npm
Extremely Popular
Version 11.11.0
85
Excellenta package manager for JavaScript
- Weekly Downloads
- 13.1M
↑32%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 3.2 MB
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
Npm vs Pnpm vs Yarn
Side-by-side NPM package comparison
pnpm
Extremely Popular
Version 10.30.3
85
ExcellentFast, disk space efficient package manager
- Weekly Downloads
- 56.2M
↑25%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 1.6 KB
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
yarn
Very Popular
Version 1.22.22
73
Good📦🐈 Fast, reliable, and secure dependency management.
- Weekly Downloads
- 8.6M
↑19%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 1.5 MB
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
60
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
Choosing between Npm and Pnpm and Yarn? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.
Downloads & Popularity
Pnpm leads with 56.2M weekly downloads — roughly 4.3x more. Npm has 13.1M weekly downloads. Yarn has 8.6M 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 1.6 KB. Yarn comes in at 1.5 MB. Npm comes in at 3.2 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, 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 large community support, strong security track record.
Our Verdict
Both Npm and Pnpm and Yarn are solid choices for JavaScript development. Npm has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.
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 (56.2M), 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 1.6 KB. 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 13.1M weekly downloads and Pnpm has approximately 56.2M 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.