Version 0.28.0
0
85
ExcellentAn extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler and minifier.
- Weekly Downloads
- 163.8M
↑37%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 43.0 KB
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
Esbuild vs Swc
Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Quick Verdict
Smallest Bundle
Swc
129.0 B gzipped
Most Popular
Esbuild
163.8M weekly downloads
Best Maintained
Esbuild
100/100 maintenance score
Highest Quality
Esbuild
50/100 quality score
Overall Pick
Esbuild
Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality
swc
Moderate
Version 1.0.11
0
59
FairAlias for @swc/cli
- Weekly Downloads
- 15.7K
1%Stable
- Bundle (gzip)
- 129.0 B
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
40
Popularity
60
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
Choosing between Esbuild and Swc? 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 163.8M weekly downloads — roughly 10434.0x more. Swc has 15.7K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Bundle Size
Swc has the smallest gzipped bundle at 129.0 B. Esbuild comes in at 43.0 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. Swc has an overall health score of 59/100 (moderate), with strong security 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 Swc if you value minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record.
Our Verdict
Both Esbuild and Swc 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 swc?
- It depends on your needs. Esbuild has a health score of 85/100 while Swc scores 59/100. Esbuild has more weekly downloads (163.8M), 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 swc?
- Swc has the smaller gzipped bundle at 129.0 B. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
- How many developers use esbuild vs swc?
- Based on npm download statistics, Esbuild has approximately 163.8M weekly downloads and Swc has approximately 15.7K weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
- Which is better maintained, esbuild or swc?
- Esbuild currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Esbuild has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Swc scores 40/100 on maintenance.
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One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.