esbuild vs webpack
Updated Oct 18, 2026
Quick Verdict
webpack has 1.6x more GitHub stars.
GitHub Stars
esbuild 40.1K
vs
webpack 66.0K
Downloads/wk
esbuild 0
vs
webpack 26.8M
Contributors
esbuild 130
vs
webpack 995
Bundle Size
esbuild 15.1 KB
vs
webpack 1521.0 KB
Detailed Comparison
Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm
Metric
esbuild
webpack
GitHub Stars
40.1K
66.0K
Weekly Downloads
0
26.8M
Forks
1.4K
9.5K
Open Issues
633
116
Contributors
130
995
Bundle Size (gzip)
15.1 KB
1.5 MB
Dependencies
0
17
Latest Version
0.28.2
5.112.0
Last Commit
Aug 9, 2026
Oct 18, 2026
License
MIT
MIT
First Published
Nov 26, 2017
Mar 11, 2012
Feature Comparison
Framework capabilities at a glance
Feature
esbuild
webpack
Hmr
Tree Shaking
Code Splitting
Typescript
Css Modules
Plugins
Esm
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about esbuild vs webpack
Is esbuild better than webpack?
It depends on your use case. esbuild is an extremely fast javascript and css bundler written in go, while webpack is a module bundler for modern javascript applications. 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 webpack?
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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