Softwr

Developer Tools · head to head

Prettier vs Rollup

Prettier logo

Prettier

Developer Tools

Opinionated code formatter

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Rollup logo

Rollup

Web Development

JavaScript module bundler built for libraries

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Prettier inflexible style rules that cannot be customized significantly, forcing teams to accept opinionated defaults; Rollup slower than the Go and Rust bundlers that followed it, since it is written in JavaScript
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Prettier and Rollup actually diverge.

Attributes where Prettier and Rollup differ
AttributePrettierRollup
Pricing modelfreeOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsCLI, Editor Plugins, Build ToolsLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryDeveloper ToolsWeb Development
Founded2016Unknown

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 Prettier

Nothing recorded that Rollup does not also cover.

Only in Rollup

  • Tree shaking
  • Clean output
  • Multiple output formats
  • Plugin API

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 Rollup
  • Enforcing consistent HTML indentation across component filesnot Rollup
  • Removing style-related comments from pull request reviewsnot Rollup
  • Formatting GraphQL queries with consistent indentationnot Rollup

Rollup

  • Publishing a JavaScript library in several module formatsnot Prettier
  • Builds where output size and cleanliness matter more than build speednot Prettier
  • Producing ES module output for consumers who will bundle it themselvesnot 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

Rollup

  • Slower than the Go and Rust bundlers that followed it, since it is written in JavaScript
  • Application concerns like dev servers and hot reloading are not its job, so app builds need Vite on top
  • Configuration for non-trivial applications gets verbose compared with tools that assume more

Pricing, plan by plan

Prettier

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prettier review.

Rollup

Free
  • RollupFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Prettier if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on CLI, Editor Plugins, Build Tools.
Prettier review

Choose Rollup if

  • You need tree shaking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want clean output.
Rollup review

Questions people ask

Is Prettier or Rollup better?
Neither clearly leads. Prettier starts at Free and Rollup at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Prettier or Rollup?
Prettier starts at Free and Rollup at Free.
Does Prettier or Rollup run on more platforms?
Prettier runs on CLI, Editor Plugins, Build Tools. Rollup runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Prettier for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Rollup is typically brought in for.
What can Prettier do that Rollup cannot?
Rollup covers Tree shaking, Clean output, Multiple output formats, Plugin API.

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
Rollup: Is Rollup free?

Yes, open source under the MIT licence.

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
Rollup: Rollup or webpack?

Rollup is the usual choice for libraries thanks to cleaner output and better tree shaking. webpack remains stronger for complex applications with heavy asset handling.

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
Rollup: Do I need Rollup if I use Vite?

Not directly. Vite uses Rollup for production builds, so you already benefit from it.

Share

Related pages

More on Prettier

More on Rollup

Keep looking

Other head to heads