Development Tools · head to head
pnpm vs npm
The short version
- Each has a real cost: pnpm smaller ecosystem and community compared to npm; npm private packages require a paid user or organization account; the free registry publishes publicly only
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which pnpm and npm actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 pnpm
Nothing recorded that npm does not also cover.
Only in npm
- Package installation
- Dependency management
- Version management
- Script running
- Package publishing
- Security auditing
- Package discovery
- CLI interface
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
pnpm
No use cases recorded yet. See the pnpm review.
npm
- Package managementnot pnpm
- Dependency installationnot pnpm
- Project scaffoldingnot pnpm
- Build automationnot pnpm
- Package publishingnot pnpm
- Version controlnot pnpm
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
pnpm
- Smaller ecosystem and community compared to npm
- Symlink-based approach can cause issues in some Windows environments
npm
- Private packages require a paid user or organization account; the free registry publishes publicly only
Pricing, plan by plan
pnpm
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the pnpm review.
npm
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited public packages
- Package discovery
- npm CLI
- Pro$7/month
- Unlimited private packages
- Package analytics
- Support
- Teams$7/month
- Team management
- Organization packages
- Audit logs
Which should you pick?
Choose npm if
- You need package installation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- You also want dependency management.
Questions people ask
- Is pnpm or npm better?
- Neither clearly leads. pnpm starts at Free and npm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, pnpm or npm?
- pnpm starts at Free and npm at Free.
- Does pnpm or npm run on more platforms?
- pnpm runs on Linux, Windows, macOS. npm runs on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- Can I use pnpm for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What can pnpm do that npm cannot?
- npm covers Package installation, Dependency management, Version management, Script running.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
pnpm: Is pnpm free and open source?
Yes. pnpm is free and open source software developed for Node.js. Version 10 and 11 are currently available.
Sourcepnpm: How does pnpm save disk space?
pnpm uses a content-addressable store with hard linking and symlinks to avoid duplication. All files are saved in a single place on disk and hard-linked to individual projects, dramatically reducing storage requirements compared to npm.
Sourcepnpm: Is pnpm faster than npm?
Yes. pnpm performs installation in three stages: dependency resolution, directory structure calculation, and linking. Packages are fetched and linked as soon as possible, making it significantly faster than npm's sequential approach.
Sourcepnpm: Does pnpm support monorepos?
Yes. pnpm has built-in support for monorepositories. You can create a workspace using pnpm-workspace.yaml to unite multiple projects in a single repository.
Sourcepnpm: How does pnpm handle node_modules differently than npm?
pnpm uses symlinks to add only direct dependencies to node_modules root, preventing accidental access to undeclared dependencies. This encourages more explicit dependency management compared to npm's flattened node_modules structure.
Source