Squirrelly
Squirrelly: A free, open-source JavaScript engine for reusable templates, async work, and inheritance. Ranked #44 of 65 in Template Engine Software by our editors (5.1/10); pricing: Free plan; best for javaScript teams needing async templates and inheritance.
At a glance
- Editor score5.1 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forJavaScript teams needing async templates and inheritance
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Rendering modeBoth
- Facts checked23 Oct 2026
Where it wins
- Supports synchronous rendering and asynchronous helpers and operations
- Includes inheritance, partials, helpers, filters, conditionals, and loops
- Offers caching, precompilation, custom delimiters, and ExpressJS integration
Where it doesn't
- Its focus is JavaScript template rendering rather than broader application features
- ExpressJS is the listed integration
- It does not include AI features
Our verdict on Squirrelly
Squirrelly is an open-source JavaScript template engine written in TypeScript, for developers generating dynamic text or HTML from reusable templates. It supports rendering and compilation, with helpers, filters, conditionals, loops, partials, and template inheritance. Templates can run synchronously or be configured for asynchronous helpers and operations. Browser use and JavaScript runtimes are within its stated scope, making it a fit for JavaScript teams that want reusable templates without adopting a paid plan.
Its depth is in composition and execution: teams can combine inherited templates with partials and file includes, customize delimiters, trim whitespace, and use inline JavaScript expressions. Caching and precompilation offer additional ways to handle templates in an application. ExpressJS compatibility gives teams in that ecosystem a documented connection point. These capabilities suit projects where templates are part of a JavaScript application; they are less relevant if the need is a broader content or site-building system.
Squirrelly is distributed as open-source software with a free plan, and the published product details identify no paid tiers to compare. The project documentation identifies Squirrelly v8 as current and notes that v7 remains maintained. The feature set centers on template work, not AI capabilities, and ExpressJS is the listed integration, so teams whose requirements depend on a wider named integration ecosystem may want another fit. Choose Squirrelly for JavaScript-based template rendering, especially when async operations and inheritance matter; look elsewhere if templates are only a small part of a broader platform requirement.
Your product? Our editors can test Squirrelly in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Squirrelly pricing
Squirrelly fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Rendering mode | Both |
| Syntax model | Code-generation |
| Template inheritance | Yes |
| Automatic escaping | Not verified |
| Sandbox mode | Not verified |
| Async rendering | Yes |
| License model | Open-source |
| Deployment | Cloud, Browser extension |
| Platforms | Web |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 1 integrations: ExpressJS |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | squirrelly.js.org |
| Facts checked | 23 Oct 2026 |
Squirrelly integrations
Squirrelly lists 1 integrations on its own site.
- ExpressJS
Alternatives to Squirrelly
- JinjaJinja gives Python applications inheritance, configurable rendering, and compilation in an open-source engine.9.4
- TwigA free, open-source PHP engine for compiled templates, inheritance, escaping, and sandboxing.9.3
- Handlebars.jsA free, open-source template engine for JavaScript projects that need reusable HTML.9.2
See all Squirrelly alternatives →
Used Squirrelly? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Squirrelly for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
Squirrelly is listed in our Template Engine Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/squirrelly/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/squirrelly.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update