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Head-to-head · Code Formatting Tools

dprint vs Spotless

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score dprint #1 in Code Formatting Tools 9.0/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit dprint
Spotless #3 in Code Formatting Tools 7.7/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Spotless

dprint leads on 0 checks, Spotless on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoredprint · 9.0/10

dprint scores higher on our rubric for code formatting tools: 9.0 against 7.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #3.

dprint is the better fit for teams formatting many languages. Spotless is the better fit for JVM build-driven projects.

  • dprint fits best

    Teams formatting many languages

  • Spotless fits best

    JVM build-driven projects

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Side by side

Feature dprint 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Spotless 7.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 7.7
Ranking #1 in Code Formatting Tools #3 in Code Formatting Tools
Best for Teams formatting many languages JVM build-driven projects
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan Not published Not published
Free trial — —
Support Docs Docs
Integrations 6 integrations 5 integrations
Features dprint 4/4 · Spotless 4/4
Editor integration ✓ ✓
Ignore files ✓ ✓
Changed-lines formatting ✓ ✓
Library API ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported languages TypeScript, JavaScript, JSX, TSX, JSON, JSONC, Markdown, TOML, CSS, SCSS, Sass, Less, Dockerfile, C#, VB, Python, Jupyter, Go, Swift, HTML, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Angular, Jinja, Twig, Nunjucks, Vento, GraphQL, YAML, PHP, Quarto, Pandoc, R Markdown, LaTeX, BibTeX, R, Julia ANTLR, C, C#, C++, CSS, Flow, GraphQL, Groovy, HTML, Java, JavaScript, JSON, JSX, Kotlin, Less, Markdown, Objective-C, Protobuf, Python, Scala, SCSS, Shell, SQL, TypeScript, Vue, YAML, Gherkin, Go, RDF, Anything
Supported platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, WSL, Node.js, Deno Gradle, Maven, SBT, other build systems
License model Open_source Open_source
Our review
Pros
  • Supports programming, markup, data, and documentation formats
  • Formats only changed files and respects inclusion and ignore rules
  • Works through CLI, editor integrations, and JavaScript or Deno APIs
  • Supports many programming, markup, configuration, and data languages
  • Deep Gradle and Maven integration with external SBT support
  • Ratcheting, exclusions, hooks, linting, and custom formatter steps
Cons
  • Plugin-based workflows add configuration and plugin-management overhead
  • Teams must define formatting rules through configuration files
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of single-language projects
  • Build-system plugins may not suit teams seeking a hosted SaaS product
  • Its workflow centers on build automation rather than a standalone editor
  • Broad configuration options may require more setup than a narrow formatter
Our verdict

dprint is an open-source command-line formatting platform for developers and teams maintaining repositories with multiple languages. Its plugin architecture uses WebAssembly and process plugins to support formats including TypeScript,…

Read the review →

Spotless is an open-source code-formatting and linting tool for software projects. It is designed for developers and teams that want formatting checks and automatic fixes inside their build process, particularly JVM projects using Gradle,…

Read the review →
  1. dprintCode Formatting Tools 9.0Open source
  2. SpotlessCode Formatting Tools 7.7Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • dprint — where it wins

    • Supports programming, markup, data, and documentation formats
    • Formats only changed files and respects inclusion and ignore rules
    • Works through CLI, editor integrations, and JavaScript or Deno APIs

    Where it doesn't

    • Plugin-based workflows add configuration and plugin-management overhead
    • Teams must define formatting rules through configuration files
    • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of single-language projects

  • Spotless — where it wins

    • Supports many programming, markup, configuration, and data languages
    • Deep Gradle and Maven integration with external SBT support
    • Ratcheting, exclusions, hooks, linting, and custom formatter steps

    Where it doesn't

    • Build-system plugins may not suit teams seeking a hosted SaaS product
    • Its workflow centers on build automation rather than a standalone editor
    • Broad configuration options may require more setup than a narrow formatter
  • dprint9.0/10 · Open source

    A broad, editor-friendly formatter for multilingual repositories and changed-file workflows.

    Visit dprintFull verdict →
  • Spotless7.7/10 · Open source

    A build-focused formatter for JVM projects that need broad language coverage and automation.

    Visit SpotlessFull verdict →

More comparisons

All code formatting tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update