head to head · open source
parcel vs erlang.mk
parcel has 44,008 GitHub stars, 2,425 forks, 606 open issues and last shipped yesterday. erlang.mk has 587 stars, 238 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. parcel leads on adoption by 7,397% (44,008 vs 587 stars). parcel is written in JavaScript under MIT; erlang.mk is written in Makefile under ISC. parcel has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, erlang.mk 41%. parcel was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (build-tool), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| parcel | erlang.mk | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 587 |
| License | MIT | ISC |
| Written in | JavaScript | Makefile |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 238 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick parcel if
- You weight community size — 44K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick erlang.mk if
- You want the erlang.mk feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the ISC license terms
- Your stack matches Makefile
- You evaluated both and erlang.mk fits your workflow better
About parcel
Parcel is a zero configuration build tool for the web. It combines a great out of the box development experience with a scalable architecture that can take your project from just getting started to massive production application. Features 😍 Zero config – Parcel supports many languages and file types out of the box, from web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to assets like images, fonts, videos, and more. It has a built in dev server with hot reloading, beautiful error diagnostics, and much more. No configuration needed! ⚡️ Lightning fast – Parcel's JavaScript compiler is written in Rust for native…
read the full parcel overview →
About erlang.mk
= Erlang.mk A build tool for Erlang that just works. guide] Embrace the power and simplicity of Makefiles. [source,make] PROJECT = webchat DEPS = cowboy dep cowboy commit = 2.8.0 include erlang.mk started] Tested and supported on FreeBSD, OSX] and Get help! server].
read the full erlang.mk overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More Build & Deployment projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Build & Deployment field.
Frequently asked questions
Is parcel or erlang.mk more popular?
parcel has 44,008 GitHub stars and erlang.mk has 587. parcel has the larger community by that measure.
Are parcel and erlang.mk free?
Both are open source. parcel is licensed under MIT and erlang.mk under ISC. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parcel and erlang.mk?
parcel is written in JavaScript and erlang.mk in Makefile. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, parcel or erlang.mk?
Choose parcel if you want the larger community (44,008 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose erlang.mk if its feature set, stack or ISC licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.