Acorn
Tiny, fast JavaScript parser for efficient code analysis and transformation.
Pricing
Free tier
Flat rate
Adoption
→StableLicense
Open Source
Data freshness
Verified · Jul 12, 2026Overview
What is Acorn?
Acorn is a lightweight and high-performance JavaScript parser that enables developers to parse and analyze JavaScript code efficiently. It's ideal for projects requiring minimal overhead and rapid parsing capabilities.
Key differentiator
“Acorn stands out as one of the fastest and most lightweight JavaScript parsers available, making it an ideal choice for developers who need efficient parsing without additional overhead.”
Capability profile
Capability Radar
Honest assessment
Strengths & Weaknesses
↑ Strengths
↓ Weaknesses
Acorn may not fully support the most recent JavaScript language updates, leading to parsing errors with newer codebases.
While Acorn can parse JavaScript effectively, it does not provide tools for transforming or modifying the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST), which may require additional libraries like ESTree.
Customizing Acorn to meet specific project requirements can be complex and error-prone, especially when dealing with advanced options or edge cases in JavaScript syntax.
Fit analysis
Who is it for?
✓ Best for
Developers working on projects that require efficient and lightweight JavaScript parsing
Teams building tools that need to analyze or transform JavaScript code without significant overhead
✕ Not a fit for
Projects requiring extensive support for multiple programming languages beyond JavaScript
Applications needing a full-fledged development environment with integrated debugging capabilities
Cost structure
Pricing
Free Tier
Available
Open source — free to use
Starts at
$0
Model
Flat rate
Enterprise
None
Performance benchmarks
How Fast Is It?
Ecosystem
Relationships
Integrations
Next step
Get Started with Acorn
Step-by-step setup guide with code examples and common gotchas.