Biome vs ESLint
The fast Rust-based linter vs the JavaScript ecosystem standard. One runs in milliseconds. The other has every plugin imaginable.
Biome
Biome is 10-100x faster than ESLint, handles both linting AND formatting (replacing Prettier too), and has sane defaults out of the box. The plugin ecosystem gap is real, but for most projects, Biome's built-in rules cover everything you need.
Speed That Matters
Biome is written in Rust. Linting a large codebase takes milliseconds, not seconds. When your CI runs 10x faster and your editor never lags, that speed compounds into real productivity.
ESLint with TypeScript rules and Prettier can take 10+ seconds on large projects. Every save, every commit hook, every CI run.
All-in-One
Biome replaces ESLint AND Prettier. One tool, one config, no conflicts between linter and formatter. No more eslint-config-prettier, no more format-on-save races.
The ESLint + Prettier combo requires careful configuration to avoid conflicts. Biome has zero configuration conflicts because it's one tool.
The Plugin Gap
ESLint has thousands of plugins. eslint-plugin-react, eslint-plugin-import, eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y — whatever you need exists.
Biome has built-in rules that cover most of what popular ESLint plugins do, but niche plugins don't have Biome equivalents yet. This gap is closing but it's real.
Quick Comparison
| Factor | Biome | ESLint |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 10-100x faster | Slow on large projects |
| Formatting | Built-in | Needs Prettier |
| Config Complexity | Minimal | Complex (.eslintrc) |
| Plugin Ecosystem | Growing (built-in rules) | Massive |
| TypeScript | Native support | Via typescript-eslint |
| Migration | CLI migration tool | N/A (established) |
| IDE Support | VS Code, IntelliJ | Every IDE |
The Verdict
Use Biome if: You're starting a new project, want faster CI, or are tired of configuring ESLint + Prettier.
Use ESLint if: You rely on specific ESLint plugins, have a heavily customized config, or need the widest IDE support.
Consider: If you're using ESLint v9+ with flat config, the configuration story is much better. Evaluate if the speed gain justifies migration.
Biome is 10-100x faster than ESLint, handles both linting AND formatting (replacing Prettier too), and has sane defaults out of the box. The plugin ecosystem gap is real, but for most projects, Biome's built-in rules cover everything you need.
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