Spectral vs vacuum

Spectral8.8Visit vacuum7.9Visit

Higher score Spectral #1 in API Linting Tools 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Spectral

vs

vacuum #4 in API Linting Tools 7.9/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit vacuum

• Spectral fits best

  Teams needing customizable OpenAPI and AsyncAPI linting

• vacuum fits best

  Teams wanting broad API linting and reporting

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Side by side

Feature	Spectral 8.8/10 Visit ↗	vacuum 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	7.9
Ranking	#1 in API Linting Tools	#4 in API Linting Tools
Best for	Teams needing customizable OpenAPI and AsyncAPI linting	Teams wanting broad API linting and reporting
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Spectral 0/5 · vacuum 0/5
OpenAPI linting	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
AsyncAPI linting	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
GraphQL schema linting	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Custom rules	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
CI integration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Built-in rulesets cover both OpenAPI and AsyncAPI. Custom rulesets and JavaScript or TypeScript functions extend linting. Works in CLI, JavaScript, CI, VS Code and JetBrains workflows.	Lints OpenAPI, AsyncAPI 3 and JSON Schema documents Supports Spectral-compatible rulesets and language-server integration Adds dashboards, offline HTML reports and CI/CD workflows
Cons	Focused on linting; it does not include a mock server. Requires teams to define and maintain custom rules for their conventions. Support is through community resources and documentation.	Primarily a CLI and Go library, not a hosted API design workspace Requires teams to integrate it into local development or pipelines Support channels are community and documentation
Our verdict	Spectral is an open-source linter for JSON and YAML API descriptions, aimed at developers and API teams that want to enforce style guides across local work, editors and Git-based processes. It includes built-in rulesets for OpenAPI and… Read the review →	vacuum is an open-source command-line tool and Go library for developers and API teams that want automated quality checks on API specifications. Its scope spans OpenAPI, AsyncAPI 3 and JSON Schema, making it a fit for teams working across… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Spectral — where it wins

  • Built-in rulesets cover both OpenAPI and AsyncAPI.
  • Custom rulesets and JavaScript or TypeScript functions extend linting.
  • Works in CLI, JavaScript, CI, VS Code and JetBrains workflows.

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on linting; it does not include a mock server.
  • Requires teams to define and maintain custom rules for their conventions.
  • Support is through community resources and documentation.

• vacuum — where it wins

  • Lints OpenAPI, AsyncAPI 3 and JSON Schema documents
  • Supports Spectral-compatible rulesets and language-server integration
  • Adds dashboards, offline HTML reports and CI/CD workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Primarily a CLI and Go library, not a hosted API design workspace
  • Requires teams to integrate it into local development or pipelines
  • Support channels are community and documentation

• Spectral8.8/10 · Free plan

  A customizable JSON and YAML linter for teams enforcing OpenAPI and AsyncAPI standards.

  Visit SpectralFull verdict →
• vacuum7.9/10 · Open source

  A broad, local-first API linting toolkit with reporting and CI support.

  Visit vacuumFull verdict →