CSS Grid to Flexbox Converter (Common Layouts)
Reference guide for converting common CSS grid layouts to flexbox alternatives (for older browsers or simpler use cases). Pick a pattern, get both implementations side-by-side with rendered preview.
How to use the CSS Grid to Flexbox Converter (Common Layouts)
Pick a layout pattern. You get the grid implementation and a flexbox equivalent side by side, each with a rendered preview, so you can compare the markup and copy whichever fits.
The same layout, grid versus flexbox
Grid and flexbox solve overlapping problems, and a common layout — three columns, a sidebar, the holy grail — can be built either way. Grid is usually cleaner for two-dimensional structure, while flexbox can be simpler for a single row or a quick centering, and occasionally you need the flex version for a constraint a project imposes. Seeing both side by side makes the trade-off concrete.
Pick a pattern and this shows the grid and flexbox implementations together, each rendered live. To then tweak either approach interactively, open the grid generator or the flexbox playground and adjust the tracks or alignment to your exact case.
Common use cases
- Choosing an approach — weigh grid against flexbox for a given layout.
- Refactoring — move a flex layout to grid, or the reverse, with a reference.
- Learning — see how the same result maps to two layout models.
- Holy grail layout — compare both takes on header/footer/sidebar/main.
- Card grids — decide between auto-fill grid and wrapping flex.