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The best Babel alternatives

3 tools that do a similar job to Babel, 3 of them open source. Each entry says what it does and who it suits, so you can pick the one that fits instead of the most famous.

You're replacing

Babel

A compiler that converts newer JavaScript into versions older browsers and runtimes can run.

  1. 1

    esbuild

    Open source · MIT · ★ 40.1k

    A very fast tool that bundles and minifies JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS for the web.

    Best for: Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects; Teams using React or other JSX-based frontends

    Full review Babel vs esbuild
  2. 2

    Parcel

    Open source · MIT · ★ 44k

    A zero-config web build tool that bundles JavaScript, CSS, HTML and other assets.

    Best for: Web developers who want a bundler that works without a config file; Small to medium front-end projects that need to get running quickly

    Full review Babel vs Parcel
  3. 3

    Electron React Boilerplate

    Open source · MIT · ★ 24.3k

    A starter template for building desktop apps with Electron and React in TypeScript.

    Best for: Developers who know React and want to build a cross-platform desktop app; Teams starting a new Electron project who want a maintained, pre-wired setup

    Full review

How we pick: tools in the same category that solve the same problem, projects that name each other as alternatives, and open-source projects that describe themselves as an alternative to Babel. We don't take payment for placement.