Choosing the Right Angular UI Library: Angular Material, PrimeNG, and NG-ZORRO Compared

Exploring Top Angular UI Libraries for Building Modern Applications

User interface (UI) libraries play a crucial role in the development of Angular applications. They provide ready-to-use components, design systems, and consistent user experiences that help developers build faster, cleaner, and more professional applications. However, not all UI libraries are created equal. Some focus on strict design guidelines, while others emphasize flexibility, rich features, or enterprise-grade consistency.

This blog explores three of the most popular Angular UI libraries—Angular Material, PrimeNG, and NG-ZORRO—and discusses their strengths, limitations, performance, best use cases, and other important considerations like mobile responsiveness and ease of use.

1. Angular Material

Angular Material is Google’s official UI library for Angular applications. It is built on top of Angular’s Component Dev Kit (CDK) and follows the Material Design guidelines. This makes it the most standardized and reliable choice for developers who want a clean, consistent, and accessible UI that aligns with Google’s design system.

1. Strengths

• Backed and maintained by Google, ensuring long-term stability and updates.
• Seamless integration with Angular CDK.
• Strong accessibility support, following Material Design principles.
• Responsive design out-of-the-box.
• Clean, minimal design aligned with Material Design principles.

2. Limitations

• Limited theming and customization compared to PrimeNG.
• Strict adherence to Material Design, which may not fit all branding needs.
• Fewer advanced or niche components (e.g., charts, data grids).
• Can feel rigid if extensive design flexibility is required.

3. Performance

• Performs well for typical enterprise apps.
• May feel slower with a large number of components due to deep Angular integration.

4. Best For

• Enterprise dashboards
• SaaS platforms
• Admin panels
• Applications prioritizing accessibility and minimalistic design

2. PrimeNG

PrimeNG is one of the richest UI component libraries for Angular, developed by PrimeTek. It offers 80+ components, multiple themes, premium templates, and advanced features such as data tables, charts, calendars, and form controls.

1. Strengths

• 80+ UI components, including advanced ones like charts and data tables.
• Highly customizable theming system with free and premium themes.
• Large ecosystem with PrimeIcons, PrimeFlex, and strong community support.
• Frequent updates and active development.

2. Limitations

• Can feel heavy if only a few components are needed.
• Theming system is complex for basic projects.
• Premium features may be required for advanced use cases.
• Some components harder to integrate with third-party libraries.

3. Performance

• Generally fast, but advanced components (e.g., data tables, charts) may impact performance.

4. Best For

• E-commerce platforms
• Marketplaces
• Feature-rich dashboards
• Applications needing advanced components like Gantt charts

3. NG-ZORRO

NG-ZORRO is based on Ant Design (by Alibaba) and provides a clean, minimalistic, and professional design system. It’s highly suited for enterprise-grade, data-driven apps that require elegant UI consistency.

1. Strengths

• Built on Ant Design principles, known for elegance and professionalism.
• Great for enterprise-grade, data-heavy apps.
• Strong adoption in Asia and well-documented.
• Consistent design patterns for large-scale applications.
• Lightweight compared to PrimeNG.

2. Limitations

• Smaller global community compared to Angular Material and PrimeNG.
• Less variety in themes/customization.
• Steeper learning curve for non-Ant Design developers.
• Fewer advanced components (e.g., limited charting).

3. Performance

• Highly optimized for large datasets and complex layouts.

4. Best For

• Financial dashboards
• B2B platforms
• Internal corporate tools
• Applications requiring clean, data-heavy UI

4. Head-to-Head Comparison