compare.md

Compare the features of most popular libraries

Library	Colors support		Features
- ESM | CJS - named import - naming colors	16 | 256 | 16m | 🌐	Fallback	Chained syntax	Nested template strings `${}`	LF \n	Supports ENV vars CLI flags
ansis ESM CJS ✅ named import ✅ standard	✅ ✅ ✅ ✅	→256 →16 →b&w	✅	✅	✅	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR COLORTERM --no-color --color
chalk v5 ESM ❌ named import ✅ standard	✅ ✅ ✅ ✅	→256 →16 →b&w	✅	❌	✅	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR --no-color --color
kolorist ESM CJS ✅ named import ❌ standard	✅ ✅ ✅ ❌	→256 →b&w	❌	❌	❌	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR
cli-color CJS ❌ named import ✅ standard	✅ ✅ ❌ 🛑	→16 →b&w	✅	❌	❌	NO_COLOR
colors-cli CJS ❌ named import ❌ standard	✅ ✅ ❌ 🛑	→b&w	✅	❌	✅	--no-color --color
colors.js CJS ❌ named import ❌ standard	✅ ❌ ❌ 🛑	→b&w	✅	❌	✅	FORCE_COLOR --no-color --color
ansi-colors CJS ❌ named import ✅ standard	✅ ❌ ❌ ❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	FORCE_COLOR
colorette ESM CJS ✅ named import ✅ standard	✅ ❌ ❌ 🛑	→b&w	❌	❌	❌	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR --no-color --color
picocolors CJS ❌ named import ✅ standard	✅ ❌ ❌ ❌	→b&w	❌	❌	❌	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR --no-color --color
tinyrainbow ESM ❌ named import ✅ standard	✅ ❌ ❌ ✅	→b&w	❌	❌	❌	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR FORCE_TTY --no-color --color
kleur ESM CJS ✅ named import ✅ standard	❌ ❌ ❌ ✅ 8 colors	→b&w	✅	❌	❌	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR
util.styleText() Node ≥ 22 ❌ named import ✅ standard	✅ ❌ ❌ 🛑	→b&w	❌	❌	?	NO_COLOR FORCE_COLOR

Legend

Named import

• ESM: import { red, green, blue } from 'lib';
• CJS: const { red, green, blue } = require('lib');

Naming colors

• standard: colors have standard names, e.g.: red, redBright, bgRed, bgRedBright
• non-standard: colors have lib-specific names, e.g.: brightRed, bgBrightRed, red_b, red_btt

Colors support

• 16 - ANSI 16 colors like red, redBright, bgRed, bgRedBright

• 256 - ANSI 256 colors methods, e.g.:

  • [ansis][ansis]: fg(n), bg(n)
  • [chalk][chalk]: ansi256(n), bgAnsi256(n)
  • [cli-color][cli-color]: xterm(n)
  • [colors-cli][colors-cli]: x<n>

• 16m - Truecolor methods, e.g.: hex(), bgHex(), rgb(), bgRgb()

• 🌐 - Colored output in Chromium-based browser console:

  • ✅ - colored output
  • ❌ - b&w output
  • 🛑 - fatal error by compilation or in runtime

• Fallback - Truecolor → 256 colors → 16 colors → no colors

Features

• Chained syntax - lib.red.bold('text')

• Nested templates - lib.red`text ${lib.cyan`nested`} text`

• LF - correct style break at \n:

  console.log(bgGreen('\nAnsis\nNew Line\nNext New Line\n'))

  Outputs: