ReUI

Short verdict: ReUI is a shadcn/ui registry with a large free tier: 1,264 MIT-licensed examples and 27 extra primitives, led by a data grid and a filter bar that held up in our tests. The examples installed without an account and built in both Base UI and Radix projects, but they are demos with unwired buttons and third-party sample images, and the data grid is heavy. Pro ($249 one-time) adds 669 blocks, mostly application screens, that you can preview but not read before paying. It suits teams building data-heavy React apps; skip it for marketing sites or a chat product that needs a backend.

How we reviewed it: On 25 October 2026 we created a Next.js 16.4.2 app with shadcn CLI 4.22.1 (Base UI, Nova style), added the @reui registry as the docs describe and installed four free examples: a data grid with row actions, a filter bar on a table, a chat thread with files and an agent-run trace. We built the app, used each example at 1,280 and 390 px wide, and repeated the filter example in a second app set to Radix UI and the Lyra style. We also tried a Pro block's live preview and its install command without a license, and ran Lighthouse 12.8.2 once on two reui.io pages. Without a plan or an account we could not test Pro code, icons, templates or the MCP server. Prices, counts and license terms come from reui.io, its docs and GitHub on the same day.

What ReUI includes

What we found

The free tier installs without an account

Setup is one line in components.json: "@reui": "https://reui.io/r/{style}/{name}.json". The CLI fills in {style} from your project, so one command serves Base UI or Radix code in your style. Each npx shadcn@latest add @reui/... call took 3 to 18 seconds and brought the shadcn/ui components and npm packages the example needs, plus nine color tokens, such as success, info and warning, for light and dark mode. Type checking and next build passed.

Expect a lot of code, because an example brings its whole primitive. The data grid example copied 28 files, among them all 12 data grid files (about 11,350 lines), including drag-and-drop and virtualization that our example does not use.

A data grid and filter bar that do real work

The data grid example (c-data-grid-22) shows 12 sample employees, five per page. Column headers open a menu to sort, pin or move the column, a Status popover shows a count beside each option, and ticking Active cut the table to 3 rows. Copy ID put the row's ID on the clipboard.

The filter example (c-filters-7) puts a filter bar over the same grid: pick one of six fields, one of six conditions (is, is not, is any of, is none of, is empty, is not empty), then the values. From the preset Status filter (10 of 12 rows), adding Priority is any of Urgent and High, then Availability is Online, left 2 rows. A filter added with the keyboard alone (Tab, arrow keys, Enter and Escape) worked too. Filters live in component state, so a reload brings back the preset.

Base UI or Radix, in eight styles

We installed the same filter example in a second app set to Radix UI and the Lyra style. The registry served Radix versions and swapped Lucide icons for Phosphor, that project's icon library; the result took on Lyra's square corners and monospace type, built, and filtered like the first. One catch: Number Field, Autocomplete, Cascader and the data grid's scroll area import Base UI even in the Radix edition, so our Radix app gained @base-ui/react as a second primitive library.

Chat and agent-run examples for AI interfaces

The free tier has 26 chat examples built on shadcn/ui's own Bubble, Message, Message Scroller and Attachment components, plus 22 Trace examples for an AI agent's steps. We installed a thread with shared files (c-message-5) and a streaming agent run (c-trace-2). The trace plays a scripted four-step run, and opening the edit step shows a diff highlighted by Shiki, which loads only at that point.

Pro blocks: preview first, code after purchase

Each Pro block page has a live preview, usage notes and a public dependency list. The Copilot Shell chat block, for example, is composed from 22 ReUI and shadcn/ui parts, including the free Message, Bubble and Attachment. Its preview is interactive, but the reply that streamed in after our question was scripted and ignored it, and the page sent no request. The Code tab is blurred behind an "Unlock the source" panel, and npx shadcn add @reui/cta-1 without a key stopped with "Authentication required" and wrote no files.

Performance: your bundle and the reui.io site

What ReUI adds to your app depends on the examples you install. JavaScript per page in our production build, gzipped:

The data grid added about 140 KB over a blank page, and the filter example about 206 KB because it also brings the filter and cascader primitives and date-fns. Fine for an admin screen, heavy for a public page.

Lighthouse measures reui.io itself, which renders dozens of live examples per page. One run per page, Lighthouse 12.8.2, 25 October 2026:

On mobile the home page loaded about 660 KB of JavaScript and 360 KB of CSS, with 4.7 s of total blocking time, and 9.6 s on the Data Grid page, which renders 34 grids. Accessibility lost points for low-contrast muted text, small carousel dots and an icon button without a name. None of this ships with the components.

What you still have to build

• The actions. In the data grid example, Add new has no handler, and Edit and Delete run empty functions. Copy ID calls a toast, but the install adds the sonner package without a <Toaster />, so nothing shows until you add one to your layout.

• Your data. Sample avatars and flags load from images.unsplash.com and flagcdn.com. The filter bar outputs a JSON query tree; turning it into a database query or saving it in the URL is your code.

• Small screens. At 390 px both tables scroll inside their cards, but the data grid example's toolbar does not wrap and cuts off Add new.

• A chat backend. Streaming, storage, uploads and agent events are yours; the chat and Trace components only display what you pass in.

• Updates. Fixes such as the React Compiler changes in 2.8.1 reach your project only when you run add again, and the CLI asks before overwriting each file you have changed.

Pros and cons

Pros

• A free tier you can build on: MIT-licensed, installed with the standard shadcn CLI and no account.

• The data grid and filter bar handled sorting, pinning, counts, combined filters and keyboard use.

• One example installs for Base UI or Radix and adapts to your style and icon library.

• Pro blocks can be tried before paying, and pricing is one-time with lifetime updates.

• Three releases in October 2026, with dated changelog entries that flag breaking changes.

Cons

• Heavy: a lot of JavaScript and copied code per example.

• Examples are demos that need wiring and your own images.

• The Radix edition still pulls in Base UI for four primitives.

• Per-person seats, client handover limits and a refund policy that can refuse buyers who downloaded the files.

• reui.io itself is slow on phones.

How ReUI compares

• coss ui is free, with 56 Base UI components and a Chat UI that already designs replies, reactions, read receipts and failure states. It has no data grid, no filter builder and no Radix edition. Pick it for a complete free chat interface; pick ReUI for data-heavy screens.

• Shadcnblocks, which sponsors Tailkits, sells a much larger catalog, 2,331+ blocks and 2,154+ components, for $149 one-time, or $299 with 21 templates, and leans toward marketing pages. Pick it for landing pages and client sites; pick ReUI Pro for dashboards, data grids and AI chat screens.

• shadcn/ui is free and MIT-licensed, and ships the Bubble, Message, Message Scroller, Attachment and Trace components that ReUI's chat examples use. Use it alone if stock components are enough; ReUI adds the data grid, filters, Gantt chart and other primitives.

See all Tailwind component libraries for more options.

Who should use ReUI

Use the free tier if you build a React app on shadcn/ui and need a data grid, a filter bar, a Gantt chart or an event calendar whose source you own, and you can wire up the actions yourself. Buy Pro if one person or a small team builds many application screens and wants designed dashboards, data grids and AI chat layouts to start from; read the handover terms first if a client's developers will take over. Look elsewhere for marketing pages, frameworks other than React, or a chat product with a backend.

FAQ

Is ReUI free?

Partly. The 1,264 examples, 27 primitives and hooks are free under the MIT license and install without an account. The 669 Pro blocks need a Pro license ($249 one-time for one person), and the icons and templates need Ultimate ($499 one-time).

Can I use ReUI Pro for client projects?

Yes. The license allows unlimited end products, including client work, for the people on your seats. If the client's own developers will keep editing the Pro code after handover, they need their own license, and selling a starter kit or template that contains Pro code needs an OEM license.

Does ReUI work with Radix UI?

Yes. Set a Radix style such as radix-nova in components.json and the registry serves Radix versions. Number Field, Autocomplete, Cascader and the data grid's scroll area still import Base UI, so a Radix project that uses them installs both libraries.

Is ReUI a subscription, and can I get a refund?

It is not a subscription: Pro and Ultimate are one-time payments with lifetime updates. Refunds are possible within 7 days at KeenThemes' discretion and may be refused if you have downloaded a substantial part of the files, so try the free tier and the Pro previews first.

Do I need an account to use ReUI?

Not for the free components, which install with the shadcn CLI. The MCP server and Agent Skills need a free ReUI account, which gets 100 MCP requests a day, and Pro installs need a license key.