Prettier
Prettier is a free, open-source, opinionated code formatter that parses source code into an AST and reprints it using the Wadler algorithm, serving JavaScript, web, and markup developers across npm, editors, and CI/CD with no paid core tier.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Prettier does
Prettier is an open-source opinionated code formatter founded in 2017 by James Long and Christopher Chedeau. It parses source code into an Abstract Syntax Tree, discards the original styling, and reprints the code from scratch using a fork of the Wadler printer algorithm, taking maximum line length into account when wrapping lines. The project ships an MIT-licensed core formatter supporting JavaScript, JSX, Flow, TypeScript, JSON, CSS (and Less/SCSS/styled-components/styled-jsx), HTML (and Vue, Angular, Ember/Handlebars, LWC, MJML), YAML, Markdown (CommonMark/GFM/MDX v1), and GraphQL. Beyond the core, Prettier distributes a plugin API with official plugins for PHP, Pug, Ruby, XML, and the Oxc/Hermes engines, a JavaScript API, a browser standalone build, an interactive playground, and a CLI. Editor integrations span VS Code, WebStorm, Vim, Emacs, Sublime Text, Nova, Espresso, Visual Studio, and Helix.
The product serves three primary segments: individual software developers adopting it for save-on-format convenience; development teams using it to eliminate style debates in code review and to enforce consistent formatting in CI/CD and pre-commit hooks; and enterprise organizations seeking commercial guarantees. Distribution is entirely self-serve product-led growth through npm, yarn, pnpm, Bun, and Deno package managers and editor marketplaces. There is no paid pricing tier for the core tool. Revenue mechanics rely on three small channels: OpenCollective community donations, $10 t-shirt sales through Sentry, and the Tidelift managed open-source subscription that pays maintainers based on enterprise subscriber usage and delivers security updates and IP indemnification. Prettier is privately held with no disclosed institutional backing, no funding rounds, and no acquisition activity in the source data; the operating entity sits in the United States. The company is actively maintained with regular releases (currently version 3.9.4) and reports no disclosed headcount beyond a 1–10 band of community maintainers that includes Fisker Cheung, Sosuke Suzuki, Fabio Spampinato, and Christopher Chedeau.
Brand-level reach is substantial and is the project's primary economic asset: 10M+ dependent GitHub repositories, 20.5k+ dependent npm packages, 83%+ usage among State of JS 2021 respondents (10,282 of 12,360), and named production usage across Facebook/Meta, React, Jest, Yarn, Babel, webpack, Dropbox, Vercel, Spotify, PayPal, Salesforce, Discord, MongoDB, Storybook, Algolia, Heroku, Toptal, the National Hockey League, and NASA.
Prettier firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Prettier
- Legal name
- Prettier
- Website
- https://prettier.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Prettier is a free, open-source, opinionated code formatter that parses source code into an AST and reprints it using the Wadler algorithm, serving JavaScript, web, and markup developers across npm, editors, and CI/CD with no paid core tier.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Prettier business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations via OpenCollective: Prettier accepts donations through OpenCollective platform. The project sells t-shirts ($10 per tshirt) with proceeds going to maintain the project. No revenue from the core open-source tool itself.
- Enterprise Support via Tidelift: Tidelift provides commercial support and maintenance for Prettier as part of a managed open-source subscription. Maintainers receive income based on subscriber usage. This provides enterprise-grade support, security updates, licensing verification, and maintenance for organizations using Prettier.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free open-source tier |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
Prettier product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Prettier is an opinionated, open-source code formatter that parses source code into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) and reprints it from scratch using a Wadler-based printer algorithm, enforcing a single consistent style across many languages. It ships as an npm-installable CLI, a JavaScript API, a browser standalone build, an interactive playground, and a plugin architecture for additional languages. Commercial-grade support and maintenance is offered via Tidelift for enterprise customers.
Product overview
Prettier is an opinionated code formatter that provides a unified core formatter with extensive language support (JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, Flow, CSS, Less, SCSS, HTML, Vue, Angular, Ember/Handlebars, GraphQL, Markdown, MDX, YAML, and JSON). The product consists of the core Prettier Code Formatter, a Plugin API for extending language/formats support, official plugins (@prettier/plugin-php, @prettier/plugin-pug, @prettier/plugin-ruby, @prettier/plugin-xml, @prettier/plugin-oxc, @prettier/plugin-hermes), a JavaScript API for programmatic use, a standalone Browser version, an interactive Playground, and a CLI tool. Users can integrate Prettier via editor extensions (VS Code, WebStorm, Vim, Emacs, etc.), CI/CD pipelines, pre-commit hooks, or directly via API. The philosophy is opinionated formatting with minimal options to end style debates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Prettier
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Prettier technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration29 records
Feature7 records
Prettier partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TideliftcoreTidelift partners with Prettier maintainers to provide commercial support and maintenance as part of a managed open-source subscription. Tidelift coordinates security updates, recruits maintainers where needed, and provides intellectual property indemnification. Maintainers receive income based on subscriber usage of Prettier.
- AlgoraminorAlgora created an amazing landing page for the Rust implementation bounty challenge, facilitating the open-source performance competition.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Prettier competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Black: Black is the Python ecosystem's opinionated, zero-config code formatter — the philosophical twin of Prettier (minimal options, deterministic output, ends style debates) and the canonical reference for the 'opinionated formatter' category.
- gofmt: Go's standard-library formatter is the original reference implementation of the 'opinionated, ends-the-debate' philosophy that Prettier adopted and popularized in JavaScript; it serves as the design north star for both Prettier and its competitors.
- dprint: dprint is a Rust-based, pluggable, multi-language code formatter whose philosophy (fast, configurable, opinionated by default) directly mirrors and competes with Prettier across JS, TS, Markdown, and other supported languages.
- Biome: Biome is a Rust-based, all-in-one toolchain for JavaScript/TypeScript that bundles a formatter, linter, and import sorter — directly competing with Prettier on JS/TS formatting while pitching faster performance and unified tooling.
Broad incumbents
- ESLint: ESLint is the dominant JavaScript linter and Prettier's most direct integration partner (via eslint-config-prettier and eslint-plugin-prettier); while not a formatter, it shapes the same developer workflows and routes, and is the natural platform for any competitive re-entry.
- JetBrains (WebStorm/IntelliJ built-in formatters): JetBrains' IDEs ship their own native code formatters for many languages and integrate Prettier as an option. This vertical integration could let the IDE vendor push a competing internal formatter into millions of installed seats over time.
- clang-format: clang-format is the de facto formatter for C, C++, Java, and other languages used at scale inside large engineering organizations — broadly adjacent in philosophy and function to Prettier, anchored in a much older ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Ruff: Ruff is Astral's Rust-based Python linter/formatter toolchain pursuing the same unified-toolchain positioning that Biome applies to JS/TS, making it a forward-looking analog of how Prettier's market could be re-shaped by a fast, consolidated competitor.
- Stylelint: Stylelint is the linter-of-record for CSS/SCSS/Less and integrates with Prettier via stylelint-config-prettier; a viable alternative-formatting pathway for CSS that overlaps Prettier's CSS/Less/SCSS formatting footprint.
Others
- EditorConfig: EditorConfig is the cross-editor configuration standard for formatting settings — Prettier is explicitly designed to supersede EditorConfig's role with opinionated defaults, making it a complementary/co-opetitive standard in the same formatting workflow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Prettier social profiles
Digital presencePrettier financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Prettier leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Prettier funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Prettier M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Prettier
What does Prettier do?
Prettier is an opinionated, open-source code formatter that parses source code into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) and reprints it from scratch using a Wadler-based printer algorithm, enforcing a single consistent style across many languages. It ships as an npm-installable CLI, a JavaScript API, a browser standalone build, an interactive playground, and a plugin architecture for additional languages. Commercial-grade support and maintenance is offered via Tidelift for enterprise customers.
Is Prettier a public or private company?
Prettier is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Prettier founded?
Prettier was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Prettier make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations via OpenCollective is the primary driver. The others are enterprise Support via Tidelift.
Who are Prettier's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Black, gofmt, dprint and Biome. Broad incumbents are ESLint, JetBrains (WebStorm/IntelliJ built-in formatters) and clang-format. Emerging players are Ruff and Stylelint. EditorConfig is listed as an others.
Does Prettier have an API?
Yes. Prettier provides a public API for programmatic formatting. Key methods include: prettier.format() for formatting text, prettier.check() for checking formatting, prettier.formatWithCursor() for cursor-aware formatting, prettier.resolveConfig() for resolving configuration, prettier.getFileInfo() for file information, and prettier.getSupportInfo() for supported options/parsers/languages. The browser standalone version supports ES modules, UMD, AMD, and CommonJS module formats. Requires Node.js>=22.6.0 for TypeScript configuration file support.