Spotless vs Scalafmt

SSpotless7.7Visit Scalafmt6.6Visit

Higher score S Spotless #3 in Code Formatting Tools 7.7/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Spotless

vs

Scalafmt #8 in Code Formatting Tools 6.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Scalafmt

• Spotless fits best

  JVM build-driven projects

• Scalafmt fits best

  Scala projects using build tools

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Side by side

Feature	SSpotless 7.7/10 Visit ↗	Scalafmt 6.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.7	6.6
Ranking	#3 in Code Formatting Tools	#8 in Code Formatting Tools
Best for	JVM build-driven projects	Scala projects using build tools
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	Not published	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	12 integrations
Features Spotless 4/4 · Scalafmt 4/4
Editor integration	✓	✓
Ignore files	✓	✓
Changed-lines formatting	✓	✓
Library API	✓	✓
Specs
Supported languages	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	Scala 2, Scala 3, sbt, Scala scripts
Supported platforms	Gradle, Maven, SBT, other build systems	CLI, editors, build tools, standalone library
License model	Open_source	Open_source
Our review
Pros	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	Supports Scala 2 and Scala 3 dialects Integrates with sbt, Maven, Gradle, and Mill Offers editor, changed-file, and library API options
Cons	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	Focused on Scala, sbt, and Scala scripts rather than many languages Configuration is managed through a .scalafmt.conf file Not a hosted commercial service with paid support tiers
Our verdict	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 →	Scalafmt is an open-source code formatter for Scala projects, including Scala 2, Scala 3, sbt, and Scala script files. It reformats code according to settings in a .scalafmt.conf file and can run through the command line, editors, build… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• Scalafmt — where it wins

  • Supports Scala 2 and Scala 3 dialects
  • Integrates with sbt, Maven, Gradle, and Mill
  • Offers editor, changed-file, and library API options

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on Scala, sbt, and Scala scripts rather than many languages
  • Configuration is managed through a .scalafmt.conf file
  • Not a hosted commercial service with paid support tiers

• SSpotless7.7/10 · Open source

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

  Visit SpotlessFull verdict →
• Scalafmt6.6/10 · Free plan

  A configurable, open-source formatter for Scala code, scripts, and build files.

  Visit ScalafmtFull verdict →