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Babel vs TypeScript

Babel and TypeScript are free.

Babel logo: A compiler that turns modern JavaScript and JSX into syntax browsers already run.
Babel logo: A compiler that turns modern JavaScript and JSX into syntax browsers already run.

Babel

Free

A compiler that turns modern JavaScript and JSX into syntax browsers already run.

Try it

Pros of Babel

  • Still the compatibility layer a lot of libraries expect

  • You can compile JSX without adopting TypeScript

  • Plugins can rewrite specific syntax

Cons of Babel

  • The config file grows as you add plugins

  • New apps often let Vite compile instead

TypeScript logo: JavaScript with types. It compiles to plain JavaScript.
TypeScript logo: JavaScript with types. It compiles to plain JavaScript.

TypeScript

Free

JavaScript with types. It compiles to plain JavaScript.

Try it

Pros of TypeScript

  • Renames and bad arguments show up in the editor

  • You can adopt it file by file in a JavaScript project

  • The types document the shape of data

Cons of TypeScript

  • Build and config are extra moving parts

  • Third-party types are sometimes wrong or missing