SWC vs TypeScript Playground
SWC
swc.rsTypeScript Playground
typescriptlang.orgSide by side
| Figure | SWC | TypeScript Playground |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · JavaScript Build Tools | 8.3 (#4) | 7.9 (#9) |
| Spec score · Code Transpilers | 8.1 (#8) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Integrations | The site names Next.js, Parcel, and Deno as tools that use SWC. | The Export menu includes options to open code in TypeScript AST Viewer, CodeSandbox and StackBlitz. |
| Limit | SWC's documentation warns its usage mode for polyfills is less efficient than Babel for certain dynamically computed property expressions. | The Playground focuses on a single text file, and its documentation directs users to CodeSandbox or StackBlitz when they need a general-purpose Node project environment. |
| Purpose | SWC is an extensible Rust-based platform for fast developer tools that can compile and bundle JavaScript and TypeScript. | The Playground is an online environment for writing, sharing, and safely experimenting with TypeScript and JavaScript code. |
Plans
In their own words
SWC
SWC is a free, extensible Rust-based platform for tools that compile and bundle JavaScript and TypeScript. It transforms modern JavaScript and TypeScript into code intended for major browsers, and supports minification, WebAssembly transforms, and custom plugins. Its core API parses ECMAScript, TypeScript, and Flow syntax; the documentation describes that API as mainly useful to build-tool authors. Integrations include webpack, Rspack, and Jest, while Next.js, Parcel, and Deno are among the tools named as users. A WebAssembly module can transform code synchronously inside a browser. SWC can be installed as prebuilt binaries or built from source, with packages documented for npm, Yarn, pnpm, Bun, and Deno. The site states that it is 20x faster than Babel on one thread and 70x faster on four cores. The bundling documentation says that feature will be dropped in v2 and recommends SWC-based bundlers instead. It also warns that its polyfill usage mode is less efficient than Babel for certain dynamically computed property expressions.
TypeScript Playground
TypeScript Playground is a free browser environment for writing, running, sharing, and safely experimenting with TypeScript and JavaScript. It accepts .ts, .tsx, .js, .jsx, and .d.ts files. Run converts code to JavaScript, executes it in the current browser session, and shows console output in Logs; the browser session can also support DOM API experiments. The editor centers on one text document and is described as a teaching tool that needs no setup. Users can select supported TypeScript builds, including beta, nightly, pull request, and older builds. The TS Config panel exposes a focused compiler-option set, while twoslash annotations can configure options beyond it. URLs can preserve code, compiler flags, and settings for sharing. Export can create Markdown, open TypeScript AST Viewer, or export a project to CodeSandbox or StackBlitz. Plugins are supported, including Presentation Mode, Clippy, TSQuery, Collaborate, and Transformer. The mobile layout uses a single pane and does not show transpiled JavaScript beside source.