of typing utility classes by hand. These tools generally fall into two categories: dedicated builders that export production-ready code, and developer extensions that enhance your existing coding workflow. The best visual editors blur the line between the two, giving you a design canvas that stays connected to real React components.
You can think of it like Figma, but for your actual codebase. You arrange elements visually, tweak spacing and colors with controls instead of class strings, and export clean React + Tailwind code when you're ready to ship.
Writing Tailwind by hand works fine for small projects. But as your UI grows, the constant cycle of writing code, previewing in the browser, and adjusting classes starts to slow you down. Responsive layouts get especially tedious when you're juggling sm:, md:, lg:, and xl: prefixes across dozens of elements.
Visual editors cut out the back-and-forth between your code editor and browser. You see changes the moment you make them, which means fewer refresh cycles and faster iteration. Instead of guessing how gap-4 will look, you just drag a slider and watch the spacing update.
Responsive design in Tailwind usually means memorizing breakpoint prefixes and mentally simulating how your layout will behave at different screen sizes. Visual editors let you preview your design at multiple breakpoints side-by-side—or toggle between them with a click. You adjust layouts per breakpoint visually, without hunting through class lists.
A common worry with visual tools is messy output. Good visual editors produce semantic, readable code—not bloated markup stuffed with redundant classes. The exported code looks like something you'd write by hand, which makes it easy to maintain and extend later.
If you're still getting comfortable with Tailwind's utility classes, visual editors double as a learning tool. As you style elements, you see exactly which classes get applied. It's like having a cheat sheet built into your workflow—you pick up the syntax naturally while building real interfaces.
Before comparing specific tools, it helps to know what separates a useful visual editor from a frustrating one. Here's what to look for:
The core of any visual editor is its canvas. You want intuitive controls for selecting, moving, and reordering elements. Layer panels, easy grouping, and smooth drag interactions all make a difference when you're building complex layouts.
Seeing your design at multiple breakpoints matters more than you might expect. The best editors let you toggle between screen sizes instantly—or view them simultaneously—so you catch layout issues before they reach production.
Prompt-to-UI capability lets you describe what you want in plain language—"a pricing table with three tiers"—and get a starting layout. This speeds up the blank-canvas problem and gives you something to iterate on instead of starting from zero.
Pre-built components (buttons, forms, modals, tables) and page templates (dashboards, landing pages, settings screens) save hours of repetitive work. You customize from a solid starting point rather than rebuilding common patterns from scratch.
Good editors let you define colors, typography, and spacing tokens in one place. When you update your brand color, it propagates everywhere. This keeps your UI consistent without manual find-and-replace across files.
The code you export matters as much as the design experience. Look for clean output—no proprietary wrappers, no runtime dependencies, no vendor lock-in. You want code you fully own and can modify freely.
Modern framework support is non-negotiable for real-world projects. Your exported components should drop into Next.js or Vite without extra configuration or build steps.
Here's how the leading tools stack up:
| Tool | Best For | AI Features | Code Export | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subframe | SaaS dashboards, design systems | Prompt-to-UI, AI copilot | React + Tailwind (deterministic) | Free tier, Pro plans |
| Windframe | Landing pages, marketing sites | AI generation | HTML, React, Vue | Free tier, paid plans |
| Shuffle | Multi-framework projects | Limited | React, Vue, Angular | Subscription |
| Pinegrow | Local development workflows | None | HTML, React | One-time purchase |
| Puck | Embedded CMS editing | None | React | Open source |
| TeleportHQ | Rapid prototyping | AI assistance | React, Vue, Angular | Free tier, paid plans |
| Onlook | Open-source enthusiasts | Limited | React | Open source |
Subframe is a visual editor where you design with real React components—not static mockups that get translated later. The drag-and-drop canvas feels like Figma, but every edit maps directly to production code.
What makes it different: code generation is deterministic, not AI-translated. Your output is predictable and matches exactly what you designed—no surprises when you export. Subframe also syncs your design system between the visual editor and your codebase, auto-generates component documentation, and integrates with AI coding tools like Cursor and Claude Code via MCP.
The free plan includes unlimited AI and no credit card required.
Windframe is a Tailwind builder focused on speed. It includes hundreds of templates and supports importing UI libraries like Flowbite and DaisyUI. AI generation helps you scaffold pages quickly from a text description.
Best for marketing sites and landing pages where you want to move fast from template to finished product.
Shuffle offers a visual editor that works across multiple CSS frameworks—Tailwind, Bootstrap, and Bulma. The component library is extensive, and you can export to React, Vue, or Angular.
Best for developers who work across different CSS frameworks and want one tool for all of them.
Pinegrow is a desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It works with existing HTML and React projects, letting you visually edit Tailwind classes in your actual codebase rather than a separate design environment.
Best for developers who prefer local tooling over browser-based editors and want to edit existing projects visually.
Puck is an open-source visual editor you embed into your own React application. It's designed for building CMS-like editing experiences—think page builders for content teams, not standalone design tools.
Best for developers building content management features into their own products.
TeleportHQ is a low-code platform with Tailwind export capabilities. It's good for rapid prototyping and supports multiple frameworks, though it's less focused on production React workflows than dedicated tools.
Best for quick prototypes and teams exploring ideas before committing to a full implementation.
Onlook is an open-source, browser-based editor for React and Tailwind. It gives you full control and transparency, but requires more setup than commercial alternatives.
Best for developers who want complete visibility into how the tool works and don't mind configuring things themselves.
Different projects call for different tools. Here's how to match your use case to the right editor.
Complex applications benefit from tools that handle real components and design systems. Subframe's component library, theme management, and team collaboration features make it well-suited for product UI that evolves over time.
Template-heavy tools like Windframe and Shuffle let you assemble pages quickly from pre-built sections. If you're shipping a landing page this week, starting from a template saves significant time.
If you're maintaining a design system across multiple products, look for tools that sync tokens between design and code. Subframe's theme editor and auto-generated documentation keep your system consistent without manual Storybook maintenance.
When you don't have a dedicated designer, strong templates and AI generation fill the gap. Tools with designer-approved starting points help you ship polished UI without deep design expertise.
Getting started with a visual editor doesn't require overhauling your entire setup. Most tools are designed for incremental adoption.
Most modern visual editors export code compatible with Next.js and Vite out of the box. You copy components into your project's component directory and import them like any other React component—no special build configuration required.
Some editors let you bring in your own components or use libraries like Radix. This means you can design with your existing UI primitives instead of starting from generic defaults.
Team features vary by tool, but look for shared editing, comments, and viewer seats for stakeholders. This keeps everyone—designers, developers, product managers—working from the same source of truth instead of passing files back and forth.
The typical flow looks like this: design in the visual editor, export React + Tailwind code, paste into your codebase, and ship. No build step, no runtime dependency—just code you own.
Visual editors remove the friction between designing an interface and shipping it. Instead of translating mockups to code, you design with real components and export production-ready React + Tailwind when you're done.
Start for free with Subframe and see how fast you can go from idea to interface.
Yes—most editors export standalone components you copy into any React project. Some editors also let you import your existing components to design with your own UI library.
Some do. Subframe offers an MCP server that integrates directly with Cursor and Claude Code, letting you combine visual editing with AI-assisted development.
AI generators create code from prompts but give you less design control. Visual editors let you refine every detail with drag-and-drop and output predictable, deterministic code—what you design is exactly what you get.
Some editors support this. Subframe lets you import existing components on Pro and Custom plans, so you can design with your own UI library instead of starting from generic primitives.
Support varies by tool. Check each editor's documentation for the latest Tailwind version compatibility before committing to a workflow.
