Source: https://seerepo.com/compare/instantdb/instant/vs/shadcn-ui/ui
Markdown source: https://seerepo.com/compare/instantdb/instant/vs/shadcn-ui/ui.md
Description: instant and ui share 10 technologies: React, MCP, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, TanStack, dnd-kit, sonner, Lucide, and Zod. Both are written in TypeScript.

# instant vs ui

instant and ui share 10 technologies: React, MCP, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, TanStack, dnd-kit, sonner, Lucide, and Zod. Both are written in TypeScript.

- [instantdb/instant](https://seerepo.com/r/instantdb/instant): Instant is the best backend for AI-coded apps.  You get auth, permissions, storage, presence, and streams — everything you need to ship apps your users will love.
- [shadcn-ui/ui](https://seerepo.com/r/shadcn-ui/ui): Composable, accessible components with thoughtful defaults. Build your own component library with code you can customize, extend, and make your own.

## What they share and what sets them apart

- In common: React, MCP, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, TanStack, dnd-kit, sonner, Lucide, Zod
- Only in instant: @effect/platform, expo-sqlite, Express, react-native-mmkv, @react-native-async-storage/async-storage, Solid, Svelte, Vue, cryptography, boxen, tailwind-merge, Headless UI, @monaco-editor/react, prism-react-renderer, react-copy-to-clipboard, @heroicons/react, export-to-csv, markdown-table, @clack/prompts, pino, pino-http
- Only in ui: fumadocs-core, lru-cache, Vercel, SQLite, React Router, Vite, cn, class-variance-authority, next-themes, recharts, Base UI, react-aria-components, react-resizable-panels, embla-carousel-react, input-otp, react-day-picker, cmdk, motion, vaul, React Hook Form, hugeicons, @tabler/icons-react, @phosphor-icons/react, @remixicon/react, ai, @ai-sdk/react, shiki, react-qr-code, streamdown, front-matter, unist-util-visit, PostCSS, prompts, ora, postcss-selector-parser

## Side by side

| | instant | ui |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 322,833 lines written, 902 code files | 636,360 lines written, 3,888 code files |
| Who writes it | 0.5% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code and CodeRabbit | 2.9% of its commits signed by AI. With Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex, and Devin |
| Activity | Last push November 5, 2026, 2,544 commits, 10,561 stars | Last push November 11, 2026, 2,309 commits, 127,941 stars |
| Tests | 88 test files. 9.4% of its code files have a test that imports them | 415 test files. 3.8% of its code files have a test that imports them |

- Size: Lines written by people and agents, without generated ones; code files, without tests.
- Who writes it: A commit counts as AI's when it carries its signature: a Co-Authored-By line, its author name or the merge of its branch.
- Activity: From GitHub and its history, on the day SeeRepo read it.
- Tests: The files that test the code, and the share of code files a test imports.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is bigger, instant or ui?

ui, with 636,360 lines written; instant has 322,833.

The proof: [shadcn-ui/ui's code at commit dd41d19](https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/tree/dd41d19e2f80ff6891951f7ced74c2c9a650b065)

### Which has more GitHub stars, instant or ui?

ui, with 127,941 stars; instant has 10,561.

The proof: [shadcn-ui/ui on GitHub](https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui)

### Which has more tests, instant or ui?

ui, with 415 test files; instant has 88.

The proof: [shadcn-ui/ui's code at commit dd41d19](https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/tree/dd41d19e2f80ff6891951f7ced74c2c9a650b065)

### Which was updated more recently, instant or ui?

ui: its last push was on November 11, 2026, and instant's on November 5, 2026.

The proof: [shadcn-ui/ui's commits on GitHub](https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/commits)

### Which has more commits signed by AI, instant or ui?

ui: an AI signed 2.9% of its commits, with Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex, and Devin; in instant, 0.5%.

The proof: [the commits each tool signed in shadcn-ui/ui](https://seerepo.com/r/shadcn-ui/ui/ai)

## Sources

- instantdb/instant: Read on November 13, 2026, at commit 15358ad (https://github.com/instantdb/instant/tree/15358ad712df6879b8953ee8289af0e891d4dde8)
- shadcn-ui/ui: Read on November 12, 2026, at commit dd41d19 (https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/tree/dd41d19e2f80ff6891951f7ced74c2c9a650b065)

## What is your repo built with?

Any public repo, with no account: https://seerepo.com/r/owner/repo/built, with the owner and name it has on GitHub.