# Browserify vs esbuild

| Attribute | Browserify | esbuild |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 46.1 (21% (low)) | 70.4 (21% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | 34 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 365,847 | 491,246 |
| adoption.github_stars | 14,701 | 40,018 |
| description.long | 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. | 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. |
| language.primary | JavaScript | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":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 | 3.9 | 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:44:46.921Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*