pnpm vs uv:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, pnpm had more branded searches than uv among package managers worldwide. pnpm had about 74,000 branded searches, while uv had 51,800. pnpm made up 14.5% of all package manager searches we track, and uv accounted for 10.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about package managers, pnpm and uv each appeared in four of the five answers. pnpm was mentioned before uv in four out of five answers.
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Top package managers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, pnpm and uv were each mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. pnpm was listed before uv in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
npm4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
pnpm4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
uv4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Homebrew4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Yarn4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Conda3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Cargo3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- APT2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
NuGet1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about package managers
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which package manager should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best package managers?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best package manager for software dependencies?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“package managers”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“python package manager”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is pnpm or uv more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for pnpm and uv by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine package managers we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for pnpm, uv. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | npm | pnpm | uv | Conda | NuGet | Homebrew | APT | Cargo | Yarn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 48.7% | 12% | 13.5% | 9.8% | 9.8% | 3.6% | 1.6% | 0.87% | 0.26% |
| Nov 2025 | 50.9% | 12.5% | 11.5% | 8.4% | 10.2% | 3.8% | 1.6% | 0.74% | 0.27% |
| Dec 2025 | 51% | 12.5% | 11.6% | 8.4% | 10.2% | 3.8% | 1.3% | 0.91% | 0.27% |
| Jan 2026 | 50.1% | 12.3% | 12% | 8.2% | 10.1% | 4.5% | 1.6% | 0.9% | 0.27% |
| Feb 2026 | 50.2% | 12.4% | 12.1% | 8.3% | 10.1% | 4.5% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.22% |
| Mar 2026 | 53.1% | 13.1% | 11% | 7.1% | 8.7% | 4.8% | 1.1% | 0.78% | 0.19% |
| Apr 2026 | 53.9% | 13.3% | 10.6% | 7.2% | 8.9% | 4% | 1.2% | 0.79% | 0.19% |
| May 2026 | 49.2% | 18% | 10.4% | 6.6% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 1.1% | 0.88% | 0.21% |
| Jun 2026 | 46.3% | 13.9% | 11.7% | 11.4% | 9.3% | 5.1% | 1.3% | 0.83% | 0.19% |
| Jul 2026 | 47.8% | 14.4% | 10.1% | 11.7% | 9.6% | 4.3% | 1.1% | 0.85% | 0.19% |
| Aug 2026 | 46.1% | 13.9% | 9.7% | 13.9% | 9.3% | 5.1% | 1.1% | 0.82% | 0.24% |
| Sep 2026 | 48.3% | 14.5% | 10.2% | 9.7% | 9.7% | 5.3% | 1.1% | 0.86% | 0.17% |
How has the pnpm and uv comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: pnpm took it in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, pnpm’s share of searches among package managers worldwide moved from 12% to 14.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 74K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, uv’s share of searches among package managers worldwide moved from 13.5% to 10.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 83.4K to 51.8K.
How did search popularity change for package managers worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, pnpm overtook Conda to rank 2nd among package managers worldwide, with 14.5% of the searches.
In September 2026, uv rose from 4th to 3rd among package managers worldwide.
How are branded searches counted?
4 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using pnpm’s and uv’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
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