Hex vs npm

Hex is a package manager for the BEAM ecosystem, including Elixir and Erlang. Its services include an HTTP API, a website, a package and index repository, HexDocs, Mix integration, and other components. Packages work with Mix, Rebar, and erlang.mk, and the site provides usage guidance for Gleam. Developers can fetch dependencies without creating an account.

Organizations can publish and retrieve private packages and manage which users can access them. Free organizations can publish public dependency policies; paid organizations can make policies private and apply them to public and private packages. A private package can depend only on packages in its organization’s repository and the global hexpm repository. Documentation explains how to build and serve a repository on infrastructure an organization operates. Hex supports organization authentication keys for CI, and its source code is licensed under the Apache 2 License. The Open Source plan is free. Private Packages are listed at $9 / user / month, with an annual option at $90 / per user / per year. Enterprise pricing is by contacting sales. Hex lists API, self-hosted, and web platforms.

npm is a JavaScript package registry and command-line tool for sharing code and managing packages. The Registry and CLI are free for public package use, and the Free plan lets public package authors publish unlimited public packages. npm accepts package.json folders, gzipped tarballs, URLs, name-and-version or name-and-tag references, and Git URLs. Its tools support dependency resolution, lockfiles, workspaces, private registry authentication, and offline installation. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and other operating systems through Node.js installers or version managers. For private packages, the Paid user account plan is $7 a month; Pro is also $7 a month for individual creators, while Teams is $7 per user per month for teams and organizations. Pro includes unlimited private packages and package-based permissions; Teams adds team-based permissions. Organizations can manage members, teams, roles, permissions, and package access. All plans include basic support and automatic security warnings. Paid billing starts when card details are submitted, with the first month charged immediately.