pnpm vs Yarn
pnpm
pnpm.io
Yarn
yarnpkg.comSide by side
| Figure | pnpm | Yarn |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.0 (#35) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Spec score · JavaScript Package Managers | 7.5 (#12) | 7.8 (#8) |
| Spec score · Monorepo Management Tools | 7.3 (#27) | 7.8 (#17) |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lockfile support | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | npm packages,JSR packages,Cargo crates,PyPI packages,tarballs,Git repositories,local directories | npm packages; tarballs; local,Git,link,patch,portal,and workspace references |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | pnpm is a drop-in replacement for npm that manages project dependencies. | Yarn is a package manager that also describes itself as a project manager. |
| Supported platforms | Linux,macOS,Windows,Android | Linux,macOS,Windows |
| Workspace support | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
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.