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Esbuild vs Rolldown

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

esbuild

Extremely Popular

Version 0.27.4

85
Excellent

An extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler and minifier.

Weekly Downloads
116.3M
↑51%
Bundle (gzip)
42.1 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

rolldown

Very Popular

Version 1.0.0-rc.9

85
Excellent

Fast JavaScript/TypeScript bundler in Rust with Rollup-compatible API.

Weekly Downloads
6.4M
↑80%
Bundle (gzip)
220.4 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Esbuild and Rolldown? 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

Esbuild leads with 116.3M weekly downloads — roughly 18.2x more. Rolldown has 6.4M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Esbuild has the smallest gzipped bundle at 42.1 KB. Rolldown comes in at 220.4 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

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

When to Choose Each

Choose Esbuild if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Rolldown if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Esbuild and Rolldown are solid choices for JavaScript development. Esbuild 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 esbuild better than rolldown?
It depends on your needs. Esbuild has a health score of 85/100 while Rolldown scores 85/100. Esbuild has more weekly downloads (116.3M), 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, esbuild or rolldown?
Esbuild has the smaller gzipped bundle at 42.1 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use esbuild vs rolldown?
Based on npm download statistics, Esbuild has approximately 116.3M weekly downloads and Rolldown has approximately 6.4M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, esbuild or rolldown?
Esbuild currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Esbuild has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Rolldown scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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