CSS Variant Libraries Comparison

What are CSS variant libraries?

CSS variant libraries are JavaScript/TypeScript tools that help developers manage component styling through a variant-based API. Instead of writing complex conditional class logic, you define variants (like color, size, disabled) and the library generates the correct CSS classes or styles at runtime.

Popular CSS variant libraries include:

css-variants — Zero-dependency, type-safe variant composition (~1KB)
CVA (Class Variance Authority) — The original variant library (~2KB)
tailwind-variants — Tailwind-focused variant library (~5KB)

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	css-variants	CVA	tailwind-variants
Bundle Size	~1KB	~2KB	~5KB
Dependencies	0	1 (clsx)	1 (tailwind-merge)
TypeScript	Full inference	Full inference	Full inference
Single-element variants	`cv()`	`cva()`	`tv()`
Multi-slot components	`scv()`	❌ Not built-in	`tv()` with slots
Inline style variants	`sv()` / `ssv()`	❌ Not built-in	❌ Not built-in
Works without Tailwind	✅	✅	✅

Performance Comparison

css-variants is engineered for performance. Here’s how it compares:

vs CVA (Class Variance Authority)

Scenario	css-variants	CVA	Winner
Base class only	23.2M ops/s	21.2M ops/s	css-variants (1.1x)
Compound variants (no match)	4.2M ops/s	1.1M ops/s	css-variants (3.7x)
Compound variants (match)	4.1M ops/s	1.0M ops/s	css-variants (3.9x)
Complex component	5.1M ops/s	0.7M ops/s	css-variants (6.9x)

vs tailwind-variants

Scenario	css-variants	tailwind-variants	Winner
Base class only	23.1M ops/s	6.4M ops/s	css-variants (3.6x)
Single variant	9.9M ops/s	2.2M ops/s	css-variants (4.5x)
Compound variants	4.0M ops/s	0.7M ops/s	css-variants (5.4x)
Complex component	5.2M ops/s	0.5M ops/s	css-variants (11x)
Slot-based component	1.6M ops/s	0.3M ops/s	css-variants (6.3x)

Feature Deep Dive

Multi-Slot Components

Multi-slot (or multi-element) components like cards, modals, and dropdowns need styles for multiple parts (root, header, body, footer, etc.).

import { scv } from 'css-variants'

const card = scv({
  slots: ['root', 'header', 'body', 'footer'],
  base: {
    root: 'rounded-lg border',
    header: 'p-4 border-b',
    body: 'p-4',
    footer: 'p-4 border-t',
  },
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: { root: 'border-gray-200' },
      primary: { root: 'border-blue-500' },
    },
  },
})

// Returns object with class strings directly
const classes = card({ variant: 'primary' })
// classes.root, classes.header, classes.body, classes.footer

// CVA doesn't have built-in slot support
// You need to create separate cva() calls for each slot

import { cva } from 'class-variance-authority'

const cardRoot = cva('rounded-lg border', {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: 'border-gray-200',
      primary: 'border-blue-500',
    },
  },
})

const cardHeader = cva('p-4 border-b')
const cardBody = cva('p-4')
const cardFooter = cva('p-4 border-t')

// Must call each function separately

import { tv } from 'tailwind-variants'

const card = tv({
  slots: {
    root: 'rounded-lg border',
    header: 'p-4 border-b',
    body: 'p-4',
    footer: 'p-4 border-t',
  },
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: { root: 'border-gray-200' },
      primary: { root: 'border-blue-500' },
    },
  },
})

// Returns functions that must be called
const { root, header, body, footer } = card({ variant: 'primary' })
// root(), header(), body(), footer() — extra function calls needed

Inline Style Variants

css-variants is the only library with built-in support for inline CSS style variants — useful for dynamic values, CSS custom properties, or React’s style prop.

import { sv } from 'css-variants'

const box = sv({
  base: { display: 'flex', borderRadius: '8px' },
  variants: {
    size: {
      sm: { padding: '8px', width: '100px' },
      lg: { padding: '24px', width: '300px' },
    },
  },
})

// Returns a style object, not class names
box({ size: 'lg' })
// => { display: 'flex', borderRadius: '8px', padding: '24px', width: '300px' }

Use cases for style variants:

Dynamic CSS values that can’t be utility classes
CSS custom properties / CSS variables
Canvas/SVG styling
Third-party library integrations expecting style objects

When to Choose Each Library

Choose css-variants if you want:

Smallest bundle size (~1KB minified + gzipped)
Best performance (3-11x faster than alternatives)
Zero dependencies (no clsx, no tailwind-merge bundled)
Inline style variants (sv and ssv functions)
Built-in slot support without separate functions
Framework-agnostic solution (React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, vanilla JS)
Works with any CSS approach (Tailwind, CSS Modules, vanilla CSS, CSS-in-JS)

Choose CVA if you want:

Established ecosystem (more tutorials, examples)
Familiarity (if your team already uses it)
Simple API (single function, no slots)

Choose tailwind-variants if you want:

Built-in tailwind-merge (automatic class conflict resolution)
Component composition (extend property for inheritance)
Tailwind-specific features (responsiveVariants)

Migration Guides

Already using another library? Migration is straightforward:

Migrate from CVA to css-variants — Similar API, just move base classes to base property
Migrate from tailwind-variants — Use scv for slots, add classNameResolver for tw-merge

Common Questions

Is css-variants a CVA alternative?

Yes. css-variants is a drop-in alternative to CVA (Class Variance Authority) with a nearly identical API. The main differences are:

Base classes go in a base property instead of the first argument
Use className instead of class in compound variants
Additional features: slot variants (scv), style variants (sv, ssv)

Is css-variants a tailwind-variants alternative?

Yes. css-variants can replace tailwind-variants with better performance and smaller bundle size. Key differences:

Use cv for single-element, scv for slots (instead of tv for both)
No built-in tailwind-merge (add via classNameResolver if needed)
No extend property (use object spreading for composition)

Can I use css-variants without Tailwind CSS?

Absolutely yes. css-variants is CSS-framework agnostic. It works with:

Vanilla CSS class names
CSS Modules
CSS-in-JS solutions (styled-components, emotion)
Any utility CSS framework (Bootstrap, Bulma, UnoCSS)
No CSS at all (just organizing class strings)

What’s the difference between cv, scv, sv, and ssv?

Function	Output	Use Case
`cv()`	Class string	Single-element components
`scv()`	Object of class strings	Multi-slot components (card, modal)
`sv()`	Style object	Single-element inline styles
`ssv()`	Object of style objects	Multi-slot inline styles

Summary

css-variants is a modern, performance-focused CSS variant library that serves as an excellent alternative to both CVA and tailwind-variants. It offers:

3-11x better performance than alternatives
~1KB bundle size with zero dependencies
Full TypeScript support with type inference
Unique features like style variants and optimized slot handling
Framework-agnostic design that works everywhere

→ Ready to start? Get started with css-variants