Overview

Biome is a free toolchain for teams maintaining web projects, particularly those that want formatting, linting and import organization in one workflow. Its strongest case is the breadth of those shared checks; its scope is still centered on web-project languages.

Key features

Formatting and linting

The formatter handles JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, JSON, HTML, CSS and GraphQL. Lint rules cover JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, CSS and GraphQL, with diagnostics and safe fixes. Autofix, custom rules and security rules are also supported, and Biome reports 17 supported languages. In practice, that makes it a substantial choice for web codebases, though teams should check that their particular languages and rules fit its scope.

Combined checks

A single check command can format code, lint it and organize imports. That consolidation can reduce the number of separate maintenance steps a team needs to run, while giving it one toolchain for recurring checks.

Editors and CI

First-party extensions support VS Code, IntelliJ and Zed; community extensions include options for Vim, Neovim and Sublime Text. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI integrations are linked from the getting-started guide. This makes Biome relevant both in an editor workflow and in automated project checks, although the first-party editor choices are narrower than the broader community list.

Installation and licensing

Biome is distributed as a standalone executable and does not require Node.js. Installation guidance covers npm, pnpm, bun, deno and yarn, so teams can choose among several package-manager routes. The project is open source under MIT or Apache 2.0. Commercial support may be offered by contributors, subject to their availability, so it is not a dependable support commitment for teams that require guaranteed assistance.

Pricing

Open-source Biome: 0.00 USD per free. The plan includes the open-source toolchain for web projects. It is the only plan described, with no paid tier or seat-based plan to weigh against it. That suits individual developers and teams able to manage support through the project and contributor community; organizations needing assured commercial support should account for the availability caveat.

Platforms

Biome is listed for extension, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. Its standalone executable avoids a Node.js runtime requirement, while editor extensions provide a route into supported development environments.

Who it's for

Biome is best suited to web-project developers who want one free, open-source toolchain for formatting, linting and import organization, especially when they use its supported editors or CI integrations. It is less compelling for teams whose main need falls outside web-project maintenance or who require guaranteed commercial support.

Pros and cons

Pros: One check command combines formatting, linting and import organization, reducing the need to invoke those tasks separately.
Pros: The standalone executable does not require Node.js, and installation guidance spans npm, pnpm, bun, deno and yarn.
Pros: The toolchain is free and open source, with editor extensions and CI links for common project workflows.
Cons: Linting covers a narrower set of named languages than formatting, so teams should verify coverage for their codebase.
Cons: Commercial support depends on contributor availability, which may not suit organizations that need assured support.

Alternatives

For other options, browse Linters and Code Formatting Tools.

PMD is a free downloadable static code analyzer under a BSD-style license; consider it when that analyzer is a better fit than Biome's web-project toolchain.
Cppcheck offers a free core static-analysis plan and a Project plan with custom pricing; choose it when you want that alternative's core analyzer or need to consider its paid project option.
Ruff is an alternative to consider when you are evaluating another free tool in this category.
Astral bundles Ruff, uv and ty as free, open-source, permissively licensed tools; choose it when that tool set better matches your needs.
golangci-lint is a free, open-source project built by volunteers; consider it as another free option.
Oxc is a free, open-source alternative to consider.
Stylelint is free, with no paid plans or usage limits stated; consider it as another option when comparing tools.
ESLint is a free, open-source JavaScript linting utility; choose it when JavaScript linting is the central requirement.

Verdict

Choose Biome if your web project would benefit from free formatting, linting and import organization under one toolchain, with editor and CI integration options. Look elsewhere if your requirements extend beyond its web-project focus or depend on guaranteed commercial support.

	Biome	PHPMD
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	extension, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows	Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Languages supported	17	1
Autofix	Yes	No
Custom rules	Yes	Yes
Security rules	Yes	Yes
IDE support	ide	none
CI support	Yes	Yes

Biome vs PHPMD

Biome

PHPMD