Flexbox vs grid

Flexbox and grid do not compete: they complement each other. The useful question is not which is better, but what leads in each case, the content or the structure.

Feature	flex	grid
Dimensions	One: row or column	Two: rows and columns at once
Approach	Content defines the size	Structure defines the size
Alignment across lines	Each line is independent	Columns line up across rows
Overlapping	Needs position or negative margins	Native, by sharing cells
Typical use	Bars, menus and button groups	Pages, galleries and dashboards

Example

With the same HTML, compare both systems. In flex, items on the last line grow to fill it; in grid, they respect the columns of the previous rows.

Select system:

flexgrid

ResultLiveContainer width100%

html

<div class="container">
  <div class="child">1</div>
  <div class="child">2</div>
  <div class="child">3</div>
  <div class="child">4</div>
  <div class="child">5</div>
</div>

<div class="container">
  <div class="child">1</div>
  <div class="child">2</div>
  <div class="child">3</div>
  <div class="child">4</div>
  <div class="child">5</div>
</div>

css

.container {
  border: 1px solid #2b7de0;
  display: flex;
  gap: 1rem;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  padding: 0.5rem;
}

.child {
  flex: 1 1 12rem;
  padding: 1rem;
}

.container {
  border: 1px solid #2b7de0;
  display: flex;
  gap: 1rem;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  padding: 0.5rem;
}

.child {
  flex: 1 1 12rem;
  padding: 1rem;
}

Edit the code or use the selectors: the result updates instantly.