Software · head to head
Turborepo vs pnpm
Turborepo
Software
High-performance build system for JavaScript and TypeScript monorepos
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Turborepo requires JavaScript/TypeScript monorepo architecture; pnpm smaller ecosystem and community compared to npm
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Turborepo and pnpm actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Turborepo
- Monorepo scaling for JavaScript/TypeScript projectsnot pnpm
- Accelerating build times through cachingnot pnpm
- Reducing CI/CD computing costsnot pnpm
- Managing multiple interdependent packagesnot pnpm
pnpm
No use cases recorded yet. See the pnpm review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Turborepo
- Requires JavaScript/TypeScript monorepo architecture
pnpm
- Smaller ecosystem and community compared to npm
- Symlink-based approach can cause issues in some Windows environments
Pricing, plan by plan
Turborepo
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Turborepo review.
pnpm
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the pnpm review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Turborepo if
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on JavaScript/TypeScript, npm, yarn, pnpm.
Questions people ask
- Is Turborepo or pnpm better?
- Neither clearly leads. Turborepo starts at Free and pnpm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Turborepo or pnpm?
- Turborepo starts at Free and pnpm at Free.
- Does Turborepo or pnpm run on more platforms?
- Turborepo runs on JavaScript/TypeScript, npm, yarn, pnpm. pnpm runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
- Can I use Turborepo for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Turborepo best used for?
- Turborepo is most often used for monorepo scaling for javascript/typescript projects, accelerating build times through caching, reducing ci/cd computing costs, managing multiple interdependent packages. Of those, monorepo scaling for javascript/typescript projects and accelerating build times through caching are not what pnpm is typically brought in for.
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