chalk alternatives
8 packages that do the same job as chalk: yoctocolors, yoctocolors-cjs, ansi-colors, ansi-escapes, picocolors, colorette, log-update, sisteransi. Figures below are from npm, GitHub and Bundlephobia.
| Package | Weekly downloads | 12-month change | Gzip | Dependencies | Last release | Module | Types | Runtimes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chalk This package | 411.5m | +34% | - | 0 | 1 month ago | ESM only | Bundled | Node.js |
| yoctocolors | 28.1m | +491% | - | 0 | 1 month ago | ESM only | Bundled | - |
| yoctocolors-cjs | 21.5m | +94% | - | 0 | 1 year ago | CommonJS | Bundled | - |
| ansi-colors | 45.7m | +39% | - | 0 | 4 years ago | CommonJS | Bundled | - |
| ansi-escapes | 95m | +45% | - | 1 | 7 months ago | ESM only | Bundled | - |
| picocolors | 179.4m | +116% | - | 0 | 1 year ago | CommonJS | Bundled | - |
| colorette | 57.7m | +47% | - | 0 | 3 years ago | ESM + CommonJS | Bundled | - |
| log-update | 31.5m | +31% | - | 6 | 5 months ago | ESM only | Bundled | - |
| sisteransi | 53.1m | +81% | - | 0 | 2 months ago | ESM only | Bundled | - |
12-month change compares the average of the last 4 weeks of downloads with the first 4 weeks of the 52-week series. Gzip size is for the whole package (Bundlephobia). Runtimes are taken from each package's own documentation; "-" means not recorded.
The smallest and fastest command-line coloring package on the internet
Compared with chalk
- 15x fewer weekly downloads (28.1m vs 411.5m)
- Declares Node.js >=18 vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 26 Jul 2026 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 27x fewer GitHub stars (877 vs 23.3k)
CommonJS version - The smallest and fastest command-line coloring package on the internet
Compared with chalk
- 19x fewer weekly downloads (21.5m vs 411.5m)
- CommonJS vs ESM only
- Declares Node.js >=18 vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 21 Aug 2025 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 27x fewer GitHub stars (877 vs 23.3k)
Easily add ANSI colors to your text and symbols in the terminal. A faster drop-in replacement for chalk, kleur and turbocolor (without the dependencies and rendering bugs).
Compared with chalk
- 9.0x fewer weekly downloads (45.7m vs 411.5m)
- CommonJS vs ESM only
- Declares Node.js >=6 vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 16 May 2022 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 51x fewer GitHub stars (454 vs 23.3k)
ANSI escape codes for manipulating the terminal
Compared with chalk
- 4.3x fewer weekly downloads (95m vs 411.5m)
- 1 dependency vs 0
- Declares Node.js >=18 vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 4 Feb 2026 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 42x fewer GitHub stars (552 vs 23.3k)
The tiniest and the fastest library for terminal output formatting with ANSI colors
Compared with chalk
- 2.3x fewer weekly downloads (179.4m vs 411.5m)
- CommonJS vs ESM only
- Declares no Node.js engine range vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 16 Oct 2024 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 13x fewer GitHub stars (1.8k vs 23.3k)
🌈Easily set your terminal text color & styles.
Compared with chalk
- 7.1x fewer weekly downloads (57.7m vs 411.5m)
- ESM + CommonJS vs ESM only
- Declares no Node.js engine range vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 16 Apr 2023 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 14x fewer GitHub stars (1.6k vs 23.3k)
Log by overwriting the previous output in the terminal. Useful for rendering progress bars, animations, etc.
Compared with chalk
- 13x fewer weekly downloads (31.5m vs 411.5m)
- 6 dependencies vs 0
- Last release 5 Apr 2026 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 20x fewer GitHub stars (1.2k vs 23.3k)
ANSI escape codes for some terminal swag
Compared with chalk
- 7.7x fewer weekly downloads (53.1m vs 411.5m)
- Declares Node.js >=20 vs Node.js >=22
- Last release 25 Jun 2026 vs 26 Jul 2026
- 288x fewer GitHub stars (81 vs 23.3k)
Indexability: Indexed: 180 US searches/month for "chalk alternatives".