Prettier vs Black

Prettier8.2Visit BBlack6.9Visit

Higher score Prettier #2 in Code Formatting Tools 8.2/10 Open source ✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Prettier

vs

B Black #6 in Code Formatting Tools 6.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Black

• Prettier fits best

  Web development teams

• Black fits best

  Python formatting with stable conventions

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Side by side

Feature	Prettier 8.2/10 Visit ↗	BBlack 6.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.2	6.9
Ranking	#2 in Code Formatting Tools	#6 in Code Formatting Tools
Best for	Web development teams	Python formatting with stable conventions
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	Not published	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	7 integrations	12 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Prettier 3/4 · Black 3/4
Editor integration	✓	✓
Ignore files	✓	✓
Changed-lines formatting	Not published	✓ (best)
Library API	✓ (best)	—
Specs
Supported languages	JavaScript, JSX, Angular, Vue, Flow, TypeScript, CSS, Less, SCSS, HTML, Ember/Handlebars, JSON, GraphQL, Markdown, GFM, MDX v1, YAML, LWC, MJML	Python
Supported platforms	Browser and JavaScript API	Windows, macOS, Linux, local HTTP API
License model	Open_source	Open_source
Our review
Pros	Covers JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, GraphQL, Markdown, and YAML Works across major editors, command line, CI, pre-commit hooks, and JavaScript APIs Supports ignore rules, formatting checks, and plugins for additional languages	Opinionated PEP 8-compliant formatting for consistent Python style Changed-line, check-only, diff, and ignore-rule support Integrations across editors, GitHub Actions, pre-commit, and notebooks
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage how it runs Support is provided through documentation Does not include AI features	Supports Python rather than multiple programming languages Jupyter Notebook formatting requires an optional installation extra No library API is listed in the published category specifications
Our verdict	Prettier is an open-source code formatter for teams that want a consistent style across web-language source files. It parses and reprints supported files, including JavaScript, JSX, Angular, Vue, Flow, TypeScript, CSS, Less, SCSS, HTML,… Read the review →	Black is an open-source Python code formatter for developers and teams that want repeatable style decisions and smaller diffs during code review. It reformats Python files in place and can process files, directories, standard input, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Prettier — where it wins

  • Covers JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, GraphQL, Markdown, and YAML
  • Works across major editors, command line, CI, pre-commit hooks, and JavaScript APIs
  • Supports ignore rules, formatting checks, and plugins for additional languages

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage how it runs
  • Support is provided through documentation
  • Does not include AI features

• Black — where it wins

  • Opinionated PEP 8-compliant formatting for consistent Python style
  • Changed-line, check-only, diff, and ignore-rule support
  • Integrations across editors, GitHub Actions, pre-commit, and notebooks

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports Python rather than multiple programming languages
  • Jupyter Notebook formatting requires an optional installation extra
  • No library API is listed in the published category specifications

• Prettier8.2/10 · Open source

  A broad, open-source formatter for web-language teams across editors and workflows.

  Visit PrettierFull verdict →
• BBlack6.9/10 · Free plan

  A focused open-source formatter for consistent Python style and smaller diffs.

  Visit BlackFull verdict →