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Bun vs Deno
Short answer: Pick Bun if you want all-in-one JS runtime & toolkit; pick Deno if you want secure, all-in-one JS/TS runtime. Bun is free; Deno has a free plan, paid from $20/month.
BunFast JavaScript runtime, bundler, test runner and package manager
DenoSecure runtime for JavaScript and TypeScriptWhich to pick
Pick Bun if you want…
- All-in-one JS runtime & toolkit
- Fast runtime with bundler and test runner
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with Node.js, Yarn or pnpm (on Bun's list, not Deno's)
Pick Deno if you want…
- Secure, all-in-one JS/TS runtime
- Secure runtime for JavaScript/TypeScript
- Integrations with Node, ESM or CommonJS (on Deno's list, not Bun's)
Bun is a fast runtime but lacks Deno's built-in security model and integrated tooling suite.
Side by side
- What it is
- Bun:Bun is a fast JavaScript runtime that combines a package manager, test runner, and bundler in a single binary.
- Deno:Deno is a fast, secure JavaScript/TypeScript runtime with built-in package manager, testing, linting and more.
- Best for
- Bun:All-in-one JS runtime & toolkit
- Deno:Secure, all-in-one JS/TS runtime
- Who it’s for
- Bun:JavaScript/TypeScript developers looking for an all-in-one toolchain
- Deno:Web developers and teams needing a Node-compatible runtime with security defaults.
- Pricing
- Bun:Free
- Deno:Freemium
- Starting price
- Bun:Free
- Deno:$20/month (Pro)
- Free plan or trial
- Bun:Free to use
- Deno:Free plan (Free)
- Plans
- Bun:—
- Deno:Free $0/month · Pro $20/month per month · Builder $200/month per month
- Open source
- Bun:Yes, 96,095 GitHub stars
- Deno:Yes, 108,548 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Bun:Node.js, npm, Yarn, pnpm, TypeScript, React, Next.js, Remix
- Deno:TypeScript, npm, Node, ESM, CommonJS, Docker, Deno Deploy, Deno KV
Bun features
- Fast runtime. Runs JavaScript and TypeScript on JavaScriptCore with Node.js API compatibility.
- npm-compatible package manager. Installs packages up to 30× faster than npm, with workspaces and lockfile support.
- Jest-compatible test runner. Runs tests with expect(), mocks, snapshots and DOM support in milliseconds.
- Built-in bundler. Bundles TS, JSX, CSS and HTML for browsers and servers, with HMR dev server.
- Single-file executables. Compiles apps and the Bun runtime into a cross-platform binary.
- Integrated APIs. Provides built-in SQL, S3, Redis and shell APIs accessible from route handlers.
Deno features
- Built-in tooling. Package manager, test runner, formatter, linter, task runner, type checker and more are included out of the box.
- Zero-setup TypeScript & npm. Run TypeScript and import npm packages directly without tsc, bundlers or extra config.
- Granular security. File system, network and environment access are denied by default and can be granted per-permission flag.
- Standard library. Audited, dependency-free modules for collections, dates, parsing and other common utilities.
- OpenTelemetry & profiling. Native tracing, profiling and debugging support without external agents.
- Cross-platform deployment. One binary runs on Linux, macOS and Windows; Docker images and Deno Deploy edge platform are available.
- Deno Desktop. Build native cross-platform desktop apps from the same TypeScript/JS codebase without Electron.
- Deno Deploy hosting. Edge-ready hosting with automatic scaling, KV storage, sandboxes and observability.
Bun vs Deno FAQ
What is the difference between Bun and Deno?+
Deno is a separate runtime focused on security, while Bun integrates runtime, package manager, test runner and bundler in one binary. Bun is a fast runtime but lacks Deno's built-in security model and integrated tooling suite.
Should I use Bun or Deno?+
Pick Bun if you want all-in-one JS runtime & toolkit, fast runtime with bundler and test runner or a free, open-source tool. Pick Deno if you want secure, all-in-one JS/TS runtime, secure runtime for JavaScript/TypeScript or integrations with Node, ESM or CommonJS (on Deno's list, not Bun's).
Is Bun or Deno free?+
Bun is free. Deno has a free plan; paid plans start at $20/month (Pro).
Which is cheaper, Bun or Deno?+
Bun is free, so it costs less. Deno starts at $20/month (Pro).
Is Bun or Deno open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Bun (oven-sh/bun on GitHub) and Deno (denoland/deno on GitHub, MIT license).
Do Bun and Deno integrate with the same tools?+
Partly. Both list npm and TypeScript. Bun also lists Node.js, Yarn, pnpm, React and 7 more; Deno also lists Node, ESM, CommonJS, Docker and 3 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.