# Browserify vs esbuild

| Attribute | Browserify | esbuild |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 52.9 (66% (medium)) | 54.1 (66% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 4 | 0 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 365,847 | 491,246 |
| adoption.github_stars | 14,694 | 40,078 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Browserify is a development tool that bundles Node.js modules and their dependencies for use in the browser, supporting source maps for debugging and a flexible plugin system for transforming source files. It is indexed under Bundlers.","source":"https://browserify.org","question":"What is Browserify?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Browserify is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://browserify.org","question":"Is Browserify free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Browserify supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://browserify.org","question":"What platforms does Browserify support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Browserify is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify","question":"Is Browserify open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"A fast bundler that combines JavaScript and other web assets into optimized output, with built-in TypeScript support and APIs accessible through command-line, JavaScript, and Go interfaces. It is indexed under Bundlers.","source":"https://esbuild.github.io","question":"What is esbuild?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"esbuild supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://esbuild.github.io","question":"What platforms does esbuild support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. esbuild is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild","question":"Is esbuild open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| description.long | A tool for combining JavaScript modules into files that can run in web browsers, enabling developers to write code once and use it in both server and browser contexts. Includes support for source maps to maintain debugging visibility. | A fast bundler that combines JavaScript and other web assets into optimized output, with built-in TypeScript support and APIs accessible through command-line, JavaScript, and Go interfaces. |
| features.capabilities | `{"source_maps":true,"code_splitting":true}` | `{"source_maps":true,"css_bundling":true,"tree_shaking":true}` |
| language.primary | JavaScript | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://browserify.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T16:32:30.741Z"}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | open_source | - |
| pricing.price_level | free | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 68 | 21 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v17.0.1","date":"2024-10-03T19:44:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v17.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v17.0.0","date":"2020-10-10T09:33:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v17.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.5.1","date":"2020-03-30T10:25:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.5.0","date":"2019-08-25T12:04:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.4.0","date":"2019-08-25T12:04:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.3.0","date":"2019-07-11T11:25:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.2.3","date":"2018-09-25T14:35:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.2.2","date":"2018-05-09T08:01:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.2.1","date":"2018-05-09T08:01:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.2.0","date":"2018-04-11T13:11:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.1.1","date":"2018-04-11T13:11:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.1.0","date":"2018-04-11T13:11:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v16.0.0","date":"2018-04-11T13:10:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v16.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/v15.1.0","date":"2018-01-11T02:25:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/browserify/browserify/releases/tag/13.0.1","date":"2016-05-06T13:48:14Z","type":"stable","version":"13.0.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.28.2","date":"2026-08-08T19:58:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.28.1","date":"2026-06-11T22:47:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.28.0","date":"2026-04-02T20:38:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.7","date":"2026-04-02T16:43:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.5","date":"2026-04-02T00:29:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.4","date":"2026-03-12T14:24:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.3","date":"2026-02-05T22:03:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.2","date":"2025-12-17T01:05:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.1","date":"2025-12-03T20:25:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.27.0","date":"2025-11-09T19:02:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.26.0","date":"2025-11-09T03:28:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.26.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.12","date":"2025-11-01T23:36:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.11","date":"2025-10-15T02:13:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.10","date":"2025-09-17T16:19:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.9","date":"2025-08-12T23:27:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.8","date":"2025-07-19T19:24:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.7","date":"2025-07-18T22:51:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.6","date":"2025-07-07T17:00:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.5","date":"2025-05-27T03:14:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/evanw/esbuild/releases/tag/v0.25.4","date":"2025-05-06T00:31:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.4"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 4.9 | 5 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=browserify&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":3,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=esbuild&per_page=100","last_12m":2,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Bundlers)

| Capability | Browserify | esbuild |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Dev server hmr | - | - |
| Native esm dev | - | - |
| Code splitting | ✓ | - |
| Tree shaking | - | ✓ |
| Css bundling | - | ✓ |
| Zero config | - | - |
| Webpack plugin compat | - | - |
| Rollup plugin compat | - | - |
| Monorepo aware | - | - |
| Source maps | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:15:09.624Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*