ExtractCSS vs Windy
Both are free Chrome extensions that convert CSS to Tailwind. The difference is how deep the conversion goes. Here is a side-by-side look.
Same goal, different depth
Windy is a free Chrome extension for converting CSS to Tailwind. You can paste CSS into it or select elements on a page, and it maps CSS properties to Tailwind utility classes. For straightforward conversions, it gets the job done quickly.
ExtractCSS goes deeper. Instead of mapping CSS properties one-to-one, it reads computed styles from the live DOM, resolves the full CSS cascade, freezes CSS variables to their final values, detects media queries from the page's stylesheets, and captures pseudo-states like hover and focus. Then it runs everything through a PostCSS pipeline that snaps values to the nearest Tailwind design tokens.
The practical difference shows up when you work with real-world pages. A component styled with CSS variables, responsive breakpoints, and hover effects needs all of that captured to reproduce accurately. Direct CSS-to-class mapping misses those layers.
Token snapping vs. direct mapping
This is the biggest technical difference between the two tools, and it affects the quality of your output.
What Windy does
Windy maps CSS values directly to Tailwind classes. If a value matches a Tailwind token exactly, you get a clean class. If it does not, you get an arbitrary value like p-[14px] or text-[#3b82f6]. The output works, but it does not align with the Tailwind design system.
What ExtractCSS does
ExtractCSS snaps values to the nearest Tailwind design token. That 14px padding becomes p-3.5 (the closest match on the spacing scale). That #3b82f6 becomes text-blue-500. You control how aggressively values snap with tolerance sliders for colors, spacing, fonts, and box shadows.
What ExtractCSS captures beyond CSS classes
Converting CSS properties to Tailwind classes is one step. Extracting a full, working component involves several more:
Responsive styles
ExtractCSS detects media queries from the page's stylesheets and converts them to Tailwind breakpoint variants like md:flex-row and lg:text-xl. You do not need to resize the viewport and re-extract.
Hover, focus, and dark mode
Pseudo-states are captured from the live DOM and converted to Tailwind variants like hover:bg-blue-600 and focus:ring-2. Dark mode styles are included as dark: variants.
Assets
Images, fonts, and SVGs referenced by the component are collected automatically. You get the full set of resources needed to reproduce the component, not just the classes.
Framework exports
Export extracted components as React JSX, Vue SFC, Svelte, or plain HTML. Useful for dropping components into an existing project or feeding them to AI tools like Cursor or Claude.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | ExtractCSS | Windy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Approach | Reads computed styles from live DOM | Paste CSS or select elements |
| Component extraction | Full nested HTML + all child elements | Single element or pasted CSS |
| Token snapping | Snaps to nearest Tailwind colors, spacing, fonts with adjustable tolerance | Direct CSS-to-class mapping |
| Media queries | Auto-detected, converted to breakpoint variants | Not captured |
| Pseudo-states | hover, focus, active, dark mode captured automatically | Limited capture |
| CSS variables | Resolved to final computed values | Not resolved |
| Cascade resolution | Full cascade resolved to final values | Uses raw CSS as provided |
| Asset collection | Images, fonts, SVGs collected automatically | Not available |
| Export formats | React, Vue, Svelte, HTML, CodePen | Tailwind HTML |
| Tolerance control | Adjustable sliders for colors, spacing, fonts, box-shadow | Not available |
| Extraction history | Saved locally, searchable, bookmarkable | Not available |
When to use each
Windy works well when…
- •You have a CSS snippet and want a quick Tailwind equivalent
- •The styles are simple with no CSS variables or cascade complexity
- •You do not need responsive or hover state capture
- •Arbitrary values in the output are acceptable for your use case
ExtractCSS works well when…
- •You want to extract a full component, not just individual CSS rules
- •You need output that uses Tailwind design tokens, not arbitrary values
- •The component has responsive behavior or hover/focus states
- •You need to export as React, Vue, or Svelte
- •You want to collect associated images, fonts, and SVGs
Both tools are free. Windy is a solid choice for quick CSS-to-Tailwind mapping. ExtractCSS goes further with token snapping, state capture, asset collection, and multi-framework export.
Extract your first component in the next 60 seconds
Install the extension. Navigate to any website. Click the component you want. Get clean Tailwind code. It really is that simple.