Overview

Biome is a free toolchain for formatting, linting and organizing imports in web projects. It best suits developers and teams maintaining JavaScript- and web-oriented code who want these recurring tasks under one roof. Its main appeal is a unified workflow with no software charge; its scope is centered on web projects rather than every language or development need.

Key features

Formatting and linting

The formatter handles JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, JSON, HTML, CSS and GraphQL, while lint rules cover JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, CSS and GraphQL. Diagnostics and safe fixes make it useful not only for spotting issues but also for addressing some automatically. Autofix, custom rules and security rules are among its capabilities, and it reports support for 17 languages. Teams should distinguish that broader language count from the specific formatter and linter coverage above.

Combined checks

The check command can format code, lint it and organize imports in one command. That reduces the number of separate maintenance steps a project needs to run, which is a practical advantage for consistent local and automated checks.

Runtime, editors and CI

Biome is available as a standalone executable, so Node.js is not a prerequisite for running it. Installation guidance covers npm, pnpm, bun, deno and yarn. First-party extensions are available for VS Code, IntelliJ and Zed; community extensions include Vim, Neovim and Sublime Text. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI integrations are also linked, giving teams options to incorporate checks into those CI environments.

The project is open source under MIT or Apache 2.0 licensing. Commercial support may be offered by contributors, but depends on their availability, so organizations requiring assured commercial support should not treat it as a guaranteed part of the toolchain.

Pricing

Open-source Biome: Free. The free plan is the open-source toolchain for web projects, with no paid tier or trial required to use the stated core offering. It is the natural fit for individual developers and teams comfortable adopting open-source software. The key trade-off is that commercial support is not assured; teams needing committed support arrangements should look elsewhere or make separate arrangements with a contributor.

Platforms

Biome is available as an extension and for Linux, macOS, Windows and the web. Its standalone executable avoids a Node.js runtime dependency, while package-manager installation instructions support common JavaScript project workflows.

Who it's for

Biome is a strong fit for web-project developers who want formatting, linting and import organization combined, especially where editor use and CI checks are part of the workflow. Its free, open-source model suits teams that can operate without guaranteed commercial support. It is less suitable as a universal analyzer for projects whose primary needs lie outside its stated web-focused purpose.

Pros and cons

Pros

One command covers several maintenance tasks: formatting, linting and import organization can run together through check.
No Node.js requirement to run the executable: useful when a project wants the tool without making Node.js a runtime prerequisite.
Broad workflow coverage: first-party editor extensions, community editor options and integrations for GitHub Actions and GitLab CI support use across local editing and automation.
Free and open source: the stated plan is free and is licensed under MIT or Apache 2.0.

Cons

Web-project focus: the toolchain is intended for web projects, so it is not the obvious choice for unrelated language ecosystems.
Support is uncertain: contributor-provided commercial support depends on availability, which may not meet organizations' support requirements.
Lint coverage is narrower than formatter coverage: HTML, JSON and TSX appear in the formatter coverage, but not in the stated lint-rule coverage.

Alternatives

Linters and Code Formatting Tools are useful starting points for comparing tools by category. Choose ESLint when a free JavaScript linting utility is the more focused fit; Biome combines linting with formatting and import organization. Choose Ruff for Python-oriented developer tooling, or Astral when the open-source Ruff, uv and ty tool set is the better match. Cppcheck is an option for core static analysis with a free-to-download plan and a separate Project plan with contact-based pricing. For PHP code analysis, consider PHPMD; for Kotlin, detekt. PMD is a free downloadable static code analyzer, while ShellCheck focuses on static analysis for shell scripts and can be used on the web, in a terminal or in editors.

Verdict

Choose Biome if you maintain a web project and want a free, open-source toolchain that brings formatting, linting and import organization into a shared command and editor workflow. Its combination of coverage, automation links and a standalone executable makes it a practical choice without a software fee. Look elsewhere if your project falls outside its web focus or your organization needs commercial support that contributors are committed to provide.

	Biome	clang-tidy
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial		No
Paid from	Free	Free
Platforms	extension, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows	Linux
Free plan	Yes
Languages supported	17	3
Autofix	Yes	Yes
Custom rules	Yes	Yes
Security rules	Yes	Yes
IDE support	ide	ide
CI support	Yes	Yes

Biome vs clang-tidy

Biome

clang-tidy