Comparison

pnpm vs Yarn

On the evidence we track, pnpm leads this comparison with a composite score of 70/100. 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.
★pnpm70
Yarn64
Score
vioscaleAI score
pnpm70 / 100medium · 65%
Yarn64 / 100high · 75%
Pricing
Free tier
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Price level
pnpmfree
Yarnfree
Transparent
pnpm✓
Yarn–
Integrations
Count
pnpm7
Yarn3
Reliability
Status page
pnpm–
Yarn✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
pnpm600
Yarn13,468
Github stars
pnpm36,813
Yarn8,110
Package downloads weekly
Activity
Commits last 30d
pnpm100
Yarn18
Release
Cadence days
pnpm–
Yarn20
History
License
Spdx
Language
Primary
Market
Availability
Content
Faq

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for package registries. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Role
pnpmPackage manager client
YarnPackage manager client
Ecosystem
Ecosystem / language
pnpmJavaScript
YarnJavaScript
Deployment
Deployment
pnpmCLI-local
YarnCLI-local
Formats
Package formats supported
pnpmMany formats
YarnMany formats
Hosting
Private / scoped packages
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Upstream proxy / caching
pnpm✓
Yarn-
Resolution
Lockfile / deterministic installs
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Workspaces / monorepo
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Content-addressable store
pnpm✓
Yarn-
Supply chain
Supply-chain integrity
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Vulnerability / licence scanning
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Licensing
Openness
pnpmOpen-source
YarnOpen-source
Pricing
Pricing model
pnpmFree / OSS
YarnFree / OSS

What each one is

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

pnpm

Leader

A Node.js package manager that stores packages in a single content-addressable store and hard-links them into projects, eliminating duplication across projects and accelerating installation times

Independently observed

Yarn

Yarn is a modern package manager for JavaScript projects that prioritizes deterministic installations and includes built-in support for monorepos. It provides a complete solution for managing both dependencies and project structure with a focus on reliability and security.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

pnpm

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

Yarn

Open source
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
macOS
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Windows
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Linux
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
CLI
pnpm✓
Yarn✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
pnpm✓
Yarn✓

Integrations

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

In common (1)
  • npm

pnpm

Leader
12 total - 11 not shared
  • GitHub Actions
  • AppVeyor
  • Azure Pipelines
  • Bitbucket Pipelines
  • CircleCI
  • JSR
  • GitLab CI
  • Jenkins
  • Semaphore
  • Travis CI
  • GitLab
Independently observed

Yarn

3 total - 2 not shared
  • GitHub
  • Git
Independently observed
Still deciding?

pnpm or Yarn: 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.