The alternative is to start with basic HTML UI. Almost no styling. And build from there.
Understandably, few people like that advice because it doesn't make life easier. It does make your product better though, which is really all that matters.
But there's not alternative to starting from first principles. Material UI and all other Ui libs are a premature optimisation that will paint you into a corner.
I don't think material design is very pretty either and I'm very interested in alternatives, if only I knew what they were!