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Developer Tools · head to head

Earthly vs ESLint

Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ESLint logo

ESLint

Developer Tools

Find and fix problems in JavaScript code

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact; ESLint slow performance on large codebases compared to newer tools like Oxlint and Biome

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Earthly and ESLint actually diverge.

Attributes where Earthly and ESLint differ
AttributeEarthlyESLint
Pricing modelNo pricing published on websiteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, CLIBrowser-based JavaScript, Node.js, Any JavaScript environment
Founded20202019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

Only in ESLint

Nothing recorded that Earthly does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot ESLint
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot ESLint
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot ESLint
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot ESLint

ESLint

  • Statically analysing JavaScript and JSX to find problems before runtimenot Earthly
  • Automatically fixing issues with syntax-aware rewritesnot Earthly
  • Enforcing a consistent code style across a teamnot Earthly
  • Running as a CI step to block non-conforming codenot Earthly
  • Writing custom rules for project-specific conventionsnot Earthly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

ESLint

  • Slow performance on large codebases compared to newer tools like Oxlint and Biome
  • Complexity in configuration from scratch, particularly for TypeScript support
  • Limited built-in TypeScript support, requiring separate parsers and coordination with new TypeScript features

Pricing, plan by plan

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

ESLint

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ESLint review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Choose ESLint if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Browser-based JavaScript, Node.js, Any JavaScript environment.
ESLint review

Questions people ask

Is Earthly or ESLint better?
Neither clearly leads. Earthly starts at Free and ESLint at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Earthly or ESLint?
Earthly starts at Free and ESLint at Free.
Does Earthly or ESLint run on more platforms?
Earthly runs on Web, CLI. ESLint runs on Browser-based JavaScript, Node.js, Any JavaScript environment.
Can I use Earthly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Earthly best used for?
Earthly is most often used for enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers, automating incident response procedures across all repositories, embedding compliance requirements into development workflows, standardizing build processes with earthfiles. Of those, enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers and automating incident response procedures across all repositories are not what ESLint is typically brought in for.
What can Earthly do that ESLint cannot?
Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
ESLint: Does ESLint automatically fix code issues?

Many problems ESLint finds can be automatically fixed via the --fix flag. ESLint fixes are syntax-aware so you won't experience errors introduced by traditional find-and-replace algorithms.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
ESLint: How much does ESLint cost?

ESLint is completely free and open-source software maintained by the OpenJS Foundation. The project accepts voluntary donations from sponsors.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
ESLint: Can I write custom ESLint rules?

Yes. You can develop custom rules that work alongside built-in functionality through ESLint's plugin system, allowing complete customization for your project needs.

Source
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