# shadcn/ui vs Preline UI, licence, downloads and MCP support

Measured comparison of shadcn/ui and Preline UI: GitHub stars, weekly npm downloads, licence, price, MCP support and how many components of each are present in the EneUI catalog. Numbers measured 2026-10-31.

> Page: https://ui.eneawork.it/alternatives/shadcn-ui-vs-preline-ui
> Markdown: https://ui.eneawork.it/alternatives/shadcn-ui-vs-preline-ui.md

Both are real options for the same job. shadcn/ui has 127,036 GitHub stars, 16,711,958 weekly npm downloads, Free; Preline UI has 6,516 GitHub stars, 73,152 weekly npm downloads, Free + paid. The table below carries the numbers, not the opinions.

| Option | Components | Libraries | Licenza |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| shadcn/ui | 2,414 | 21 | MIT |
| Preline UI | 0 | 0 | MIT |

## When to pick it

- **shadcn/ui**, Choose shadcn/ui if the project is already on it and you do not need an index across libraries.
- **Preline UI**, Choose Preline UI if the project is already on it and you do not need an index across libraries.

## Verdict

shadcn/ui: 127,036 GitHub stars, 16,711,958 weekly npm downloads, Free. Preline UI: 6,516 GitHub stars, 73,152 weekly npm downloads, Free + paid. shadcn/ui carries the larger GitHub footprint. shadcn/ui is installed more often per week.

## FAQ

### How many components does this page cover?

2,414 components measured in the catalog, across 1 families.

### How were the counts measured?

By reading the catalog: every component carries its source library and the license declared upstream. The numbers are computed per request, not copied from a post.

### Can I install them with shadcn?

Yes, every component page shows the `npx shadcn add` command against our registry, with a free token.