DevTools VS

esbuild vs Vite

Updated Mar 4, 2026

Quick Verdict

Vite has 2.0x more GitHub stars, while esbuild has 1.8x more weekly downloads.

GitHub Stars
esbuild 39.8K
vs
Vite 78.6K
Downloads/wk
esbuild 129.8M
vs
Vite 70.2M
Contributors
esbuild 124
vs
Vite 1.2K
Bundle Size
esbuild N/A
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
39.8K
78.6K
Weekly Downloads
129.8M
70.2M
Forks
1.3K
7.9K
Open Issues
601
635
Contributors
124
1.2K
Bundle Size (gzip)
N/A
N/A
Dependencies
0
6
Latest Version
0.27.3
7.3.1
Last Commit
Feb 5, 2026
Mar 4, 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 February 5, 2026 and has 124 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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