Charcoal UI vs Aceternity UI
Aceternity UI alternative? Charcoal UI and Aceternity UI compared on components, blocks, templates, price, team licences and MCP installs.
| Aceternity UI | Charcoal UI | |
|---|---|---|
| Free library | 118+ free components (as stated); the licence page covers Pro only, so the free tier's licence is not stated | 68 everyday components and 5 sections, MIT |
| Paid tier | 1-Year $169 ($249 regular), Lifetime $199 ($299 regular), Team $1,590 ($1,990 regular) for 10 people; one-time payments | Pro: $9 per seat per month, or $69 per seat once for lifetime access (launch price, usually $99). 14-day refund. |
| What the paid tier adds | 200+ blocks, 15+ templates, 4 full landing pages, 14 interactions, private Discord, 48-hour support | 394 showpiece components, 112 landing-page sections and 100 complete templates |
| Categories | Hero and background effects, cards, text effects, navigation, blocks and pages | Inputs, navigation, overlays, feedback, display, AI agent kit, charts and tables, animated icons, UI sounds, text, backgrounds, cursor, image, interactive, transitions |
| Install | Copy and paste, shadcn CLI, MCP server for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others (free and Pro) | shadcn CLI registry; MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor and any MCP client |
| Team licensing | Team plan: 10 members for $1,590 one-time | Per-seat workspaces: invite teammates, move seats between people; $9 a month or one lifetime payment per seat |
| Stack | React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Motion; also TanStack Start, Vite and React Router | React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion; Next.js, Vite, Remix and Astro |
| Accessibility and reduced motion | Not stated as a library-wide guarantee | Every component respects prefers-reduced-motion and keeps its accessible name, role and keyboard path |
Why people compare Aceternity UI and Charcoal UI
Aceternity UI is known for striking hero and background effects for Next.js and Tailwind CSS, with a paid All-Access pass that adds blocks, templates and full landing pages.
Both libraries sell to the same buyer: a developer who wants a landing page or product to look finished without building the motion by hand. Pricing models and scope differ a lot, so here they are side by side, checked against ui.aceternity.com on 3 November 2026.
When to pick Aceternity UI
- You want its specific signature effects and are happy to pay once for lifetime access.
- Your team wants a private Discord and a support turnaround promise as part of the licence.
- You build mostly marketing pages and its 200+ blocks and full landing pages cover them.
When to pick Charcoal UI
- You want animated everyday UI and an AI agent kit, not only marketing effects.
- A team of three pays $27 a month, or $69 per lifetime seat, instead of a $1,590 ten-seat plan.
- You want 100 complete templates across many industries, each installing its sections and components in one command.
- You want WebGL backgrounds written in a single file with no three.js dependency.
Switching from Aceternity UI
Both install through the shadcn CLI on React, Tailwind CSS and Motion, so components coexist during a gradual switch.
Charcoal UI's backgrounds, spotlight and glare cards, text effects and dock cover the jobs Aceternity's best-known components do; each page's Goes well with section points to the nearest match.
Charcoal UI uses shadcn semantic tokens plus one accent variable, so an existing theme needs no changes.
Try Charcoal UI Pro
npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/<name>Charcoal UI Pro is $9 per seat per month, or $69 per seat once for lifetime access (launch price, usually $99), per seat, for unlimited personal and commercial projects, with a 14-day refund. One seat covers all 394 Pro components, 112 sections and 100 templates, and every Pro item can be tried live before you buy.
- Pricing: Free, monthly and lifetime seats.
- All components: 462 components, live.
- Templates: 100 complete landing pages.
Other comparisons
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- Charcoal UI vs Magic UI: Magic UI alternative? Charcoal UI and Magic UI compared on components, templates, licence, price and AI-agent installs, with sources.
- Charcoal UI vs beUI: beUI alternative? Charcoal UI and beUI compared on components, blocks, AI kit, charts, React Native, licence, price and MCP access, with sources.
- Charcoal UI vs Animate UI: Animate UI alternative? Charcoal UI and Animate UI compared on animated primitives, icons, backgrounds, licence and AI-agent installs, with sources.
About these facts
Aceternity UI's details were checked on ui.aceternity.com on 3 November 2026. Libraries change their counts and prices; if something here is out of date, email support@shaheercare.com and it will be corrected.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Charcoal UI an Aceternity UI alternative?
- Yes. Both offer animated components, blocks and templates for React and Tailwind CSS. Charcoal UI adds everyday UI, an AI kit, charts, sounds and icons, and sells per seat with a monthly option.
- Does Aceternity UI have a free tier?
- Yes, 118+ free components. Its blocks, templates and landing pages need a paid licence: $169 for a year, $199 lifetime or $1,590 for a team of ten.
- Do both have an MCP server?
- Yes. Aceternity UI offers MCP access on free and paid plans; Charcoal UI's MCP server is open to everyone for props and install commands and returns Pro source with a token.