Comparison

ESLint vs flake8

On the evidence we track, ESLint leads this comparison with a composite score of 76/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★ESLint76
flake864
Score
vioscaleAI score
ESLint76 / 100high · 78%
flake864 / 100medium · 66%
Pricing
Free tier
ESLint✓
flake8✓
Model
flake8free
Price level
ESLintfree
flake8free
Transparent
ESLint–
flake8✓
Integrations
Count
ESLint2
flake83
Adoption
Dependent repos
ESLint1,569,244
flake8153,063
Github stars
ESLint27,559
flake83,828
Package downloads weekly
Activity
Commits last 30d
ESLint44
flake821
Release
Cadence days
ESLint13
flake8–
History
ESLint20 items
flake8–
License
Spdx
ESLintMIT
flake8MIT
Language
Primary
flake8Python
Content
Faq
ESLint5 items
flake86 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for code quality tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Function
ESLintLinter + formatter
flake8Linter
Language scope
ESLintSingle-language
flake8Single-language
Implementation language
ESLintJavaScript
flake8Python
Capability
Autofix
ESLint✓
flake8✗
Config
Config model
ESLintConfig file
flake8Config file
Extensibility
Custom rules
ESLint✓
flake8✓
Deployment
Deployment
ESLintCLI-local
flake8CLI-local
Delivery
Editor integration
ESLint✓
flake8✓
CI / VCS gating
ESLint✓
flake8✓
Insight
Code metrics
ESLint-
flake8✓
Performance
Incremental / monorepo aware
ESLint-
flake8-
Licensing
Open-source
ESLintOSS
flake8OSS
Commercial
Pricing model
ESLintFree
flake8Free

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

ESLint

Leader

Open-source linter that uses abstract syntax tree analysis to detect JavaScript code issues and apply syntax-aware fixes, with extensive customization through custom rules and parsers.

Independently observed

flake8

flake8 is an open-source Python linter that combines multiple style-checking tools to verify code compliance with PEP 8 and detect errors. It uses a plugin architecture for extensibility and is commonly integrated into development workflows and CI/CD pipelines.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

ESLint

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free open source

  • Open SourceFree
    • Find issues in JavaScript code
    • Automatically fix problems
    • Custom parsers
    • Custom rules
    • Text editor integration
    • +1 more
as of verify ↗

flake8

FreeFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
CLI
ESLint✓
flake8✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
ESLint✓
flake8✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

ESLint

Leader
2 total
  • eslint-plugin-react
  • eslint-plugin-unicorn
Independently observed

flake8

4 total
  • pycodestyle
  • pyflakes
  • mccabe
  • pre-commit
Independently observed
Still deciding?

ESLint or flake8: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.