Package managers
Install Speed
The same project installed six ways — the cache and lockfile states you actually end up in, from a fresh clone to a warm re-run.
6/6scenarios where pnpm beats npm
96xfaster than npm on “everything warm”
14mspnpm's best run — “everything warm”
cleanA fresh clone. Nothing cached.
cacheReinstalling without a lockfile.
lockfileCI, first install.
cache + lockfileReinstalling a project you already have.
everything warmRunning install when nothing changed.
updateA dependency was bumped in package.json.
Total across all scenarios
- pnpm 12 + pnpr8.64sfastest
- pnpm 1210.5s1.21x slower
- pnpm 1124.3s2.81x slower
- npm1m 30s10.42x slower
All 6 scenarios added up.
Exact numbers
| Scenario | npmv12.0.2 | pnpm 11v11.25.0 | pnpm 12v12.3.0 | pnpm 12 + pnprv12.3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cleanA fresh clone. Nothing cached. | 48.6s | 8.06s | 5.04s | 3.29s |
| cacheReinstalling without a lockfile. | 14.3s | 4.54s | 788ms | 556ms |
| lockfileCI, first install. | 12.9s | 4.70s | 3.27s | 3.30s |
| cache + lockfileReinstalling a project you already have. | 8.44s | 2.21s | 439ms | 490ms |
| everything warmRunning install when nothing changed. | 1.34s | 571ms | 14ms | 17ms |
| updateA dependency was bumped in package.json. | 4.55s | 4.22s | 929ms | 987ms |
- Same project every time — the "alotta-files" fixture — so the only thing that changes is the package manager.
- Each number is the fastest of the three most recent runs.
- Everything installs through the same registry over the same emulated link (50ms, 200Mbps), so the times include the round trips a real install pays for.
- Six scenarios here. The suite measures three more that delete your cache or lockfile but keep node_modules — nobody works that way, so they are left out.
- pnpm 12 + pnpr is the same version and the same command, with resolution handled by the registry instead of locally.
Node.js version managers
Node.js Version Management
pnpm installs and switches Node.js versions itself, so you may not need a version manager at all. Here it is against fnm and nvm.
3/3scenarios where pnpm is fastest
17xfaster than nvm on “install (warm store)”
5mspnpm's best run — “run in project”
install (clean)Install Node.js 24, nothing cached.
install (warm store)Install a version you had before.
run in projectRun node in a project pinned to Node.js 22.
Total across all scenarios
- pnpm1.20sfastest
- fnm5.94s4.96x slower
- nvm6.12s5.12x slower
All 3 scenarios added up.
Exact numbers
| Scenario | pnpmv12.3.0 | fnmv1.39.0 | nvmv0.40.7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| install (clean)Install Node.js 24, nothing cached. | 1.03s | 2.98s | 3.15s |
| install (warm store)Install a version you had before. | 166ms | 2.95s | 2.88s |
| run in projectRun node in a project pinned to Node.js 22. | 5ms | 5ms | 93ms |
- pnpm keeps Node.js in its store, so a version it has seen before needs no download.
- There is no switch command — the node on your PATH is whatever the project asks for.
- Timed inside a shell with $EPOCHREALTIME, because nvm is a shell function rather than a binary.
How these numbers are produced
Every tool runs on the same machine against the same project, and the timings are committed to pnpm/benchmarks. This page reads them at build time and picks the newest version of each tool.
This is one project on one machine — your numbers will differ. Run pnpm run benchmark to see your own.