npm comparisons
npm is compared head-to-head with uv, Yarn and pnpm and more: 7 head-to-heads in Package Managers, each with the specs and prices we checked.
npm head-to-head
npm vs each of them
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Package formats | Supported platforms | Dependency resolution | Lockfile support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | npm | Yes | $7/mo | package.json folders, gzipped tarballs, URLs, name@version, name@tag, Git URLs | macOS, Windows, Linux, and other operating systems via Node.js installers or version managers | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | uv | Yes | Free | source distributions, wheels, requirements.txt, pylock.toml | macOS, Linux, Windows, CPython, PyPy, Pyodide, GraalPy | Yes | Yes | 9.2 |
| 3 | Yarn | Yes | Free | npm packages; tarballs; local, Git, link, patch, portal, and workspace references | Linux, macOS, Windows | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | pnpm | Yes | Free | npm packages, JSR packages, Cargo crates, PyPI packages, tarballs, Git repositories, local directories | Linux, macOS, Windows, Android | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 5 | Gradle | Yes | Free | Maven, Ivy, flat directory | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 6 | Cargo | Yes | Free | Rust crates; crates.io packages; alternate registry packages; Git dependencies; local path dependencies | Windows; macOS; Linux; other Unix-like systems | Yes | Yes | 8.7 |
| 7 | Conan | Yes | Free | Conan recipes and binary packages | Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, embedded and bare-metal targets | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 8 | pip | Yes | Free | sdist, wheel | Linux, macOS, Windows, Python | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
Compare npm with any package manager
These are the matchups our editors wrote up. The compare tool pairs npm with any other product in Package Managers — and up to four at once — from the same checked specs.
Compare npm with any tool side by side →
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Compared by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update