esbuild vs Rollup
Updated Oct 18, 2026
Quick Verdict
esbuild has 1.5x more GitHub stars.
GitHub Stars
esbuild 40.1K
vs
Rollup 26.3K
Downloads/wk
esbuild 0
vs
Rollup 0
Contributors
esbuild 130
vs
Rollup 479
Bundle Size
esbuild 15.1 KB
vs
Rollup N/A
Detailed Comparison
Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm
Metric
esbuild
Rollup
GitHub Stars
40.1K
26.3K
Weekly Downloads
0
0
Forks
1.4K
1.8K
Open Issues
633
600
Contributors
130
479
Bundle Size (gzip)
15.1 KB
N/A
Dependencies
0
1
Latest Version
0.28.2
4.64.9
Last Commit
Aug 9, 2026
Oct 18, 2026
License
MIT
NOASSERTION
First Published
Nov 26, 2017
May 14, 2015
Feature Comparison
Framework capabilities at a glance
Feature
esbuild
Rollup
Hmr
Tree Shaking
Code Splitting
Typescript
Css Modules
Plugins
Esm
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about esbuild vs Rollup
Is esbuild better than Rollup?
It depends on your use case. esbuild is an extremely fast javascript and css bundler written in go, while Rollup is es module bundler for javascript libraries. Compare the stats and features above to decide which fits your needs.
Is esbuild still maintained in 2026?
Yes, esbuild was last updated on August 9, 2026 and has 130 contributors.
Can I migrate from esbuild to Rollup?
Migration complexity depends on how deeply esbuild is integrated into your project. Both tools serve similar purposes in the Bundlers & Build Tools space, so migration is generally feasible with proper planning.
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