Astra
Two release trains, zero new features — Astra has been in pure maintenance mode since spring.
Comparison · Design
HeroUI vs Oxygen
A side-by-side editorial comparison of HeroUI and Oxygen — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
HeroUI vs Oxygen: at a glance
What is HeroUI?
HeroUI grew a component catalogue, then wired it into a chat editor.
The feed runs from March 2024 to July 2025 and stops there, so nothing here describes the last twelve months. Across that stretch the pattern is consistent: batches of components counted in the headline, a page reorganisation once the catalogue outgrew a flat list, framework currency with React 19 and Next.js 15 and later TailwindCSS v4, and a rebrand from NextUI Pro to HeroUI Pro in January 2025. The one change of kind is instant editing of any component inside HeroUI Chat.
What is Oxygen?
Oxygen spent its 6.2 cycle turning the builder into something an AI agent can drive.
Oxygen ships on long beta trains: 6.1 ran four betas plus an RC before landing, and 6.2 is now three betas deep. The defining change in 6.2 is an agent interface — an external AI agent can create and edit pages, templates, headers and footers, Components, selectors, CSS variables, dynamic data, interactions, animations, and site settings. Beta 3 adds the builder's first non-English UI, ending an English-only history. Everything else in the current window is regression cleanup.
HeroUI vs Oxygen: editorial side-by-side
HeroUI
0.0DESIGN
HeroUI grew a component catalogue, then wired it into a chat editor.
◆ Current state
The feed runs from March 2024 to July 2025 and stops there, so nothing here describes the last twelve months. Across that stretch the pattern is consistent: batches of components counted in the headline, a page reorganisation once the catalogue outgrew a flat list, framework currency with React 19 and Next.js 15 and later TailwindCSS v4, and a rebrand from NextUI Pro to HeroUI Pro in January 2025. The one change of kind is instant editing of any component inside HeroUI Chat.
◆ Where it's heading
The archived arc moves from selling a catalogue to selling a workflow — a component is worth more if it can be customised where it is chosen rather than copied into an editor first. Framework support releases show the other constant: a paid component library lives or dies on how quickly it tracks the framework underneath it. What has happened since July 2025 is not visible from this source.
◆ Prediction
No recent entries support a confident prediction; the actionable finding is that this feed has been silent for roughly a year and needs re-pointing before HeroUI's direction can be read.
Oxygen
6.3DESIGN
Oxygen spent its 6.2 cycle turning the builder into something an AI agent can drive.
◆ Current state
Oxygen ships on long beta trains: 6.1 ran four betas plus an RC before landing, and 6.2 is now three betas deep. The defining change in 6.2 is an agent interface — an external AI agent can create and edit pages, templates, headers and footers, Components, selectors, CSS variables, dynamic data, interactions, animations, and site settings. Beta 3 adds the builder's first non-English UI, ending an English-only history. Everything else in the current window is regression cleanup.
◆ Where it's heading
The 6.1 cycle was breadth work aimed at the person in the canvas — multi-element selection, variable fonts, conditional classes, PHP 8.4 support. 6.2 changes the axis: rather than adding controls for a human to click, Oxygen is exposing the builder's object model so something else can write to it. Localization in Beta 3 pushes the same way, widening who can drive the builder rather than what it can draw. The cadence stays slow and fix-heavy, so the new surface will likely firm up before it grows.
◆ Prediction
Expect 6.2 to reach GA after another beta or RC dominated by agent-edit regressions, with the sibling Breakdance elements that ship alongside Oxygen 6 picking up the same agent-addressable surface.
Alternatives to HeroUI and Oxygen
Other Design products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either HeroUI or Oxygen.
shadcn/ui
A component library turning into scaffolding for AI apps
Picsart
The editor now prints to a CVS counter, and that is the second business bolted on this summer.
Aseprite
Steady 1.3 maintenance, with the Lua API quietly becoming Aseprite's extension point.
Webflow
Webflow is building for the answer engines, not just the search results page.
Storybook
The 10.6 alphas are an Angular tooling rebuild wearing a version number.
See all HeroUI alternatives → · See all Oxygen alternatives →
Recent activity from HeroUI and Oxygen
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoOxygenOxygen 6.2 Beta 3: Now in Your Language
- 17d agoOxygenOxygen 6.2 Beta 2 Is Now Available
- 22d agoOxygenOxygen 6.2 Is Now Available ⚡
- 27d agoOxygenOxygen 6.1.1 Is Now Available
- 1mo agoOxygenOxygen 6.1 RC 1 Is Now Available
- 2mo agoOxygenOxygen 6.1 Beta 4 Is Now Available
- 1y agoHeroUISupport TailwindCSS v4 + Live Chat with HeroUI Pro Team 🎉
- 1y agoHeroUIInstant Component Editing! ⚡️ ⚡
- 1y agoHeroUI10 New Components & Updated Figma Files 🎨
- 1y agoHeroUINextUI Pro is now HeroUI Pro 🔥
- 1y agoHeroUIReact 19 RC & Next.js 15 Support + Perf Improvements 🎉
- 1y agoHeroUIIntroducing 21 chart components and updates! 🎉
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between HeroUI and Oxygen?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Oxygen is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is HeroUI better than Oxygen?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Oxygen is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Design products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to HeroUI?
Top HeroUI alternatives in Design are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "HeroUI alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/heroui for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Oxygen?
Top Oxygen alternatives in Design are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Oxygen alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/oxygen for the full list with editorial commentary on each.