TRUE Framework is an opinionated starter kit for building websites and apps with Next.js, Sanity CMS, Material-UI, and Framer-motion.
What is TRUE Framework?
TRUE Framework is an open-source starter project by Mathias Kandelborg that bundles a modern React-based stack into a single configurable foundation. It takes a new project idea and gives you a Next.js application with Sanity CMS for content, Material-UI for interface components, and Framer-motion for animations, so you can focus on product features instead of tooling setup. The repository is marked as a draft, inviting contributions and shared thoughts.
Key Features
- Next.js framework — The starter is built on Next.js, which provides server-side rendering, file-based routing, and an ecosystem for production React apps.
- Sanity CMS integration — Sanity is included as a headless CMS, giving you structured content management and a real-time editing environment.
- Material-UI (MUI) components — Pre-wired MUI components supply a consistent design system with theming, accessibility, and responsive layouts.
- Framer-motion animations — The template ships with Framer-motion, enabling declarative animations and gesture support directly inside React components.
- Developer experience tools — Commitizen is set up for conventional commit messages, semantic-release automates versioning and changelogs, and Code Climate maintainability is tracked via badges.
- Opinionated but flexible — The framework is deliberately opinionated to accelerate decisions while remaining flexible enough for extensive customization and large contributions.
Who is it for?
TRUE Framework is built primarily for the creator's own projects, but it's designed for any developer who wants a pre-assembled Next.js, Sanity, Material-UI, and Framer-motion stack. It's especially suitable for:
- Solo developers building content-driven websites who want to skip repetitive configuration and move straight to product work.
- React developers who prefer component-based development with a headless CMS and want a coherent foundation.
- Open-source contributors looking for a free, permissively licensed starter kit they can adapt and extend.
What can you do with TRUE Framework?
- Scaffold a new project — Use the starter as a base for a new Next.js website or app, with Sanity CMS already integrated for content modeling.
- Build content-rich sites — Combine Sanity's structured content with Material-UI components and Next.js pages to create blogs, portfolios, or marketing sites.
- Add polished interactions — Leverage Framer-motion to animate page transitions, scroll effects, and UI elements without writing animation logic from scratch.
Pricing
TRUE Framework is free and open source. The license grants anyone permission to do anything they want with the code, at their own responsibility, and the project states it will always remain free.
Alternatives
For developers who prefer a less pre-configured starting point, the official create-next-app CLI scaffolds a blank Next.js application without the integrated Sanity CMS, Material-UI, or Framer-motion setup.
FAQ
Is TRUE Framework free?
Yes, TRUE Framework is free and open source. Its license allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute the code as they wish, and the project states it will always be free.
What tech stack does TRUE Framework use?
The starter kit is built on Next.js with React, uses Sanity CMS for content management, Material-UI for UI components, and Framer-motion for animations. It also includes Commitizen and semantic-release for developer workflow.
Who created TRUE Framework?
The repository is authored by Mathias Kandelborg. He created it for his own website and app projects and released it as an open-source starter kit.
Does TRUE Framework use Tailwind CSS?
No, TRUE Framework uses Material-UI (MUI) as its component library rather than Tailwind CSS. The UI components are based on MUI's React implementation.
