npm vs snpm

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.

snpm is a free, open-source package manager for Node.js projects and JavaScript workspaces. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with native binaries for x64 and arm64. Its CLI provides npm-style install, add, run, exec, and dlx commands, plus auditing, dependency inspection, license listing, patching, packing, publishing, and store maintenance. Workspaces can be filtered by name, glob, path, dependency walk, or Git reference. snpm imports pnpm, Bun, Yarn, or npm lockfiles when snpm-lock.yaml is missing, then uses its own lockfile as the source of truth. Packages are downloaded once into a shared store and linked through a node_modules/.snpm virtual store. Lifecycle scripts are blocked unless allowed, package age can be restricted, and tarball authentication is registry-scoped. Publishing includes workspace fan-out, tags, OTP, and dry-run modes. An included Node manager handles version installation and discovery. The npm install script requires Node.js 18 or newer.