Flexbox vs Grid: When to Use Which

The Core Difference: One Dimension vs Two

Flexbox is designed for laying out items along a single direction at a time - a row or a column. Grid is designed for laying out items along both rows and columns simultaneously, as a true two-dimensional structure.

When Flexbox Is the Better Fit

• A navigation bar with items in a single row.
• A group of buttons that should space themselves apart.
• Centering one or a few items inside a container.
• A list of items where the exact number of "columns" does not matter, and content should just flow and wrap naturally.

.toolbar {
  display: flex;
  gap: 8px;
}

When Grid Is the Better Fit

• A page layout with a header, sidebar, main content and footer.
• A photo gallery that needs precise, equal-sized rows and columns.
• Any design that was sketched as a literal grid, with items that need to align both across and down.

.page-layout {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 250px 1fr;
  grid-template-areas:
    "sidebar main";
}

Side-by-Side Comparison

Using Both Together

Most real projects use both: Grid often defines the overall page skeleton, while Flexbox is used inside individual components (like a card's header row) nested within a grid cell. They are not competing tools - they solve different shapes of layout problem.