Compare software

Babel vs SWC: catalog facts
Babel	SWC
Best for: Web developers who need modern JavaScript to run in older browsers	Best for: JavaScript and TypeScript developers who want faster builds than Babel
Free Free and open source, funded by community sponsors.	Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Command line
Lets you use new JavaScript features while supporting older browsers Widely used in build pipelines All 3 strengths for Babel Lets you use new JavaScript features while supporting older browsers Widely used in build pipelines Active project with a recent major release	Much faster transpilation than Babel by the project's benchmarks Handles compilation, minification and bundling All 4 strengths for SWC Much faster transpilation than Babel by the project's benchmarks Handles compilation, minification and bundling Prebuilt binaries for many platforms Used by widely adopted tools such as Next.js and Deno
Usually needs configuration inside a build setup Newer, faster tools now cover some of its use cases	Most people use it through another build tool rather than directly Plugins via WebAssembly add complexity compared with Babel plugins
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Web application
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Babel babeljs.io Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for SWC swc.rs Catalog checked October 2, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.