DevTools VS

esbuild vs Vite

Updated Aug 23, 2026

Quick Verdict

Vite has 2.1x more GitHub stars, while esbuild has 1.6x more weekly downloads.

GitHub Stars
esbuild 40.0K
vs
Vite 82.5K
Downloads/wk
esbuild 267.0M
vs
Vite 169.3M
Contributors
esbuild 130
vs
Vite 1.3K
Bundle Size
esbuild 15.1 KB
vs
Vite N/A

esbuild

Website

An extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler written in Go

bundlerfastgominifier

Next generation frontend tooling with instant HMR

bundlerdev-serverhmresm

Detailed Comparison

Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm

Metric
esbuild
Vite
GitHub Stars
40.0K
82.5K
Weekly Downloads
267.0M
169.3M
Forks
1.3K
8.7K
Open Issues
605
752
Contributors
130
1.3K
Bundle Size (gzip)
15.1 KB
N/A
Dependencies
0
5
Latest Version
0.28.2
8.2.2
Last Commit
Aug 9, 2026
Aug 23, 2026
License
MIT
MIT
First Published
Nov 26, 2017
Apr 21, 2020

Download Trends

Weekly npm downloads over the past 52 weeks

Feature Comparison

Framework capabilities at a glance

Feature
esbuild
Vite
Hmr
Tree Shaking
Code Splitting
Typescript
Css Modules
Plugins
Esm

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about esbuild vs Vite

Is esbuild better than Vite?

It depends on your use case. esbuild is an extremely fast javascript and css bundler written in go, while Vite is next generation frontend tooling with instant hmr. Compare the stats and features above to decide which fits your needs.

Is esbuild still maintained in 2026?

Yes, esbuild was last updated on August 9, 2026 and has 130 contributors.

Can I migrate from esbuild to Vite?

Migration complexity depends on how deeply esbuild is integrated into your project. Both tools serve similar purposes in the Bundlers & Build Tools space, so migration is generally feasible with proper planning.

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