Alternatives to nvm
Other tools in this directory that do similar work, with a verified install command for each. nvm itself: install nvm.
fnm
🚀 Fast and simple Node.js version manager, built in Rust
Node Version Switcher
Node Version Switcher - A cross-platform tool for switching between versions and forks of Node.js
node
Node.js JavaScript runtime ✨🐢🚀✨
bash-git-prompt
An informative and fancy bash prompt for Git users
Crystal
(Crystal is now Nimbalyst) Run multiple Codex and Claude Code AI sessions in parallel git worktrees. Test, compare approaches & manage AI-assisted dev
llnode
An lldb plugin for Node.js and V8, which enables inspection of JavaScript states for insights into Node.js processes and their core dumps
bash-preexec
⚡ preexec and precmd functions for Bash just like Zsh
uv
An extremely fast Python package and project manager, written in Rust
pyenv
Simple Python version management
BitBar
Put the output from any script or program into your macOS Menu Bar (the BitBar reboot)
hack-browser-data
Extract and decrypt browser data, supporting multiple data types, runnable on various operating systems (macOS, Windows, Linux)
archi-steam-farm
C# application with primary purpose of farming Steam cards from multiple accounts simultaneously
hadolint
Dockerfile linter, validate inline bash, written in Haskell
npm-check-updates
Find newer versions of package dependencies than what your package.json allows
ncc
Compile a Node.js project into a single file. Supports TypeScript, binary addons, dynamic requires
shfmt
A shell parser, formatter, and interpreter with bash and zsh support; includes shfmt
lefthook
Fast and powerful Git hooks manager for any type of projects
autocannon
fast HTTP/1.1 benchmarking tool written in Node.js
confd
Manage local application configuration files using templates and data from etcd or consul
gopass
The slightly more awesome standard unix password manager for teams
pyenv-virtualenv
a pyenv plugin to manage virtualenv (a.k.a. python-virtualenv)
pidcat
Colored logcat script which only shows log entries for a specific application package
autorest
OpenAPI (f.k.a Swagger) Specification code generator. Supports C#, PowerShell, Go, Java, Node.js, TypeScript, Python
Phoenix
A lightweight macOS window and app manager scriptable with JavaScript
How we picked these
We match on what the tool does and how it installs, then order by how widely each project is used. We're not saying these are better or worse than nvm — that depends on what you're building. We're saying they're the projects people reach for in the same situations, and each one has an install command we checked against its documentation.
nvm is developed by its own authors and this page is an independent reference; we are not affiliated with or sponsored by any project listed, and nothing here is a paid placement.