Is Prettier or Principle better?

Neither clearly leads. Prettier starts at Free and Principle at $129/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Prettier or Principle?

Prettier has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Prettier and $129/one-time for Principle.

Does Prettier or Principle run on more platforms?

Prettier runs on API, Editor Plugins, Build Tools. Principle runs on macOS.

Can I use Prettier for free?

Yes. Prettier has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Principle starts at $129/one-time.

What is Prettier best used for?

Prettier is most often used for automatically formatting typescript files to project style standards, enforcing consistent html indentation across component files, removing style-related comments from pull request reviews, formatting graphql queries with consistent indentation. Of those, automatically formatting typescript files to project style standards and enforcing consistent html indentation across component files are not what Principle is typically brought in for.

What can Prettier do that Principle cannot?

Principle covers Timeline-based animation, Interactive prototypes, Touch gestures, Component reuse.

Developer Tools · head to head

Prettier vs Principle

Prettier

Developer Tools

Opinionated code formatter

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Visit Prettier Full review

Principle

Design

Animate your ideas, design better apps

From: $129/one-time
Free plan: No

Visit Principle Full review

The short version

Prettier is an opinionated code formatter.
Prettier is free; Principle starts at $129 one-off.
Where Prettier falls short: inflexible style rules that cannot be customized significantly, forcing teams to accept opinionated defaults.
Where Principle falls short: macOS only with no Windows or Linux editor available.
Prices and features on this page were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Prettier and Principle actually diverge.

Attributes where Prettier and Principle differ
Attribute	Prettier	Principle
Starting price	Free	$129/one-time
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	API, Editor Plugins, Build Tools	macOS
Category	Developer Tools	Design
Founded	2016	2015

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Principle.

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 Prettier

Nothing recorded that Principle does not also cover.

Only in Principle

Timeline-based animation
Interactive prototypes
Touch gestures
Component reuse
Video export
Sketch import
Figma import
Driver animations

What people use each for

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

Prettier

Automatically formatting TypeScript files to project style standardsnot Principle
Enforcing consistent HTML indentation across component filesnot Principle
Removing style-related comments from pull request reviewsnot Principle
Formatting GraphQL queries with consistent indentationnot Principle

Principle

Mobile app prototypesnot Prettier
Micro-interactionsnot Prettier
Animation designnot Prettier
User flow designnot Prettier
Gesture-based interfacesnot Prettier

Where each one falls short

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

Prettier

Inflexible style rules that cannot be customized significantly, forcing teams to accept opinionated defaults
Developers must format entire files rather than selective line ranges in some contexts
Limited language support compared to some alternatives, though it covers major languages

Principle

macOS only with no Windows or Linux editor available
No vector morphing capability for complex shape transformations
Limited asset creation tools; cannot create vectors or shapes directly within Principle
Sketch import flattens certain properties including paths, fills, borders, masks, blur effects, and text layers
Limited variable support, logical loops, and data input capabilities compared to tools like ProtoPie or Origami

Pricing, plan by plan

Prettier

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prettier review.

Principle

$129/one-time

License$129 one-off
- One year of upgrades
- Full access to all features
Upgrade License$99/yr
- Annual renewal for ongoing upgrades

Which should you pick?

Choose Prettier if

You want to start without paying.
You work on API, Editor Plugins, Build Tools.

Prettier review

Choose Principle if

You need timeline-based animation.
You work on macOS.
You also want interactive prototypes.

Principle review

Questions people ask

Is Prettier or Principle better?: Neither clearly leads. Prettier starts at Free and Principle at $129/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Prettier or Principle?: Prettier has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Prettier and $129/one-time for Principle.
Does Prettier or Principle run on more platforms?: Prettier runs on API, Editor Plugins, Build Tools. Principle runs on macOS.
Can I use Prettier for free?: Yes. Prettier has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Principle starts at $129/one-time.
What is Prettier best used for?: Prettier is most often used for automatically formatting typescript files to project style standards, enforcing consistent html indentation across component files, removing style-related comments from pull request reviews, formatting graphql queries with consistent indentation. Of those, automatically formatting typescript files to project style standards and enforcing consistent html indentation across component files are not what Principle is typically brought in for.
What can Prettier do that Principle cannot?: Principle covers Timeline-based animation, Interactive prototypes, Touch gestures, Component reuse.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Prettier: Is Prettier free and open source?

Yes, Prettier is completely free and open source, available as an npm package with no licensing costs or subscriptions.

Source

Principle: Does Principle run on Windows or Linux?

No. Principle is macOS only and runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. There is no Windows or Linux editor available; however, prototypes can be shared and viewed on any platform via web link.

Source

Prettier: Can Prettier be integrated with ESLint?

Yes, Prettier integrates with ESLint by disabling ESLint formatting rules via eslint-config-prettier, allowing both tools to work together with Prettier handling formatting and ESLint handling code quality.

Source

Principle: What is the cost of Principle?

Principle costs $129 for a one-time purchase with 1 year of upgrades included. After 1 year, upgrade licenses cost $99/year. A 14-day free trial is available with all features included.

Source

Prettier: Does Prettier support configuration customization?

Prettier is intentionally opinionated with limited configuration options to enforce consistency. You can create a .prettierrc file for basic customization, but Prettier does not support extensive rule customization like ESLint.

Source

Principle: Can I import designs from Figma or Sketch into Principle?

Yes. Principle supports importing designs from Figma and Sketch with intelligent merging of re-imported files. Some Sketch properties such as paths, fills, borders, blur effects, masks, and text layers are flattened upon import.

Source

Principle: How do I share Principle prototypes with others?

Prototypes can be shared via web link with one click (File > Export > Share to Web). Recipients can view and interact with prototypes in any browser on any platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS. No installation required.

Source

Principle: Can I create vector shapes and morphing animations in Principle?

Principle does not support vector morphing, where vector objects transform into other vector shapes. It also has limited asset creation capabilities and editing is restricted to basic operations like scale and rotate.

Source

Prettier vs Principle

Prettier

Principle

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Prettier

Only in Principle

What people use each for

Prettier

Principle

Where each one falls short

Prettier

Principle

Pricing, plan by plan

Prettier

Principle

Which should you pick?

Choose Prettier if

Choose Principle if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Prettier

More on Principle

Keep looking

Other head to heads