# 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

```bash
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](https://charcoalui.com/pricing): Free, monthly and lifetime seats.
- [All components](https://charcoalui.com/docs/components): 462 components, live.
- [Templates](https://charcoalui.com/templates): 100 complete landing pages.

## Other comparisons

- [Charcoal UI vs React Bits](https://charcoalui.com/compare/react-bits): React Bits alternative? How Charcoal UI compares on components, sections, templates, licence, price and AI-agent installs, with sources.
- [Charcoal UI vs Magic UI](https://charcoalui.com/compare/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](https://charcoalui.com/compare/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](https://charcoalui.com/compare/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.

Live page: https://charcoalui.com/compare/aceternity-ui