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Browser Extensions · head to head

Stylus vs Violentmonkey

Stylus logo

Stylus

Browser Extensions

Restyle the web with custom CSS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Violentmonkey logo

Violentmonkey

Browser Extensions

Open source userscript manager

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Stylus crashes and instability when applying certain styles; Violentmonkey smaller script ecosystem compared to Tampermonkey which has larger user base and more available scripts
  • They diverge on capability: Stylus covers Custom CSS injection, Violentmonkey covers Userscript support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Stylus and Violentmonkey actually diverge.

Attributes where Stylus and Violentmonkey differ
AttributeStylusViolentmonkey
Pricing modelfreeUnknown
PlatformsChrome, Firefox, Edge, OperaChrome, Firefox, Edge
Founded20172013

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

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 Stylus

  • Custom CSS injection
  • Style management
  • userstyles.world integration
  • Built-in editor

Only in Violentmonkey

  • Userscript support
  • Clean interface
  • Cloud sync
  • Script editor

Both cover

  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Opera support

What people use each for

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

Stylus

  • Customizing website appearance with community-created CSS themesnot Violentmonkey
  • Writing personal style overrides for specific websitesnot Violentmonkey
  • Managing multiple styles across different websites automaticallynot Violentmonkey
  • Searching and installing user-styles for current websitesnot Violentmonkey
  • Migrating style collections from Stylish extensionnot Violentmonkey

Violentmonkey

  • Run open-source userscripts to customize or automate web pagesnot Stylus
  • Import scripts compatible with Greasemonkey and Tampermonkey formatsnot Stylus
  • Sync scripts and settings across browsers via Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or WebDAVnot Stylus
  • Batch import/export scripts as zip filesnot Stylus

Where each one falls short

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

Stylus

  • Crashes and instability when applying certain styles
  • No visual element selector tool for identifying page elements to style
  • Security risk if downloading and applying untrusted user-created styles

Violentmonkey

  • Smaller script ecosystem compared to Tampermonkey which has larger user base and more available scripts
  • Less marketing and visibility results in lower adoption compared to more widely-known alternatives
  • Community maintenance model means slower feature development compared to commercial alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Stylus

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Custom CSS
    • Style library
    • Style editor

Violentmonkey

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Violentmonkey review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Stylus if

  • You need custom css injection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
  • You also want style management.
Stylus review

Choose Violentmonkey if

  • You need userscript support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
  • You also want clean interface.
Violentmonkey review

Questions people ask

Is Stylus or Violentmonkey better?
Neither clearly leads. Stylus starts at Free and Violentmonkey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Stylus or Violentmonkey?
Stylus starts at Free and Violentmonkey at Free.
Does Stylus or Violentmonkey run on more platforms?
Stylus runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera. Violentmonkey runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge.
Can I use Stylus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Stylus best used for?
Stylus is most often used for customizing website appearance with community-created css themes, writing personal style overrides for specific websites, managing multiple styles across different websites automatically, searching and installing user-styles for current websites. Of those, customizing website appearance with community-created css themes and writing personal style overrides for specific websites are not what Violentmonkey is typically brought in for.
What can Stylus do that Violentmonkey cannot?
Stylus covers Custom CSS injection, Style management, userstyles.world integration, Built-in editor. Violentmonkey covers Userscript support, Clean interface, Cloud sync, Script editor. Both handle Chrome support, Firefox support, Edge support, Opera support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Stylus: Is Stylus free?

Yes. Stylus is completely free and open-source, available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers.

Source
Violentmonkey: Is Violentmonkey open-source?

Yes. Violentmonkey is fully open-source and available on GitHub, making it free to use and community-maintained unlike Tampermonkey which has a larger proprietary ecosystem.

Source
Stylus: Can I use Stylus to change the browser UI?

No. Due to WebExtensions security restrictions, Stylus can only customize website pages, not the browser interface itself.

Source
Violentmonkey: What browsers does Violentmonkey support?

Violentmonkey works on browsers with WebExtensions support, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers.

Source
Stylus: What CSS pre-processors does Stylus support?

Stylus supports CSS, LESS, and Stylus syntax with built-in linting using Stylelint and CSSLint-mod with customizable rules.

Source
Violentmonkey: How does Violentmonkey compare to Tampermonkey in performance?

Community benchmarks show Violentmonkey uses about 15 to 30 percent less RAM on Chrome compared to Tampermonkey when managing many open tabs.

Source
Violentmonkey: What is the current version of Violentmonkey?

Violentmonkey reached version 2.46.0 as of July 31, 2026, with active ongoing development and regular updates to the open-source project.

Source
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