Bibliotecas de componentes de interfaz de usuario: compilación frente a compra

To build or to buy a component library? This is a question that developers and development managers tackle quite often. When efficiency and consistency are everything, the decision becomes more than just a matter of preference. It’s about aligning technical strategy with long-term business goals.  

That’s why the goal of this article will be to help software engineers make a decision when choosing between different UI component libraries that won’t cost them: 

• Their time – often wasted when trying to deliver their backlog under tight deadlines. 
• Their budget – stretched thin and usually not in their control when additional resources are needed to deliver value. 
• Their confidence in their own skills – when in fact they can neither use a third-party UI library for the specific purpose of an extremely niche app. Nor can they build, for instance, an Angular Pivot Grid from scratch, while another developer handles a different select component at the same time, which must support multiple features. So, the two things clash in inconsistent UI and UX in the end. 

Where to Start From & What to Consider When Choosing UI Component Libraries?

When it comes to addressing key aspects like the needs, purposes, skills, type of app, and more, the options for handling development are boiled down to: 

• Creación de una biblioteca de interfaz de usuario interna 
• Comprar una biblioteca de componentes de terceros 
• Choosing an open-source software (OSS) 

Para decidir cuál es el mejor enfoque para usted, primero echemos un vistazo al panorama general y veamos el contexto más amplio en el que cada una de estas tres opciones se puede aplicar potencialmente antes de ajustar nuestra lente narrativa y acercarnos.

• Company size and teams 
• Know-how y experiencia 
• La aplicación, su propósito y el cliente 

1.      Company size and teams 

Before you decide whether to build or buy a component library, think about the size of your company, how your team is set up, and what you want to achieve.  The best choice depends on how your teams work, what tools you already have, and how important scalability and consistency are. 

 Important things to ask: 

• Do you have a shared design system between design and development? 
• What application framework or UI component libraries do you already use? 
• What matters to your app delivery – speed/time to market, developer productivity, customization, or long-term maintenance? 
• Does consistency across teams/apps make your development process more efficient? 

2.      Technical know-how and experience 

When it comes to deciding whether or not to use pre-built UI component libraries or create one of your own, weigh in the background of the IT team. If developers don’t have sufficient knowledge to build comprehensive components that serve long- or short-term goals (depending on the specific needs, of course), then it’s not worth investing time and effort at all. This will also require additional resources from more experienced devs to document code and processes. 

Preguntas a hacer en este contexto: 

• Have they built complex components for production use in the past? 
• Do you have an existing design system that maps to your UI components library? 
• ¿Con qué frameworks y tecnologías trabajan?
• How much maintenance effort is required today, and how would creating new components affect it? 
• How are you ensuring component integration with your existing architecture? 

3.      The App, Its Purpose & The Client 

Por último, tu decisión debe estar impulsada por el proyecto en el que vas a trabajar, qué y cómo se va a utilizar y por quién.

Preguntas a hacer en este contexto: 

• Will reusable components eliminate repetitive tasks and encourage reuse in other areas of your codebase? 
• Or is it a one-time, very specific, specialized use case that you will never use again and therefore won’t be applied in multiple scenarios/apps/projects? 
• Are you building for an external client that requires extensive customization and adheres to strict design requirements? 
• Will out-of-the-box data grid features and other functionalities meet your needs, or do you require more flexibility and customization, even on a per-user level? 
• Are you building/maintaining an in-house system that requires faster app development and improve collaboration between cross-functional teams? 
• Is your aim to build unique products and innovate, so you need full control and unlimited scenarios/functionalities that can be changed and updated whenever you decide? 

Comprar vs construir: pros y contras de una biblioteca de componentes de terceros, una biblioteca de interfaz de usuario interna y OSS

For the purpose of this section, I will filter each option through 7 factors and will highlight the trade-offs of each option. 

Factor 1: Component reusability 

This surely achieves standardization across projects, especially if they are continuous ones, and you plan to use the same code multiple times to save you some manual effort and repetitive tasks. However, certain components, especially for relatively new frameworks like Blazor, are particularly difficult to build from scratch. I don’t mean a button here. Think of Data Grids that can be fast and comprehensive enough to deliver accessibility compliance, all types of columns, cell, and row actions, data manipulation, custom visualization, and so forth. 

Component Reusability	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Serve a wide range of developers and projects; fast troubleshooting; consistent styling; accelerates standardization.	May require initial training; niche features may take longer to implement.
In-house Libraries	Custom-built for project needs; focused feature prioritization; internal know-how gained.	Limited reusability; lacks documentation; ignores accessibility; high long-term maintenance costs.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Community-driven improvements; flexibility to extend features.	Often abandoned; missing functionalities; heavy debugging and inconsistent updates.

Factor 2: External dependencies 

Cuantas más dependencias tenga que agregar en el futuro, más complejo se vuelve lo que inicialmente quería simplificar. Es importante, entonces, considerar todas las opciones en este sentido.

External Dependencies	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Minimal dependencies; managed and tested by vendor; low complexity.	Dependence on third-party vendor support; external fixes may take time.
In-house Libraries	Full control over dependencies.	Outdated dependencies increase complexity; internal security risks must be managed.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Large ecosystem with reusable code.	Unclear dependency chains; potential for security vulnerabilities and conflicts.

Factor 3: Updates 

How many updates can you or your dev team handle daily, per month, per year…? Each of the three options certainly has its pros and cons, and it’s crucial to evaluate them in terms of updates before you make up your mind. 

Software Updates	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Regular updates aligned with frameworks; managed by dedicated teams; tested for stability.	Frequent updates may require adjustment; beta versions can cause temporary instability.
In-house Libraries	Inconsistent maintenance; small projects are often outdated or abandoned.	Rarely updated; quickly outdated; internal teams must handle all maintenance.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Well-maintained projects may have active updates and community support.	Inconsistent maintenance; small projects often outdated or abandoned.

Factor 4: UI library documentation and learning resources 

A well-written, comprehensive documentation, including demos, examples of implemented components, additional resource sections, and a knowledge base, is key. Not documenting your code or not having a ready-made one can make it hard to build even a single dropdown list or a paginator. Let alone more complex components like Blazor DockManager, or composite visualizations like Angular Financial/Stock chart. 

Documentation & Learning Resources	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Comprehensive documentation, live samples, and tutorials; large online communities.	Poor or incomplete documentation; irregular updates increase the learning curve.
In-house Libraries	Custom knowledge fits company workflows.	Documentation often neglected due to limited resources; difficult onboarding for new developers.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Open collaboration; community-contributed guides.	Poor or incomplete documentation; irregular updates increase learning curve.

Factor 5: Customization 

Getting and delivering all in an app takes updates and changes. So, how flexible do you need your UI library to be, and how flexible can you make it? Don’t overlook this factor when you opt for one solution or another, but keep in mind that sometimes components/functionalities that are highly configurable and allow everyone to make changes to them may result in hard-to-maintain code and could break a lot of other “things” that no one is familiar with or are very specific. This is why we have custom Angular components that are simpler than the Combo Box component, for example. 

Personalización	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Highly configurable; supports accessibility, theming, and design systems; integrates with low-code tools.	Limited by the vendor’s design scope; heavy customization can complicate maintenance.
In-house Libraries	Unlimited customization; full control over features and updates.	Time-intensive development; requires extensive testing and validation.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Flexible and modifiable; community extensions possible.	Fragmented quality; inconsistent extensibility without strong community support.

Factor 6: Technical support 

Además de beneficiarse de documentos de ayuda detallados y explicativos y otros recursos de aprendizaje, obtener soporte técnico calificado también es algo que importa.

Apoyo técnico	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Dedicated support team; timely professional responses.	Dependent on vendor SLAs; limited flexibility in off-hour issues.
In-house Libraries	Direct access to creators for quick debugging.	No dedicated support; internal workload increases over time.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Community collaboration and open discussions.	No guaranteed support; depends on project popularity and volunteer time.

Factor 7: Cost, Licensing, and ROI 

Lastly, it all comes down to how much everything will cost and whether the price pays off in the future. 

Cost, Licensing, & ROI	Advantages	Disadvantages
Commercial UI Libraries	Flexible licensing plans; frequent updates; cost-effective for long-term use.	Upfront or annual costs may be high; trial versions may limit full feature access.
In-house Libraries	Initial savings on licensing fees.	Hidden long-term costs in maintenance, upgrades, and documentation; 10x–50x higher overall cost vs ROI.
Open Source Software (OSS)	Free access; adaptable licensing models.	IP and licensing risks; uncertain ROI; high customization and maintenance time.

The Hidden Cost of Building from Scratch 

Developers often underestimate what “build” really means. It’s not just coding components. It’s maintaining them for years. Teams that overlook this reality often find their internal library becoming outdated before it even ships. When that happens, consistency collapses: developers start importing components from external sources just to meet deadlines, leading to a fragmented UI, duplicated efforts, and long-term technical debt that’s hard to unwind. 

Many teams are drawn to the idea of building in-house UI component libraries, but often misunderstand the scope and complexity involved. There’s also a subtle sunk cost fallacy at play. Once time and effort have been invested in custom-built components, developers hesitate to replace them with third-party solutions, even when those are more robust and cost-effective. 

The real value doesn’t lie in reinventing base components, but in creating pattern libraries that align with business goals, ensure consistency, and empower teams to innovate faster. Yet, too often, developers focus on rebuilding grids, dropdowns, or buttons instead of refining shared design and UX patterns. 

Building internally means taking full responsibility for: 

• Continuous upkeep for accessibility, browser updates, and framework changes. 
• Writing documentation, onboarding new developers, and enforcing governance. 
• Losing productivity when engineers maintain infrastructure instead of building features. 

DIY UI component libraries often overlook performance, maintainability, testing, and accessibility, turning what was meant to be a strategic advantage into a long-term operational burden. The result? A slow-moving system that’s expensive to sustain and fragile to evolve. 

My Personal Take and Why Choosing Ignite UI

Por último, ¿qué es Ignite UI y por qué es una buena solución para tu negocio?

The days when IT teams relied on clunky software development processes and had to build everything from scratch are long over. 

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about app development for external clients or in-house solutions, or discussing UI component libraries and toolsets. It’s always the same. If tools can accelerate and ease app development and achieve better UX while complying with the most modern principles related to theming, responsiveness, a11y, and rapid app development, you almost have no choice but to use them. 

You will be hard-pressed to find a development manager or executive that will approve a software development project that could cost into the millions of dollars, take months or years to complete, that isn’t part of the core business or domain expertise of your company.  And worse yet, it is completely out of date by the time it is put into production, as decisions were made months or years prior, while modern UI frameworks are shipping multiple times per year with new features, security updates, and bug fixes. 

When it comes to component libraries, the comprehensive ones really do cover the majority of design and application requirements, with built-in extensibility that one might expect. Just like our Ignite UI that offers a toolbox for Angular, Blazor, React, Web Components, and other popular frameworks. 

Each library receives continuous enhancements and features suitable for any business, and most of all it provides consistency across frameworks. I can pick and you can pick from dozens and dozens of available components, like Grids, Charts, Data inputs, and even file exports. You get a chance to become part of a strong community that will not only help you achieve anything with the framework of your choice but also grow as a developer/designer, while bringing significant cost savings to your company. 

For additional details on the ROI of reusable UI component libraries and the cost of build vs. buy, read our whitepaper.