Npm vs Pnpm vs Yarn

Downloads & Popularity

Pnpm leads with 72.9M weekly downloads — roughly 5.8x more. Npm has 12.7M weekly downloads. Yarn has 10.1M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Pnpm has the smallest gzipped bundle at 956.0 B. Npm comes in at 2.7 KB. Yarn comes in at 1.5 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Npm has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Pnpm has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Yarn has an overall health score of 73/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Npm if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Pnpm if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Yarn if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is npm better than pnpm?

It depends on your needs. Npm has a health score of 85/100 while Pnpm scores 85/100. Pnpm has more weekly downloads (72.9M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.

Which has a smaller bundle size, npm or pnpm?

Pnpm has the smaller gzipped bundle at 956.0 B. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.

How many developers use npm vs pnpm?

Based on npm download statistics, Npm has approximately 12.7M weekly downloads and Pnpm has approximately 72.9M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.

Which is better maintained, npm or pnpm?

Npm currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Npm has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Pnpm scores 100/100 on maintenance.