Ever visited websites like Amazon or Yelp and wondered how they create those interactive star ratings? The answer lies in CSS star rating examples – powerful yet simple solutions for displaying user feedback on your website.
Star ratings aren’t just visual elements; they’re crucial user rating interfaces that boost engagement and trust. Whether you’re building an e-commerce rating system or a review component for your blog, mastering CSS-only star ratings gives you complete control without relying on heavy plugins.
This guide explores practical star rating implementations using pure CSS and minimal JavaScript. You’ll discover:
- Responsive design techniques for different devices
- Accessibility standards for inclusive ratings
- Custom star rating styles with color transitions
- Interactive feedback stars with hover effects
From basic five-star rating code to advanced half-star ratings, we’ve collected examples that work across modern browsers and frameworks.
CSS Star Rating Examples To Check Out
Half Star Rating CSS
See the Pen
CSS Half Star Rating by mirko (@mrk1989)
on CodePen.
Alright, first up! If you’re digging the whole “not just a whole number” vibe, this half-star rating thing is your jam. All coded out in HTML and CSS, you can slap it anywhere on your site or app. Pretty neat, huh?
CSS Unicode Star Rating
See the Pen
CSS Unicode Star Rating by Joseph Fusco (@fusco)
on CodePen.
Ever walked into a store and thought, “Hmm, wish I could leave a note about this place.”? Bam, here’s your solution! Customers drop their comments, decide if they wanna swing by again, or peace out for good.
Pure CSS Star Rating Widget
See the Pen
Pure CSS Star Rating Widget by James Barnett (@jamesbarnett)
on CodePen.
For folks who dig simplicity, check out this widget. Just HTML and CSS, no fluff. Hover over stars, click on your vibe, and boom! It even gives you a lil’ preview when you hover. Cool beans!
Pure CSS Star Rating From 0 To 8 With Colored Points
See the Pen
Pure CSS Star Rating from 0 to 8 with colored points of the star by Jan Wagner (@janwagner)
on CodePen.
Big shoutout to Jan Wagner for this one. Rate anything from “meh” (that’s 0) to “totally rad” (that’s 8). Why 8? Why not!
Emoticon Star Rating
See the Pen
Emoticon Star Rating by Vineeth.TR (@vineethtrv)
on CodePen.
Want to make it snazzy? Emoticon Star Rating’s got your back! Smooth animation, fantastic user experience, and pure CSS3 goodness make it a breeze to add to your project.
Pure CSS 5-Star Rating
See the Pen
Pure CSS 5-Star Rating by Andrea Crawford (@andreacrawford)
on CodePen.
Hats off to Andrea Crawford. This 5-star wonder is a must-have for online shops aiming for a customer comeback. Essential? Heck, yeah!
CSS Star Ratings with Radio Buttons
See the Pen
CSS Star Ratings with Radio Buttons by Lenny Sirivong (@lsirivong)
on CodePen.
Keep it classy with this widget. Hover, see some cool animations, and you even get some pre-selected ratings. Talk about user-friendly!
Feedback Rating Disputelab
See the Pen
Feedback Rating DisputeLab by Ryan Parag (@ryanparag)
on CodePen.
Quick nod to Ryan Parag. Man’s got skills!
Simple Star Rating CSS
See the Pen
simple star rating by Mert Cukuren (@knyttneve)
on CodePen.
Emojis? For star ratings? Yup, it’s a thing! Each rating gets its emoji. It’s like giving a high five but, you know, with stars.
Rate Star Buttons (Pure CSS)
See the Pen
Rate star buttons (pure css) by Valeriia (@valerite-dev)
on CodePen.
If you’re searching for pure efficiency, Valeriia’s got you covered. Online store owners, you might wanna bookmark this!
Book Store UI with Star Rating
See the Pen
Book Store UI by Aysenur Turk (@TurkAysenur)
on CodePen.
Book lovers, unite! Dive into this book store UI with a built-in rating system. And guess what? All done with HTML and SCSS. Sweet!
Ratings Inspiration
See the Pen
Ratings Inspiration by Tadaima (@tadaima)
on CodePen.
A quick nod to Tadaima. Creativity? Check!
Apple AppStore Styled Star Rating
See the Pen
Apple AppStore styled star rating in pure HTML/CSS by Adrian Lambertz (@adrianlambertz)
on CodePen.
Apple fans, where ya at? Those star reflections and crisp messages? Chef’s kiss. One of the slickest star-rating designs I’ve seen!
Rating System (CSS Only)
See the Pen
Rating System (CSS Only) by Elton Kamami (@eltonkamami)
on CodePen.
Shop owners, if you’re hunting for that modern edge, Elton Kamami is serving it on a silver platter. Dive in, see the magic, and maybe sprinkle some on your store.
Movie Card UI With Pure CSS3 Animation Rating
See the Pen
Movie Card Interactive UI With Pure CSS3 Animation Rating by Reece McDonald (@rmcdonalddesigns)
on CodePen.
Movie buffs! Rate your fave flicks with this card design. All the drama, suspense, and action – in CSS! Lights, camera, action!
CSS Star Rating With Counter
See the Pen
CSS Star Rating with counter by 大漠 (@airen)
on CodePen.
Dude, this design is totally rad! If you’re looking for something that pops, you just found it.
Star Rating Animation
See the Pen
Star Rating Animation by Roxy (@roxy225)
on CodePen.
Ever feel like stars should do a little dance? Yeah, me too. And guess what? When you hit that five-star, it gets all blingy. Super cool, right?
Star Ratings Survey Form
See the Pen
Star ratings survey form by Ron Gilmour (@rgilmour)
on CodePen.
If you own a pro store and don’t have star ratings, what are you even doing? Ron Gilmour’s got the good stuff for you.
Pet Store Interactive Customer Rating Form
See the Pen
Interactive Customer Feedback Form (For a pet store) by Jamie Coulter (@jcoulterdesign)
on CodePen.
This isn’t your everyday design. Want to give feedback? Interact with an animated critter. Maybe a tad tricky, but hey, life’s an adventure.
Stars & Heart Rating
See the Pen
stars & heart rating by Crystal (@s_crystal)
on CodePen.
Shoutout to Crystal for cooking this up!
Percentage Based Star Rating
See the Pen
Percentage Based Star Rating With Font Awesome by Filcp (@filcp)
on CodePen.
Whoa, hold on! Instead of just clicking stars, you get to play with percentages here. Mind-blown, right? And then, bam, it shows the stars.
Flat CSS3 Rating System
See the Pen
Flat CSS3 rating system by Renaud Tertrais (@renaudtertrais)
on CodePen.
Get this: Renaud Tertrais rolled out this fab design so online stores can truly feel the love (or not) from their customers.
Stars Rating with Smile Animation
See the Pen
Stars rating animation by Aaron Iker (@aaroniker)
on CodePen.
This ain’t just any star. When you rate, it throws you a cheeky smile. Bad or good, it’s got your vibe.
Full Css3 Only Colorful Star Ratings \w Inputs
See the Pen
Full css3 only colorful star ratings \w inputs by daniesy (@daniesy)
on CodePen.
Props to Daniesy. This one’s a burst of color.
Star Rating By Michael
See the Pen
Star Rating by Michael Trythall (@mtrythall)
on CodePen.
Keeping it clean and straightforward, Michael brings it back to basics. No fuss, just pure star rating goodness.
Star Rating Widget
See the Pen
Star rating widget by Marian Alexandru (@marianissimus)
on CodePen.
Big ups to Marian Alexandru for crafting this. Store owners, if you’re not drawing peeps in, this could be the secret sauce.
Pure CSS Rating with Reset Button
See the Pen
Rating in pure HTML5/CSS3 by Khoné Vongsouthi (@khone-vongsouthi)
on CodePen.
Now here’s the kicker: a rating widget that lets you change your mind. Hit that reset, and start all over. Genius, right?
Star Rating in Pure CSS
See the Pen
Star Rating in Pure CSS by Christopher Kirk-Nielsen (@chriskirknielsen)
on CodePen.
Dude, Cristopher gave these stars a 3D lift! Those chunky looks and shadows? It’s like they’re popping out at ya.
Star Rating With Font Icons
See the Pen
star rating with font icons by Brandon Kennedy (@brandonkennedy)
on CodePen.
Brandon Kennedy is onto something here. Modern star vibes all the way. If your online store needs some pizzazz, this might just be it.
Glowing Stars Rating Widget
See the Pen
CSS Unicode Star Rating by Joseph Fusco (@fusco)
on CodePen.
Stars that glow? Heck yes! It’s like a mini constellation on your webpage. Every click’s a wish.
How Are You?
See the Pen
How Are You? by Ryan Mulligan (@hexagoncircle)
on CodePen.
Ryan Mulligan, you genius! It ain’t just stars, it’s all about the feels. Rate, and watch those expressions change.
Half-Star Rating Bharlotte Dann
See the Pen
Half-Star Rating by Charlotte Dann (@pouretrebelle)
on CodePen.
For those “meh, kinda in the middle” moments. Full star? Half star? Your call. Bharlotte Dann’s got your back.
WooCommerce CSS SVG Star Rating
See the Pen
WooCommerce CSS SVG Star Rating by Jan Wagner (@janwagner)
on CodePen.
Dark and dramatic! Those stars pop out like disco lights. And that name up top? Pure branding genius.
Stand Up Rating Animation
See the Pen
Star rating by Giel Berkers (@kanduvisla)
on CodePen.
Alright, these stars got some serious moves. Hover and watch them rise up like they’re groovin’ to a beat.
Standalone SVG CSS-only Star Rating Component
See the Pen
Standalone SVG CSS-only star rating component by Damián Muti (@damianmuti)
on CodePen.
Props to Damián Muti! Stars made of SVG icons? Wild. And it’s all CSS? Mind. Blown.
Stars By Jordan-Simonds
See the Pen
stars by Jordan-Simonds (@jexordexan)
on CodePen.
Alright, store owners, Jordan-Simonds has a trick up his sleeve. Elevate your brand with this pro star-rating template.
Rating with Smooth Fade
See the Pen
CSS-only Star Rating by Marcus Burnette (@mburnette)
on CodePen.
Easy on the eyes and super smooth. It’s like the stars are playing peek-a-boo with a silky fade-in and fade-out.
Alien Rating Control
See the Pen
Alien Rating Control by Darin (@dsenneff)
on CodePen.
Stars, but make it intergalactic! Animated and accessible, it’s still a work in progress, but definitely beaming with potential.
FAQ on CSS Star Rating Examples
How do I create a basic star rating system using only CSS?
You can create a pure CSS rating system using radio inputs and labels with the :checked pseudo-class. Style your labels with star symbols from Unicode characters or Font Awesome star icons, then use CSS selectors to fill stars based on selection. No JavaScript required for this implementation!
Can I make half-star ratings with CSS?
Yes! Half-star ratings are possible using clever positioning and the background-image property. Create a container with two overlapping elements: one for the star outline and another with a gradient or partial fill. Many CodePen star rating examples demonstrate this technique with stunning results.
How do I add hover effects to my star rating component?
Implement hover effects by using the :hover pseudo-class with sibling selectors. For a common pattern where hovering highlights all stars up to the cursor position, use the ~ selector. This creates the intuitive interactive feedback stars users expect from modern rating widgets.
What’s the best way to make star ratings accessible?
Follow WCAG star rating compliance by including proper ARIA attributes, ensuring keyboard navigation works, and maintaining sufficient color contrast. Always provide text alternatives for screen readers. Several GitHub CSS star rating repositories include fully accessible examples you can adapt.
How do I implement a star rating system that works on mobile?
Create mobile-friendly star ratings by making clickable areas larger than the visible stars (at least 44×44px per UX design guidelines). Use media queries to adjust spacing and size. Test thoroughly on different devices to ensure your responsive design works across screen sizes.
What CSS techniques create the smoothest star rating animations?
Use CSS transition properties for smooth color changes and transform for scale effects. Some star rating animation techniques include slight bounces on selection or gradual fills. Keep animations subtle and under 300ms for the best user rating interface experience.
How can I store and display user ratings without a backend?
For client-side storage, use localStorage to save ratings temporarily. Many star rating with JavaScript solutions combine CSS styling with JS functionality to handle data persistence. For permanent storage, you’ll eventually need server integration or a third-party rating system implementation.
What’s the difference between using images versus CSS for star ratings?
CSS star ratings without images load faster, scale infinitely without pixelation, and are easier to customize. Image-based systems might offer more complex designs but require additional HTTP requests. Modern approaches favor SVG star rating implementation or CSS-generated stars.
Can I integrate star ratings with popular frameworks?
Absolutely. There are dedicated React star rating components, Vue star rating components, and solutions for other frameworks. Many Bootstrap star rating examples exist, letting you maintain design consistency. Check CSS frameworks rating components documentation for integration guidelines.
How do I style stars with different colors based on rating value?
Use CSS variables or class-based approaches to apply different color schemes. For example, red for 1-2 stars, yellow for 3, and green for 4-5. Many e-commerce rating stars use this pattern to provide visual feedback. Star rating color transitions can also change dynamically based on the score value.
Conclusion
Implementing effective CSS star rating examples doesn’t require complex code or heavy plugins. From pure CSS ratings to more sophisticated interactive rating stars, you now have the tools to build engaging feedback systems for your projects.
Remember these key takeaways:
- Star rating UI components enhance user engagement and provide valuable feedback
- CSS-only star ratings offer excellent performance with minimal overhead
- Client-side rating systems work well for most websites without backend complexity
- Clickable star ratings should follow accessibility standards for all users
- Rating widget CSS can be customized to match your brand’s visual identity
As you experiment with these techniques, explore Frontend Mentor star rating challenges and CSS-Tricks star rating tutorials for additional inspiration. The versatility of star rating templates makes them suitable for everything from restaurant review star systems to product review stars on e-commerce sites.
Start small, test thoroughly, and watch as your rating component library grows into a valuable asset for your web development toolkit.
If you liked this article about CSS star ratings, you should check out this article about CSS link hover effects.
There are also similar articles discussing CSS ripple effects, CSS list styles, CSS glassmorphism, and CSS chat boxes.
And let’s not forget about articles on CSS dividers, CSS flip cards, CSS download buttons, and CSS card hover effects.
