Turborepo vs Nx vs Moon: Monorepo Tools Compared 2026

TL;DR

Turborepo is the default for JavaScript monorepos in 2026 — simple config, Vercel's remote caching, and zero opiniated framework coupling. Nx wins for large enterprise teams needing code generation, affected graph analysis, and deep framework integration (Angular, React, Next.js). Moon is the rising alternative with Rust-based performance, task inheritance, and the first true multi-language monorepo support (JS + Rust + Go). For most teams: start with Turborepo. If you hit its limits, evaluate Nx or Moon.

Key Takeaways

• Turborepo: 700K downloads/week, Vercel-owned, simple turbo.json, remote cache built-in, Rust-rewritten in v2
• Nx: 2.5M downloads/week, enterprise features, code generators, affected commands, plugin ecosystem
• Moon: 50K downloads/week, Rust-based (fastest), multi-language, task inheritance, project graph
• Remote caching: Turborepo → Vercel Remote Cache (free for Vercel users); Nx → Nx Cloud; Moon → Moonbase
• Learning curve: Turborepo (low) < Moon (medium) < Nx (high)

---

Downloads

Package	Weekly Downloads	Trend
nx	~2.5M	→ Stable (enterprise standard)
turbo	~700K	↑ Growing
@moonrepo/cli	~50K	↑ Fast growing

---

Turborepo: Simple and Fast

# Create new Turborepo:
npx create-turbo@latest my-monorepo
cd my-monorepo && pnpm install

// turbo.json — minimal config:
{
  "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json",
  "tasks": {
    "build": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "outputs": [".next/**", "dist/**"]
    },
    "test": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "cache": true
    },
    "dev": {
      "persistent": true,
      "cache": false
    },
    "lint": {
      "dependsOn": ["^lint"]
    },
    "type-check": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"]
    }
  }
}

// package.json workspace config:
{
  "name": "my-monorepo",
  "workspaces": ["apps/*", "packages/*"],
  "scripts": {
    "build": "turbo build",
    "dev": "turbo dev",
    "test": "turbo test",
    "lint": "turbo lint"
  }
}

# Running tasks:
pnpm turbo build                    # Build all packages in dependency order
pnpm turbo build --filter=web       # Build only "web" app and its deps
pnpm turbo build --filter=...web    # Build web and all packages that depend on it
pnpm turbo build --filter=web...    # Build web and all its dependencies
pnpm turbo build --force            # Skip cache

# Remote caching (free with Vercel):
npx turbo login
npx turbo link  # Link to Vercel project for remote cache

Turborepo v2 Changes (Rust Rewrite)

# v2 performance improvement over v1 (Node.js):
# Cold start:   Node.js 480ms → Rust 45ms (-90%)
# Cached run:   Node.js 220ms → Rust 18ms (-92%)
# Hot path:     Near-zero overhead

# v2 new features:
# - Granular task environment variable hashing
# - Better --filter syntax
# - Watch mode for persistent tasks

---

Nx: Enterprise-Grade Monorepo

npx create-nx-workspace@latest my-workspace
# Choose: apps (Next.js, React, etc.) or integrated or package-based

// nx.json:
{
  "$schema": "./node_modules/nx/schemas/nx-schema.json",
  "targetDefaults": {
    "build": {
      "dependsOn": ["^build"],
      "cache": true
    },
    "test": {
      "cache": true
    }
  },
  "namedInputs": {
    "default": ["{projectRoot}/**/*", "sharedGlobals"],
    "production": ["default", "!{projectRoot}/**/?(*.)+(spec|test).*"]
  },
  "defaultBase": "main"
}

# Nx generators — create new projects from templates:
nx generate @nx/next:app my-next-app
nx generate @nx/react:lib ui-components
nx generate @nx/node:lib shared-utils

# Affected commands — only run what changed:
nx affected --target=build             # Build only affected projects
nx affected --target=test              # Test only affected projects
nx affected --base=main --head=HEAD    # Compare to main branch

# Project graph visualization:
nx graph  # Opens browser with interactive dependency graph

# Nx Console — VS Code extension:
# GUI for running tasks and generating code

// project.json — per-project task config:
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "$schema": "../../node_modules/nx/schemas/project-schema.json",
  "projectType": "application",
  "targets": {
    "build": {
      "executor": "@nx/next:build",
      "outputs": ["{options.outputPath}"],
      "options": {
        "outputPath": "dist/apps/my-app"
      }
    },
    "test": {
      "executor": "@nx/jest:jest",
      "options": {
        "jestConfig": "apps/my-app/jest.config.ts"
      }
    },
    "deploy": {
      "executor": "nx:run-commands",
      "dependsOn": ["build"],
      "options": {
        "command": "vercel --prod dist/apps/my-app"
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Moon: Rust-Powered Multi-Language

# Install Moon:
npm install --save-dev @moonrepo/cli
# Or globally:
npm install -g moon
moon init

# .moon/workspace.yml:
node:
  version: '22.0.0'
  packageManager: 'pnpm'

projects:
  globs:
    - 'apps/*'
    - 'packages/*'

vcs:
  manager: 'git'
  defaultBranch: 'main'

# moon.yml (root-level task inheritance):
tasks:
  build:
    command: 'pnpm build'
    inputs:
      - 'src/**/*'
      - 'tsconfig.json'
    outputs:
      - 'dist'
    deps:
      - '^:build'

  test:
    command: 'pnpm test'
    deps:
      - '^:build'

  lint:
    command: 'pnpm lint'
    inputs:
      - 'src/**/*'
      - '*.config.*'

# apps/web/moon.yml — project-level overrides:
type: 'application'
language: 'typescript'

tasks:
  # Inherit and extend root tasks:
  build:
    deps:
      - 'packages/ui:build'  # Explicit dependency
  
  # App-specific tasks:
  deploy:
    command: 'vercel --prod'
    deps:
      - '~:build'  # ~ = this project's build
    env:
      VERCEL_ORG_ID: '$VERCEL_ORG_ID'

# Moon commands:
moon run web:build          # Run build for web app
moon run :build             # Run build for ALL projects
moon run web:build --affected  # Only run if web changed
moon check                  # Validate all project configs
moon project-graph          # Show dependency graph (like nx graph)
moon query projects         # List all projects

---

Caching Comparison

	Turborepo	Nx	Moon
Local cache	✅	✅	✅
Remote cache	Vercel Remote Cache	Nx Cloud	Moonbase
Remote cache (free)	✅ (Vercel users)	500 credits/month	Limited
Remote cache (self-host)	✅ (via HTTP)	✅ (Nx Cloud Enterprise)	✅
Cache invalidation	File hashes + env vars	File hashes + env vars	File hashes + env vars + OS
Cache hit speed	~18ms (Rust)	~200ms (Node.js)	~12ms (Rust)

# Self-hosted remote cache for Turborepo (free alternative to Vercel):
# Use ducktape, turborepo-remote-cache, or Vercel's open protocol

# GitHub Actions remote cache (free):
- name: Setup Turborepo Remote Cache
  uses: dtinth/setup-github-actions-caching-for-turbo@v1

---

Feature Comparison

Feature	Turborepo	Nx	Moon
Learning curve	Low	High	Medium
Code generators	❌	✅ Extensive	❌
Affected analysis	✅ --filter	✅ affected	✅ --affected
Project graph	Basic	✅ Visual graph	✅ Visual graph
Multi-language	❌ JS only	Partial	✅ JS/Rust/Go
Task inheritance	Limited	Via presets	✅ Hierarchical
Plugin ecosystem	Small	Large	Growing
VS Code extension	Basic	✅ Nx Console	Partial
Enterprise support	Vercel	Nrwl/Nx	moonrepo

---

Decision Guide

Choose Turborepo if:
  → New monorepo, want simplest setup
  → Already on Vercel (free remote caching)
  → Small-to-medium team (< 20 engineers)
  → JavaScript/TypeScript only
  → Want minimal config overhead

Choose Nx if:
  → Large enterprise team (50+ engineers)
  → Need code generation for scaffolding
  → Angular or NestJS in the monorepo
  → Want the nx affected workflow in CI
  → Already invested in Nx plugins

Choose Moon if:
  → Multi-language monorepo (JS + Rust/Go)
  → Want task inheritance (hierarchical config)
  → Maximum build cache performance
  → Exploring alternatives to Vercel/Nrwl lock-in
  → Greenfield with future multi-language needs

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