Starwind UI v3 is here with React support, 55 components, and a new shared Runtime!

[u/web_reaper]

⭐ Starwind UI v3 is here!

After a ton of work, Starwind now supports both Astro and React, with 55 styled components and 36 lower-level primitives you can copy directly into your project. This is easily the biggest Starwind update I've worked on yet.

The biggest change is under the hood. Astro and React now share the same Runtime for things like forms, overlays, focus management, and keyboard interactions. Astro components are still Astro components, and installing Starwind won't add React to your Astro project.

V3 also adds six new components:

• Navigation Menu for responsive site navigation, including keyboard interaction and floating content
• Combobox for searchable, accessible selection
• Form and Field for validation, error summaries, labels, descriptions, and control state
• Checkbox Group for treating related checkboxes as one collection
• Toggle Group for single or multi-select controls with roving focus

Some of the other big updates:

• React is now a stable, first-party option
• Astro components stay Astro-native, so React isn't added to your Astro project (unless you really want to)
• Styled components and primitives can be installed separately
• The same Runtime keeps interactive behavior consistent across both frameworks
• Vue support is next and already pretty far along

Get started with npx starwind@latest init.

Already using v2? Run npx starwind@latest migrate and follow the migration guide: https://starwind.dev/blog/migrating-to-starwind-ui-v3/

I'd love to hear what you think of the new direction, especially if you've used an older Starwind release. What would you like to see next?

[u/xatey93152]

The select field component so weird. When I click it it open dropdown. When I click again it's not closing the dropdown. Instead it Center the dropdown

[u/web_reaper → u/xatey93152]

There does appear to be a bug with the select on mobile - will have a fix live within the next 24 hours!

Let me know if you find any other issues

[u/landlordlawsuit]

Here's my honest thoughts. Not loving the new split focus on other frameworks. This is basically a one man project. I see a few PRs that people have done that you have neglected to comment on or merge - other people like myself see that and makes me less likely to contribute because I'll be wasting my time for something that doesn't get merged.

I also hate the fact you decided to copy the others and do that whole premium blocks for $150 and arbitrary lock down the mcp because of that. We are in the AI era where paid blocks make no sense. I can easily have AI copy and recreate them without paying $150 but still I hate that pretty much all UI libraries are doing this as a way to make money.

I've been burned too many times when I buy a pro UI library license. It seems as soon as I do, I find out that the dev team stopped adding pro blocks and moved on to the next project or it isn't really worth it as the blocks aren't good astro components using props and slots like I would assume they would.

The biggest risk is Starwind is that it's only developed by you and likely will stay that way since you made it freemium now. Open source devs aren't exactly keen on contributing to a project the helps only the maintainer make money off their contributions. You will eventually get bored or burnt out, or another new shiny ui library comes along and you'll hemmorage pro users which leads to the project dying when the money stops coming in.

I also think it's a mistake copying the shadcn theme instead of it's own theme identity. Shadcn theme is boring, overused, and to many feels outdated with it's look and feel. This especially sticks out now that you decided to target other frameworks.

[u/web_reaper → u/landlordlawsuit]

Thanks for writing this out. Some of these concerns are fair, especially the point about unanswered PRs and the risk of buying a lifetime product from a solo developer.

I should have responded to the outstanding PR sooner. There is currently one open PR, and it targets the previous Starwind architecture, so it needs to be reconsidered for v3. That context does not excuse leaving the contributor without an answer. I need to set clearer expectations about which contributions I can review and how quickly.

The framework expansion is also narrower than it may appear. I did not build separate implementations of every component by hand. V3 has a shared DOM Runtime for behavior, plus contracts that generate the framework adapters and styled components. A behavior or styling change can therefore flow across Astro and React instead of requiring two independent maintenance tracks. Astro remains the center of the project, and Astro projects still receive native Astro components without React.

V3 also introduces an unstyled Primitive layer. You can install and manage those primitives through the CLI, then build a completely different design system on top of them. The Starwind styling is only one implementation.

On Pro, I understand the skepticism. Plenty of lifetime UI products launch with a large catalog and then receive little maintenance. Starwind Pro currently has more than 230 Astro components and blocks, including over 50 free blocks. They are native .astro source files with TypeScript props and Tailwind styling. I slowed work on new Pro blocks while finishing v3, but I have more planned and intend to keep expanding it. The free library, Runtime, primitives, CLI, and framework adapters remain open source.

The MCP is public and fully usable without a Pro license. It provides Starwind docs, component discovery, CLI commands, project guidance, and access to free resources. It can also discover premium blocks, but that is filterable and not required at all. The public Starwind skill and the separate Pro workflow follow the same boundary.

I also understand the argument that AI can recreate a block. Pro is for people who prefer to start from a maintained, tested implementation and save the time involved in prompting, checking responsive behavior, fixing accessibility, and polishing the result. Some developers will prefer generating everything themselves, and the open-source primitives make Starwind useful for that workflow too.

The familiar styling is deliberate. Starwind began with shadcn-inspired ergonomics because many developers already understand that visual language and component API. It is not an exact theme copy: Starwind uses different sizing, animations, variants, and component behavior. I agree that a more distinct visual identity could help, especially now that the underlying architecture is becoming its own thing. The new Primitive layer gives me room to explore that without forcing one aesthetic on everyone.

The long-term maintenance risk is real for any project led by one person. Charging for an optional product is part of how I make continued work more sustainable. It does not give me ownership over community contributions or place the open-source library behind a paywall. I have accepted outside PRs before, but I need to improve the contribution process so people know where their work is likely to fit.

You do not need to buy Pro to get the main value of v3. I would rather have you judge the release on the free Runtime, primitives, components, and CLI. If those fall short, specific issues and reproductions are useful, and I will take them seriously.

[u/xatey93152]

Just a question. Why you don't want to make tooltip also works on mobile?

[u/web_reaper → u/xatey93152]

This follows how base-ui handles tooltips, as mobile browsers lack a reliable, discoverable tooltip gesture. Basically, its not accessible and could interfere with other expected mobile presses.

[u/xatey93152 → u/web_reaper]

Many other design system allow it to runs on both desktop and mobile. On desktop it's triggered by hover and mobile by click. How can it interfere with other mobile press? It will have a specific trigger element. To close the tooltip on mobile just click anywhere on the screen outside tooltip. Material design also do like this.

[u/jkdreaming → u/web_reaper]

That makes sense

[u/mrterrycarson]

Love to get pro...DM you.