Open source Node.js alternatives
Every project in the catalog is MIT, Apache or BSD licensed. 1 projects explicitly describe themselves as a Node.js alternative; 0 more are in the category where Node.js is a typical product.
Projects that call themselves a “Node.js alternative”
Source: the project's GitHub description or README.
Bun
95oven-sh · Web Frameworks & Runtimes
Alternative to (project's own claim): Node.js
- You run TypeScript and JSX files directly without the need for additional configuration.
- With Node.js compatible package manager, you manage dependencies and run your projects.
- Using the built-in test handler, you manage the testing processes in your existing projects.
- • High number of open issues (9,545)
- • NeutralHacker News
Anthropic acquires Bun
“I'm talking statistically in terms of number of issues that reference segmentation faults in the Bun vs Deno GitHub repositories. Anecdata doesn't mean much.”
- • NeutralHacker News
Bun: Fast JavaScript runtime, transpiler, and NPM client written in Zig
“For starters, Go is not even memory safe. That aside, there are many reasons to choose a different language, memory safety is only one of very many tradeoffs that you make when choosing your tooling. In Bun's example, extreme performance has been achieved which no comparable…”
Verified against README · Oct 26, 2026 · source