DevTools VS

esbuild vs Vite

Updated Apr 26, 2026

Quick Verdict

Vite has 2.0x more GitHub stars, while esbuild has 1.9x more weekly downloads.

GitHub Stars
esbuild 39.9K
vs
Vite 80.2K
Downloads/wk
esbuild 209.1M
vs
Vite 112.7M
Contributors
esbuild 126
vs
Vite 1.3K
Bundle Size
esbuild N/A
vs
Vite N/A

esbuild

Website

An extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler written in Go

bundlerfastgominifier

Next generation frontend tooling with instant HMR

bundlerdev-serverhmresm

Detailed Comparison

Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm

Metric
esbuild
Vite
GitHub Stars
39.9K
80.2K
Weekly Downloads
209.1M
112.7M
Forks
1.3K
8.1K
Open Issues
611
721
Contributors
126
1.3K
Bundle Size (gzip)
N/A
N/A
Dependencies
0
5
Latest Version
0.28.0
8.0.10
Last Commit
Apr 2, 2026
Apr 24, 2026
License
MIT
MIT
First Published
Nov 26, 2017
Apr 21, 2020

Download Trends

Weekly npm downloads over the past 52 weeks

Feature Comparison

Framework capabilities at a glance

Feature
esbuild
Vite
Hmr
Tree Shaking
Code Splitting
Typescript
Css Modules
Plugins
Esm

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about esbuild vs Vite

Is esbuild better than Vite?

It depends on your use case. esbuild is an extremely fast javascript and css bundler written in go, while Vite is next generation frontend tooling with instant hmr. Compare the stats and features above to decide which fits your needs.

Is esbuild still maintained in 2026?

Yes, esbuild was last updated on April 2, 2026 and has 126 contributors.

Can I migrate from esbuild to Vite?

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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