Vite vs Vue CLI
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A fast frontend build tool with a quick dev server and optimized production builds.
Open source · MIT
Scaffolding and webpack-based build tooling for Vue.js projects, now in maintenance mode.
The short answer
Choose Vite if you need…
- Frontend developers starting a new modern web project
- Teams who want faster local dev server startup and hot reloading
- Developers who want a plugin system and typed JavaScript APIs
Choose Vue CLI if you need…
- Developers maintaining an existing Vue.js project that was created with Vue CLI
- Teams that need to keep an older webpack-based Vue build working
- Developers migrating an existing Vue CLI project to Vite
Side-by-side
| Vite | Vue CLI | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 83.7k | 29.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 15 months ago |
What each one is
Vite
Vite is a build tool for modern web projects. Its dev server serves your code quickly while you work, using native ES modules and fast hot module replacement so changes appear almost immediately in the browser. For production, its build command bundles your code into optimized static files.
Vue CLI
Vue CLI is a command-line tool for setting up and building Vue.js projects, built on webpack. The README describes it as webpack-based tooling for Vue.js development. The README now says the project is in maintenance mode and recommends create-vue, which scaffolds Vite-based projects, for new work.
Best for
Vite
- Frontend developers starting a new modern web project
- Teams who want faster local dev server startup and hot reloading
- Developers who want a plugin system and typed JavaScript APIs
Vue CLI
- Developers maintaining an existing Vue.js project that was created with Vue CLI
- Teams that need to keep an older webpack-based Vue build working
- Developers migrating an existing Vue CLI project to Vite
Strengths
Vite
- Dev server starts quickly and updates quickly during editing, per the README
- Production build outputs optimized static assets with little manual configuration
- Extensible through a plugin API and JavaScript API with full typing support
Vue CLI
- Widely used, with about 29,500 GitHub stars at the time of the metadata
- MIT licensed, so it is free to use and modify
- Has official documentation and a documented migration path to newer tools
Not ideal for
Vite
- People who only need a finished app and not a development toolchain, since Vite is a tool for building apps
- Non-developers, because setup and use require JavaScript project knowledge
Vue CLI
- Starting a brand-new Vue project: the README recommends create-vue instead, since Vue CLI is in maintenance mode
- Anyone looking for active feature development, because the README says the project is in maintenance mode
Trade-offs
Vite
- The README is brief and defers most detail to the external documentation site
- Its production bundling depends on Rolldown, a separate project, so the README gives limited detail on how that works for users
- Plugin ecosystem and compatibility details are not covered in the README
Vue CLI
- Maintenance mode means new features are unlikely; the README points to create-vue and Vite for new projects
- The README provided does not list specific commands or setup steps, so detailed usage is unclear from this text
Getting started
Vite
Scaffold a new project (per the create-vite package)
npm create vite@latestVue CLI
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vuejs/vue-cliFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Vite and Vue CLI?
Vite: A fast frontend build tool with a quick dev server and optimized production builds. Vue CLI: Scaffolding and webpack-based build tooling for Vue.js projects, now in maintenance mode. Vite suits frontend developers starting a new modern web project, while Vue CLI suits developers maintaining an existing vue.js project that was created with vue cli.
Are Vite and Vue CLI free?
Vite: Free and open source. Vue CLI: Free and open source.
Is Vite or Vue CLI more popular?
Vite has more GitHub stars (83.7k) than Vue CLI (29.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Vite and Vue CLI?
Other options people compare them with include webpack, Parcel, esbuild, Rspack, WXT.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.