# CLI11 vs Commander.js

| Attribute | CLI11 | Commander.js |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 52.1 (14% (low)) | 53.2 (24% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 45 | 0 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1 | 1,082,389 |
| adoption.github_stars | 4,424 | 28,375 |
| description.long | CLI11 is a C++ library for building command-line tools. It offers an intuitive API for defining command options, subcommands, and configuration files with no external dependencies beyond C++11, and is tested across Linux, macOS, and Windows. | Commander.js is an open-source npm package that streamlines the creation of Node.js command-line interfaces. It automates command parsing, option processing, subcommand management, and provides integrated help text and error handling for CLI developers. |
| language.primary | C++ | JavaScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://cliutils.github.io/CLI11/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:55:28.057Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://github.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:49:23.560Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| release.cadence_days | 86 | 77 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.7.2","date":"2026-08-02T14:12:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.7.1","date":"2026-07-31T14:21:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.7.0","date":"2026-07-30T22:06:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.6.2","date":"2026-02-26T14:44:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.6.1","date":"2025-10-27T13:19:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.6.0","date":"2025-10-20T13:10:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.5.0","date":"2025-02-27T12:29:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.4.2","date":"2024-05-04T04:56:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.4.1","date":"2024-02-08T03:17:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.4.0","date":"2024-02-05T04:07:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.3.2","date":"2023-01-04T04:09:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.3.1","date":"2022-11-01T03:57:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.3.0","date":"2022-10-06T04:23:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.2.0","date":"2022-03-27T03:47:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.1.2","date":"2021-10-18T14:15:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.1.1","date":"2021-09-29T13:05:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.1.0","date":"2021-09-20T20:11:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v2.0.0","date":"2021-07-14T15:39:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v1.9.1","date":"2020-06-20T14:34:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11/releases/tag/v1.9.0","date":"2020-01-19T23:03:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.9.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v15.0.0","date":"2026-05-29T09:21:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v15.0.0-0","date":"2026-02-21T07:24:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v15.0.0-0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v14.0.3","date":"2026-01-31T01:49:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v14.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v14.0.2","date":"2025-10-25T12:09:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v14.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v14.0.1","date":"2025-09-12T07:29:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v14.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v14.0.0","date":"2025-05-18T06:12:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v14.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v13.1.0","date":"2025-01-20T23:31:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v13.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v13.0.0","date":"2024-12-30T05:30:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v13.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v13.0.0-0","date":"2024-12-06T23:14:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v13.0.0-0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v12.1.0","date":"2024-05-18T11:18:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v12.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v12.0.0","date":"2024-02-03T09:46:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v12.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v12.0.0-1","date":"2024-01-19T20:17:25Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v12.0.0-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v12.0.0-0","date":"2023-11-11T05:46:25Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v12.0.0-0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v11.1.0","date":"2023-10-13T00:32:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v11.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v11.0.0","date":"2023-06-16T00:50:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v11.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v10.0.1","date":"2023-04-15T05:02:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v10.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v10.0.0","date":"2023-01-14T01:54:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v10.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v9.5.0","date":"2023-01-07T07:07:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v9.4.1","date":"2022-09-30T07:29:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/tj/commander.js/releases/tag/v9.4.0","date":"2022-07-15T06:21:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v9.4.0"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 7.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=conda&package_name=cli11&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=commander&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (CLI Frameworks)

| Capability | CLI11 | Commander.js |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Language | - | - |
| Design style | - | - |
| Nested subcommands | - | - |
| Auto generated help | - | - |
| Plugin system | - | - |
| Interactive prompts | - | - |
| Type validation | - | - |
| Styled rich output | - | - |
| Project scaffolding | - | - |
| Test harness | - | - |
| Open source | - | - |
| License | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:05:12.187Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*