NuGet vs Yarn
NuGet
nuget.orgYarn
yarnpkg.comSide by side
| Figure | NuGet | Yarn |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.1 (#31) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Lockfile support | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | .nupkg,.snupkg | npm packages; tarballs; local,Git,link,patch,portal,and workspace references |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | NuGet is the package manager for .NET, providing tools to create, share, and consume packages. | Yarn is a package manager that also describes itself as a project manager. |
| Supported platforms | Windows,macOS,Linux,.NET | Linux,macOS,Windows |
Plans
In their own words
NuGet
NuGet is a package manager for .NET projects, with tools to create and consume packages and the NuGet Gallery as a central repository. Packages use the .nupkg format and can include compiled code, related files and a descriptive manifest; .snupkg is also supported. NuGet resolves dependency graphs and records package identifiers and versions so projects can restore dependencies across machines and build servers. PackageReference and packages.config are supported, with PackageReference required for .NET SDK-style projects. Developers can manage packages in Visual Studio or use the dotnet CLI and nuget.exe. Packages may be hosted in private cloud locations, private networks or local file systems. Restore can check dependencies against configured vulnerability sources and report warnings. NuGet also supports lockfiles, offline installation, private registry authentication and package signatures. The service is free, and the Gallery code is open source under Apache 2.0. The dotnet CLI works on Windows, macOS and Linux; nuget.exe runs on Windows and can run on macOS and Linux with Mono, with limitations.
Yarn
Yarn is a package manager and project manager for JavaScript projects, serving uses from simple projects to industry monorepos. It resolves dependencies, maintains lockfiles and provides workspaces that install and link packages within a project. Modern Yarn uses Plug'n'Play by default, generating a Node.js loader file instead of a typical node_modules folder; users can choose node_modules or pnpm-style symlink installs instead. Yarn caches installed packages and shares them among projects on the same machine. Its offline mirror and zero-installs workflow can keep cached packages in a repository and reduce reliance on the npm registry. Plugins can extend resolvers, fetchers, linkers, commands and lifecycle hooks. Generated editor SDKs and settings support VSCode, Vim, Emacs and Neovim. Yarn runs on Linux, macOS and Windows and is free, with no paid plans or usage limits stated. Its documentation notes that React Native and Expo require typical node_modules installs. Yarn does not run audits during installation by default; users can run yarn npm audit separately.