nvm vs vfox
nvm
github.comvfox
vfox.devSide by side
| Figure | nvm | vfox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Development Environment Managers | 8.4 (#10) | 8.0 (#16) |
| Automatic switching | Automatic directory switching is documented as user-added bash or zsh hooks rather than built into the core command. | It can automatically switch to the appropriate version when entering a project directory. |
| Integrations | Documented integrations include Docker, Ansible, zsh plugins, bash completion and optional nvshim shims. | The documentation lists community plugins for tools including Bun, Clang, CMake, Crystal, Dart, Deno, and .NET. |
| License | nvm is distributed under the MIT License, permitting use, modification, distribution and sale subject to retaining notices. | The site states that vfox is released under the Apache 2.0 License. |
| Purpose | nvm lets users install and use different Node.js versions from the command line. | vfox is a cross-platform version manager for installing and switching between development runtimes and SDKs. |
| Security | The GitHub repository links to a security policy, but the README does not state a security certification or compliance standard. | The multi-user guide recommends group permissions for a shared SDK directory and warns that broad 777 permissions expose it to unauthorized users. |
| Shell support | It works on POSIX-compliant shells including sh, dash, ksh, zsh, and bash. | Supported shells include PowerShell, Git Bash, Bash, ZSH, Fish, CMD, Clink, Cmder, and Nushell; CMD supports only global scope and is not recommended. |
| What it does | nvm is a per-user, per-shell command-line manager for installing and using multiple Node.js versions. | vfox is a cross-platform version manager for installing and switching development environments and runtime versions. |
Plans
In their own words
nvm
nvm is a free, MIT-licensed command-line tool for installing and managing Node.js versions. It is designed for installation per user and invocation per shell, and works in POSIX-compliant shells including sh, dash, ksh, zsh, and bash. Users can install specific versions, switch between them, set aliases such as a default, and use LTS aliases and commands to select long-term support versions. A project can specify its Node.js version in an.nvmrc file; documented shell snippets can support automatic switching. During installation, nvm can reinstall global npm packages from another installed Node.js version. With the --offline flag, it can install a version that was previously downloaded or cached without network access. The project documents use in Docker, including an example for CI/CD jobs. On Windows, nvm can work through WSL and may work with Git Bash or Cygwin depending on the environment. Fish shell is not supported, and the project points users to community alternatives. The project states that only the latest nvm version is supported.
vfox
vfox is a free, Apache 2.0-licensed version manager for development runtimes and SDKs on Linux, macOS and Windows. It supports project, session and global version scopes, and can switch to a project's version when entering its directory. Teams can record tool versions in `.vfox.toml` and share that configuration. A plugin system adds support for tools and environments; its public registry includes community plugins for tools such as Bun, Clang, CMake, Crystal, Dart, Deno and .NET. Plugins that support legacy version files can read formats such as `.nvmrc`, and this capability is enabled by default. Documented shells include PowerShell, Git Bash, Bash, ZSH, Fish, CMD, Clink, Cmder and Nushell. CMD is limited to global scope and is not recommended. For Docker, CI/CD and other non-interactive shells, the documentation recommends `vfox exec` instead of shell activation hooks. The configuration guide lists support for HTTP(S) proxies only. For shared SDK storage on Linux and macOS, the guide recommends group permissions and warns against world-writable access.