What is pnpm?
A package manager optimized for installation speed and disk space efficiency with workspace support for monorepos and supply chain attack mitigation.
What pnpm does
The capabilities that matter for package registries, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Role
- Package manager client
- Ecosystem / language
- JavaScript
- Deployment
- CLI-local
- Package formats supported
- Single ecosystem
- Private / scoped packages
- -
- Upstream proxy / caching
- -
- Lockfile / deterministic installs
- -
- Workspaces / monorepo
- ✓
- Content-addressable store
- -
- Supply-chain integrity
- ✓
- Vulnerability / licence scanning
- -
- Openness
- Open-source
- Pricing model
- Free / OSS
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
pnpm alternatives
Other package registries we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- BunA fast all-in-one JavaScript runtimelow · 19%
- uvAn extremely fast Python package and project manager, written in Rust.low · 40%
- pipThe package installer for Pythonlow · 26%
- HomebrewThe Package Manager for Everywherelow · 18%
- PoetryPython dependency management and packaging made easylow · 32%
- Verdacciolow · 34%
The Vioscale score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for pnpm, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package Downloads | 100 | 22.00 | 2200.0 | ✓ |
| Github Activity | 63 | 16.00 | 1009.6 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 46 | 14.00 | 641.4 | ✓ |
| Github Stars | 86 | 4.00 | 343.7 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 0 | 8.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Release Cadence | 0 | 10.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Security Posture | 0 | 26.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Stackoverflow Activity | 0 | 8.00 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 100 | mediumsource · 2026-08-01 · 65% |
Adoption
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | {"role":"manager_client","ecosystem":"js","deployment":"cli_local","workspaces":true,"open_source":"oss","pricing_model":"free","package_formats":"single","supply_chain_integrity":true} | mediumsource · 2026-08-01 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Rust | highsource · 2026-08-01 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | MIT | highsource · 2026-08-01 · 99% |