UI kit, design system or component library?
The three words overlap, but they point to different starting places:
| Type | What you get | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| UI kit | A design file with ready buttons, forms, cards and screens | Mockups and prototypes, fast |
| Design system | Rules, tokens and components, often with code and design files that match | Products that will grow over years |
| Component library | Code you install in a web or app project | Developers who want the design to match the code |
If you design alone, a large kit like the free Untitled UI file gets you to a polished screen quickly. If a developer will build the result, pick a system with code and design files from the same source, so the parts match: Primer and Fluent 2 both publish Figma files for their code libraries.
Kits from big platforms
Apple, Microsoft, IBM, GitHub and GitLab publish kits for their own platforms and design systems. They help an app look at home next to the tools people already know:
- Apple Design Resources lists UI kits for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and visionOS in Figma and Sketch; the tvOS kit is Sketch only, and Sketch must be installed to download the Sketch files.
- Fluent 2 lists Core UI kits for web, iOS and Android, hosted in Figma.
- Carbon keeps its kits in Figma and notes that you need a Figma license and that some supporting kits are for IBM staff only.
- Primer offers public community versions of Primer Web, Primer Primitives and Octicons; Primer Mobile is internal only.
These kits show company styles and sometimes product images. Apple's page asks you to review its marketing resources and identity guidelines before you use product bezels in marketing.
Open licenses and public sector systems
Some systems come with an open license, so you can build on them freely. The USWDS license says the project is in the public domain within the United States and dedicated worldwide under CC0, with exceptions for some fonts and icons. Its designer guide offers an official Figma kit and a combined Figma and Sketch download.
Bootstrap is released under the MIT license, which allows commercial use as long as you keep the license and copyright notice in its files. The code of Ant Design, shadcn/ui, Fluent UI and Primer React is under the MIT license, and Carbon uses the Apache License 2.0. A license on the code does not automatically cover a separate design file, so read the notes on the kit itself too.
Make a kit your own
A free kit is a starting point, not a brand. Change these first so your product does not look like every other app built from the same file:
- Colors. Build a palette with the color palette generator and test text against backgrounds with the color contrast checker.
- Corners and shadows. Set one radius and one shadow scale with the border radius generator and the box shadow generator, then swap them in the kit's styles.
- Type. Replace the default font with one from our free fonts list.
- Images. Fill layouts with neutral blocks from the placeholder image generator until real photos arrive.
How we checked
For every kit we opened its official site, design resource page, license page or code repository on the date shown and wrote down only what it says. We did not use reviews or roundups, and Figma Community pages blocked our check, so we relied on the vendors' own pages. Where a page does not name a license, the cell says "Not stated"; that does not mean the kit is restricted, only that the page we checked is silent. Kits and plans change, so read the source link before you build a product on one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a free UI kit for client work?
Often yes, but check each kit. The free Untitled UI kit says it is free to use in commercial projects for one user, and Bootstrap's MIT license allows commercial use if you keep its copyright notice. For platform kits like Apple's, read the terms that come with the download.
Do I need a paid Figma plan for these kits?
Not always. Carbon's kit page says you need a Figma license to use its kits. Ant Design's official kits and Apple's kits are also offered for Sketch, USWDS offers a combined Figma and Sketch download, and Penpot's library page lists free kits you can open in Penpot.
Is there an official Figma kit for shadcn/ui?
No. The shadcn/ui docs say its Figma files are contributed by the community and list four free and several paid kits. The component code itself is under the MIT license, so you can use it in your own projects.
What is the difference between a UI kit and a design system?
A UI kit is a design file with ready parts and screens. A design system adds rules, design tokens and usually code components that match the design file. Primer, Fluent 2, Carbon and USWDS are design systems; the free Untitled UI file is a UI kit.
Can I use Apple's UI kits to design an Android app?
Apple's design resources page offers the kits as official Apple design templates for its own platforms and shows no license text itself, so read the terms that come with the download. For Android, Fluent 2 lists an Android UI kit in Figma.