wails vs heroui
Two of the top projects in SaaS and app starters, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
wails
Framework for building desktop apps with a Go backend and web frontend
heroui
React component library on React Aria and Tailwind CSS v4
Verdict
wails ranks higher, 94 to 92. Of the 4 score parts we measure for both, wails leads on 1, heroui on none and 3 are even.
- Adoptionwails leads by 3 points, 91 to 88: close to even.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- MaintenanceEven at 97.
- Agent-readyEven at 70.
Pick wails if you are
Go developers who want a lightweight desktop app with a web UI
- Uses native rendering engines, so no bundled browser as in Electron
- Auto-generated TypeScript definitions for Go structs and methods
Pick heroui if you are
React and Next.js developers building SaaS UIs and dashboards
- Built on React Aria for keyboard, focus and screen-reader behavior
- Tailwind CSS v4 styling with no CSS-in-JS runtime
| What we compare | wails | heroui |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 91, widely used | 88, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 97, healthy | 97, healthy |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 70, partly |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 37.1k | 31.2k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | Apache-2.0 (permissive) |
| Last commit | Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
| Last release | Nov 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Docker | No | No |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Not stated |
wails
Wails packages Go code and an HTML/JS/CSS frontend into a single desktop binary, using the operating system's native webview instead of an embedded browser. A CLI handles project creation, compilation and bundling, and Go methods can be called from JavaScript with generated TypeScript definitions. It has no AI features; it is a general desktop app framework and fits this list only loosely.
Who it is for: Go developers who want a lightweight desktop app with a web UI
Strengths
- Uses native rendering engines, so no bundled browser as in Electron
- Auto-generated TypeScript definitions for Go structs and methods
- Works with any frontend stack, with pre-built project templates
- Native dialogs, menus, dark/light mode and window translucency effects
Weaknesses
- No AI, model or agent functionality; off-topic for this list
- Backend must be written in Go
- Two active versions (v2 and v3) with separate install paths and docs
- Go
- Needs Go toolchain
heroui
HeroUI (formerly NextUI) is a React component library that pairs React Aria accessibility primitives with Tailwind CSS v4 styling. It uses a compound component API such as Card.Header and Card.Content, needs no Provider wrapper, and targets React 19 and Next.js. It also publishes an MCP server (@heroui/react-mcp), llms.txt and agent skills for AI coding tools.
Who it is for: React and Next.js developers building SaaS UIs and dashboards
Strengths
- Built on React Aria for keyboard, focus and screen-reader behavior
- Tailwind CSS v4 styling with no CSS-in-JS runtime
- No Provider wrapper; per-component subpath imports available
- Ships MCP server, llms.txt, AGENTS.md download and agent skills
Weaknesses
- UI library only; no auth, billing, database or AI features included
- React and Tailwind v4 only; no support for other frameworks
- v3 API differs from v2, so older NextUI code needs migration
- Not copy-paste source like shadcn/ui; customization goes through the library
- TypeScript
- Needs React 19, Tailwind CSS v4
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