head to head · open source
parcel vs extension.js
parcel has 44,008 GitHub stars, 2,425 forks, 606 open issues and last shipped yesterday. extension.js has 5,206 stars, 144 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped yesterday. parcel leads on adoption by 745% (44,008 vs 5,206 stars). parcel is written in JavaScript under MIT; extension.js is written in TypeScript under MIT. parcel has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, extension.js 3%. extension.js 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.
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Side by side
| parcel | extension.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 5.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 144 |
| 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 extension.js if
- You want the extension.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and extension.js 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 extension.js
[npm version image]: [npm version url]: [npm downloads image]: [npm downloads url]: [action image]: [action url]: [discord image]: [discord url]: [snyk image]: [snyk url]: [scorecard image]: [scorecard url]: Extension.js [![Version][npm version image]][npm version url] [![Downloads][npm downloads image]][npm downloads url] [![CI][action image]][action url] [![Discord][discord image]][discord url] [![OpenSSF Scorecard][scorecard image]][scorecard url] The cross browser extension framework. Build for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari with no build config required. Works with npm , pnpm , yarn , bun , and deno…
read the full extension.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is parcel or extension.js more popular?
parcel has 44,008 GitHub stars and extension.js has 5,206. parcel has the larger community by that measure.
Are parcel and extension.js free?
Both are open source. parcel is licensed under MIT and extension.js under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parcel and extension.js?
parcel is written in JavaScript and extension.js in TypeScript. 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 extension.js?
Choose parcel if you want the larger community (44,008 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose extension.js if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.