Understanding the Bulma CSS framework: a complete 2025 guide

The Bulma CSS Framework can solve a wide range of problems and create a coordinated interface for front-end developers. 

Let’s be honest: front-end development can sometimes feel like herding cats. 

You’ve got responsive layouts, browser quirks, and design tweaks all vying for your attention—and that’s before you even touch JavaScript. 

To make front-end development more effortless, you can use the Bulma CSS framework. But what is Bulma?

Bulma is a free framework for website development that helps you cut through the complexity and gifts you speed, accessibility, and responsiveness.

Bulma's well-organized classes and pre-built components also make it easier than ever to create beautiful, mobile-friendly interfaces right out of the box.

Most internet users today are big on speed, and Bulma’s laser focus on simplicity and speed makes it especially relevant today. 

In this article, I’ll show you all you need to know about Bulma and why you should start using it. 

What makes Bulma useful?

Bulma uses various methods to build a correspondent interface for front-end development. Rather than getting lost in complex templates, you can use Bulma's easy-to-read "semantic classes," which help you focus on design and layout instead of wrestling with complicated code.

You can think of these classes as little Lego blocks that snap together to form your entire website. 

They're built to be responsive right from the start, so you don't have to stress over how everything looks on different screens.

This means you can spend more time polishing your content and less time fiddling with the nitty-gritty details of CSS.

Here are some of the most useful features of Bulma CSS framework:

Bulma forms

Forms can be a major part of every website or application, and you can easily create them with Bulma. 

Bulma is packed with form control classes that keep your layout consistent and user-friendly, and it also has a "control" container that lets you quickly style and customize every input, including select elements, ensuring everything looks clean and professional on any page.

Bulma components

Bulma templates and components are at the heart of any design you create, so you don't have to start from scratch with your CSS. 

I personally found it both time-saving and interesting, because I don't have to write CSS from scratch to create a good design. 

Instead, I get to focus on refining my design and user experience, rather than getting tangled in the technical details of Vanilla CSS. 

Bulma UI offers a wide range of front-end components, including buttons, messages, and other essential elements for building responsive web interfaces.

Layout

I found Bulma's layout is probably one of its best elements. The layout section in Bulma is filled with a variety of customization options to choose from, unlike other frameworks that merely offer you the simplest and barest necessities, such as styling, buttons, and forms. Bulma CSS, however, offers a range of unique layout elements.

The "Hero" section, for instance, lets you spotlight key headings and images, giving your pages a bold, eye-catching introduction, while the "Level" section, which helps you quickly center elements vertically, makes your design look polished without extra effort.

Modifiers

I love how Bulma makes it a breeze to create unique apps and websites. Every component comes packed with multiple style options right out of the box that let me quickly find a look that fits my project. 

What really grabs my attention, though, is how easy it is to fine-tune the design. By adding a single modifier class—starting with "is" or "has"—I can tweak everything from text size to color in seconds. It's like having my own style of magic wand that instantly tailors every element to my exact vision.

Responsiveness

Bulma is mobile-first and feels a lot like Bootstrap but with a lighter footprint. 

Because it's so easy to work with, you can jump right in and build or customize an app – no matter what your background is. 

The responsiveness is a huge plus too, as it lets you integrate Flexbox layouts without any hassle. 

If I put on the spot in the Bulma vs Bootstrap conversation, I'd say Bulma's modular structure offers more room for customization, giving me tighter control over each project's look and feel.

Bulma documentation

As a developer, I know how important it is to have solid documentation and a supportive community, especially when you're diving into a new framework. Thankfully, Bulma checks both boxes. 

The Bulma CSS framework GitHub is comprehensive and backed by clear, comprehensive docs and a helpful community that's always ready to share insights and lend a hand with any hiccups you might run into. 

One member of the community even went as far as creating a Bulma CSS framework PDF, which you might want to check out if books are your vibe. 

The Bulma docs are a treasure trove of information, covering everything from basic usage to advanced customization techniques.

Bulma columns

When working with Bulma Columns, I found that I was only limited by my own imagination—that's how simple and straightforward it is to use. I can add as many as I want, give each one its own color, and trust that they'll stay neatly aligned and equal in width. 

Because Bulma is built on Flexbox, the layout just falls into place, even if I don't have time—or the desire—to fine-tune every detail. 

It's a simple but powerful way to keep my pages looking sharp with minimal fuss.

Modular systems

Bulma's setup is built with Sass. Of course, this means that you can design your framework in a step-by-step manner using only the components that you require. 

This modular approach allows for easy customization of primary colors, brand colors, and even creating a dark theme for your website.

Base functions

As you must have noticed by now, Bulma has a Flexbox-based nature, which means that grid items and vertically aligned components look phenomenal on any system. 

In a world where web apps have to work seamlessly across different devices, using a CSS framework built on Flexbox really gives me an edge.

 It means I can trust my layouts to stay clean and responsive, without having to dive into complicated workarounds or endless media queries.

How developers use Bulma in real-life projects

I and a couple of developer friends of mine use Bulma in all sorts of real-world projects to jump-start our design process. 

If you want to join in, instead of writing every single CSS rule from the ground up, they simply install Bulma CDN or via npm and then link it to your project.

If you're using a CDN, you'd to add this to the <head> section of your index.html file:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bulma@0.9.4/css/bulma.min.css">

And if it's via NPM:

npm install bulma

Then in your custom CSS (or a main Sass file if you use Sass), import Bulma like so:

@import "node_modules/bulma/css/bulma.css";

Once that's done, you can open your index.html and start adding Bulma's class names to your elements. 

Looking at the following bulma css framework example, if you want a navigation bar at the top, you can use Bulma's navbar component:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>My Bulma App</title>
    <!-- CDN link to Bulma if you chose Option A -->
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bulma@0.9.4/css/bulma.min.css">
  </head>
  <body>
    <nav class="navbar is-primary">
      <div class="navbar-brand">
        <a class="navbar-item" href="#">
          MyBulmaSite
        </a>
      </div>
    </nav>
    
    <section class="section">
      <div class="container">
        <h1 class="title">Hello, Bulma!</h1>
        <p class="subtitle">
          This is a simple example demonstrating how to use Bulma in a project.
        </p>
      </div>
    </section>
  </body>
</html>

Notice how we're simply using Bulma's class names like navbar, is-primary, section, and container?

That's how Bulma simplifies styling! No need to write custom CSS just to get these styles.

To speed things up, I usually use AI companion to streamline my workflow. 

In this instance, I can simply highlight my code, save it to pieces directly from my IDE (you need to have the Pieces extension for this to work), and then tell pieces what I want. 

If I want to add a button or card to our current code, I simply have to do this:

It saves you a lot of time as a developer, especially when trying to learn a new tool, language, or framework.

Downsides to using Bulma CSS framework

As with all things, Bulma has disadvantages that you should know about if you choose to use it. Here are the downsides to using Bulma:

Bulma is a very young CSS framework that first came online in 2016. This means that it is not in its final form just yet, and it is subject to changes and updates since it is still in development. 

Because Bulma is a new framework, its community is not as large as that of Bootstrap and others. This will probably change though, because Bulma's community is growing.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Bulma doesn't always play nicely with older browsers like Internet Explorer, so you might run into speed or compatibility issues there.

Switching to any new framework also means learning a new syntax. While Bulma isn't too hard to pick up, it can still feel tedious if you're already comfortable with another library. 

Personally, I've found it worth the effort, but it's something to consider before diving in.

Alternatives to Bulma framework

I'll admit, as much as I love Bulma, it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

If it doesn't feel like the right fit for your project or style, here are a few popular alternatives you can explore (and more on this list):

• Bootstrap: Possibly the most iconic framework in the CSS world, Bootstrap comes with tons of prebuilt components, making it a breeze to spin up responsive, mobile-first layouts. If you like a large community with endless tutorials and resources, Bootstrap is the go-to.

• Tailwind: There are a lot of Bulma vs Tailwind discussions on the internet, and for Good reason. Like Bulma, Tailwind gives you pre-styled components and utility classes that you can mix and match to craft your own unique look. It's fantastic if you want more control over every design detail—just be prepared to do a bit more styling work up front. Tailwind CSS is often considered a Tailwind CSS alternative to Bulma, offering a utility-first CSS approach.

• Material UI: Built for React, Material UI takes Google's Material Design principles and packages them into a robust set of ready-to-use components. You can quickly create a polished, cohesive interface without reinventing the wheel. If you're a React developer seeking a professional, modern look, this might be the framework for you.

Here's is a quick-reference table comparing Bulma, Bootstrap, Material UI, and Tailwind CSS across key factors. Use it to decide which framework best fits your needs.

Conclusion

Bulma is a fantastic choice if you want a lightweight, flexible, and modern CSS framework that makes front-end development easier.

It's intuitive class system, responsive design, and modular approach help you build beautiful layouts without the usual CSS headaches. As an open-source project, Bulma continues to evolve and improve, making it a valuable tool for web development.

But why stop at just saving time on styling? If you want to 10x your productivity, Pieces can help you organize, reuse, and optimize your code effortlessly. 

Whether you're learning Bulma or working on your next big project, after getting to know about Pieces, it made it easier to save, retrieve, and use code snippets instantly – without breaking my flow.

Give it a try today— download Pieces for free and see how much time you can save!

This article was first published on November 11th, 2022, and was improved by Fimber Elemuwa as of March 3rd, 2025, to improve your experience and share the latest information.