As a developer with hands-on experience in both Ant Design and Material-UI (MUI), I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, from small-scale applications to large enterprise systems. While both libraries have their strengths, I’ve found myself consistently reaching for Ant Design when it comes to enterprise web development. Why? Because Ant Design’s ready-made components for tables, forms, date range selectors, and details views are absolute game-changers.

Let me explain why I believe Ant Design outshines Material-UI for enterprise use cases.

Ready-Made Components That Just Work

One of the biggest pain points in enterprise app development is building complex, data-heavy UIs from scratch. This is where Ant Design truly excels. Its library of pre-built components is tailored specifically for enterprise needs, saving countless hours of work.

Forms: Ant Design’s ProForm vs. Material-UI’s Formik + Yup

• Material-UI’s Forms: Material-UI provides basic form components, but to create reusable and functional forms, developers often rely on third-party libraries like Formik and Yup. While these libraries are powerful, they add significant complexity to the development process. For example, implementing a multi-step form with conditional fields in Material-UI can require hundreds of lines of code and careful state management.

• Ant Design’s Forms: Ant Design’s Form and ProForm components simplify form creation significantly. With built-in state management, schema validation, dynamic fields, and nested forms, Ant Design makes it easy to create reusable and functional forms. In one project, I built a multi-step form with conditional logic in just a few hours using Ant Design’s ProForm—something that would have taken days with Material-UI.

Tables: Ant Design’s ProTable vs. Material-UI’s Basic Table

• Material-UI’s Tables: Material-UI’s Table component is basic and lacks advanced features out of the box. To achieve functionality like server-side filtering, sorting, and pagination, developers often need to use third-party libraries like react-table or write custom wrapper components. This can lead to increased development time and maintenance overhead.

• Ant Design’s Tables: Ant Design’s Table and ProTable components are designed for enterprise use cases. With features like column configuration, server-side operations, expandable rows, and dynamic columns, Ant Design makes it easy to create feature-rich tables. In one project, I used Ant Design’s ProTable to implement a data grid with server-side filtering, dynamic columns, and expandable rows—all in just a few hours. With Material-UI, achieving the same functionality would have required significant additional effort.

Customization Without Compromise

While Ant Design provides out-of-the-box solutions, it doesn’t sacrifice flexibility. Its components are highly customizable, making it easy to adapt them to specific enterprise requirements. For example, I’ve customized Ant Design’s table component to include expandable rows, dynamic columns, and even inline editing—all without breaking a sweat. Material-UI, while customizable, often requires more effort to create reusable and flexible components. While Material-UI’s theming system is superior, Ant Design’s ready-made components and enterprise-focused features often outweigh the need for deep customization in enterprise applications.

Built for Data-Heavy Applications

Enterprise applications like CRMs, ERPs, and analytics dashboards demand components that can handle large datasets and complex interactions. Ant Design’s components are designed with these use cases in mind. Material-UI, on the other hand, often feels lightweight and consumer-focused, making it less suitable for enterprise-grade complexity.

Material-UI Has Its Strengths, But…

Don’t get me wrong—Material-UI is a fantastic library, especially for smaller projects or consumer-facing applications. Its adherence to Google’s Material Design guidelines and community support makes it a great choice for apps that need a modern, playful look. However, when it comes to enterprise web development, its lack of enterprise-ready components and its focus on consumer aesthetics can feel limiting.

Conclusion: Ant Design is the Clear Winner for Enterprises

In enterprise development, time is money. Ant Design’s ready-made components allow teams to focus on business logic rather than reinventing the wheel. If you’re working on an enterprise web application, I highly recommend giving Ant Design a try. Its ready-made components, flexibility, and focus on enterprise needs make it a superior choice over Material-UI. Whether you’re building a data-heavy dashboard, a complex form, or a detailed admin panel, Ant Design has the tools to help you deliver faster and with less effort.

What’s Your Take?

Have you used Ant Design or Material-UI in your projects? Which one do you prefer and why? Let’s discuss in the comments! If you found this post helpful, feel free to share it with your network.

Useful Links:

1. Ant Design: [https://ant.design/](https://ant.design/)

2. Ant Design Pro Components: [https://procomponents.ant.design/](https://procomponents.ant.design/) (Note: Despite the "Pro" name, these components are free to use!)

3. Material-UI: [https://mui.com/](https://mui.com/)