Carbon Design System vs Singapore Government Design System
Carbon Design System
carbondesignsystem.comSingapore Government Design System
designsystem.tech.gov.sgSide by side
| Figure | Carbon Design System | Singapore Government Design System |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · UI Kit Libraries | 8.4 (#3) | 8.0 (#7) |
| Accessibility | IBM products using Carbon must meet WCAG AA accessibility standards, and the component checklist requires specified color contrast and documented focus flow. | SGDS says its components are designed to meet government accessibility standards by default. |
| Components | Carbon components are designed and coded to solve specific UI problems and work together as parts of a larger system. | SGDS provides reusable interface components for common interaction needs. |
| Purpose | Carbon provides reusable assets to help teams build consistent digital experiences faster. | SGDS provides a shared foundation of colour, typography, and components to help teams create consistent, accessible, and reliable government services. |
| Support | Carbon directs users to GitHub issues and provides support by email at [email protected]. | The component documentation directs feedback to the SGDS Slack channel and bug reports to GitHub issues. |
Plans
Singapore Government Design System
- Singapore Government Design SystemFree
In their own words
Carbon Design System
Carbon Design System is IBM’s open-source design system for digital products, shaped by the IBM Design Language. Carbon Core provides foundations, components, patterns, code, and guidance for teams building consistent digital experiences. Carbon for Products adds product-oriented components, styling, and guidance, with components built using React. The wider ecosystem includes Carbon for AI guidelines and reusable elements, Carbon Charts, and integrations such as Carbon for Cloud, Carbon for AEM, and Carbon React Native. Design kits maintained in Figma receive library updates automatically. Carbon MCP lets AI applications or agents query colors, typography, component details, and usage guidance. Web components are available as ES modules or through a CDN and can be used with frameworks such as Angular or Ember. Developer resources include GitHub repositories, Storybooks, tutorials, Carbon Devtools, a color-contrast checker, and UI Builder. The builder can export presentation images, demo apps, or frontend code. Components follow accessibility checks based on IBM’s checklist. Carbon is free to use and contribute to, with no paid tiers stated. Its patterns cannot include code for every possible implementation.
Singapore Government Design System
Singapore Government Design System (SGDS) is a shared toolkit for teams creating digital services for Singapore government. Its foundations cover colour, typography, spacing, and design tokens, alongside interface components such as buttons, tabs, forms, cards, and tables. Templates combine foundations, components, and utilities into reusable page layouts; blocks are reusable sections that teams can compose into templates and product experiences. SGDS v3 supports sub-brands and agency-specific requirements while retaining a shared government identity. Developers can install the web component package with npm, pnpm, yarn, or bun. The guide includes integration instructions for React, Vue, Angular, and Next.js, but utility classes require Tailwind CSS v4. GovTech Figma Enterprise users can enable SGDS v3 libraries, while agencies outside GovTech and partners can access the UI Kit through Figma Community. Components are designed to meet government accessibility standards by default. The system also provides guidance and agent skills for AI tools. All .gov.sg digital services must adopt the Official Government Banner and Global Footer. SGDS is free and open source.