Feature Comparison

Feature	pnpm	npm	Notes
Workspace support	✅	✅
Isolated node_modules	✅	✅	Default in pnpm.
Hoisted node_modules	✅	✅	Default in npm.
Plug'n'Play	✅	❌
Autoinstalling peers	✅	✅
Patching dependencies	✅	❌
Managing runtimes	✅	❌
Managing versions of itself	✅	❌
Has a lockfile	✅	✅	pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json.
Overrides support	✅	✅
Content-addressable storage	✅	❌
Dynamic package execution	✅	✅	pnx, npx.
Side-effects cache	✅	❌
Catalogs	✅	❌
Config dependencies	✅	❌
JSR registry support	✅	❌
Auto-install before script run	✅	❌
Hooks	✅	❌
Build script security	✅	❌
SBOM generation	✅	✅	pnpm sbom, npm sbom.
Listing licenses	✅	❌	pnpm supports it via pnpm licenses list.

Note: To keep the comparison concise, we include only features likely to be used frequently.