DevTools VS

esbuild vs Rollup

Updated Mar 4, 2026

Quick Verdict

esbuild has 1.5x more GitHub stars, while esbuild has 1.5x more weekly downloads.

GitHub Stars
esbuild 39.8K
vs
Rollup 26.2K
Downloads/wk
esbuild 129.8M
vs
Rollup 84.9M
Contributors
esbuild 124
vs
Rollup 438
Bundle Size
esbuild N/A
vs
Rollup 54.7 KB

esbuild

Website

An extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler written in Go

bundlerfastgominifier

Rollup

Website

ES module bundler for JavaScript libraries

bundleresmlibrarytree-shaking

Detailed Comparison

Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm

Metric
esbuild
Rollup
GitHub Stars
39.8K
26.2K
Weekly Downloads
129.8M
84.9M
Forks
1.3K
1.7K
Open Issues
601
604
Contributors
124
438
Bundle Size (gzip)
N/A
54.7 KB
Dependencies
0
1
Latest Version
0.27.3
4.59.0
Last Commit
Feb 5, 2026
Mar 3, 2026
License
MIT
NOASSERTION
First Published
Nov 26, 2017
May 14, 2015

Download Trends

Weekly npm downloads over the past 52 weeks

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 February 5, 2026 and has 124 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.

Related Comparisons

Explore more comparisons