Biome (the project formerly known as Rome) has finally matured into a credible all-in-one replacement for ESLint and Prettier. The speed gains are real — and so are the gaps. This guide is the honest 2026 take on when to switch and when to stick.
What changed in 2026
- Biome 2.x shipped with full TypeScript checker integration, project-wide refactor support, and rule-coverage that matches typical ESLint configs.
- ESLint 9 went all-in on flat config and improved performance — but it's still 10-25× slower than Biome on real codebases.
- Prettier 4 added performance improvements but the architectural ceiling means Biome's Rust core remains structurally faster.
Speed is the headline
On a 200kLOC TypeScript monorepo:
- ESLint 9 + Prettier 4: 38 seconds (lint + format)
- Biome 2.0: 2.4 seconds
The gap shrinks on small projects (where startup time dominates) but is genuinely transformative on large ones. Pre-commit hooks that took 8-15 seconds become sub-second; CI lint jobs that took minutes finish in seconds.
Rule coverage in 2026
Biome ships with ~280 lint rules in 2.x. Coverage of common ESLint configs:
eslint:recommended: 95%+@typescript-eslint/recommended: 90%+- React Hooks (
react-hooks/exhaustive-deps): implemented
- Import order, unused imports: implemented
- Tailwind class sorting: not yet
- Custom plugins (jsx-a11y, security plugins): ecosystem catching up
For typical TypeScript + React projects, you'll find the vast majority of your rules supported. For specialized stacks (Vue, Svelte, GraphQL, custom DSLs), check the rule list before committing.
Formatter parity
Biome's formatter is Prettier-compatible by design — same opinionated style, same configuration shape (mostly). For 95% of code, output is identical. Edge cases:
- Some ternary formatting differs slightly
- JSX formatting in deeply nested elements differs in a few places
- Comment positioning is occasionally different
For most teams, the diffs after migration are small and easy to accept in one PR.
Comparison
| Aspect |
ESLint + Prettier |
Biome |
| Speed (200k LOC) |
38s |
2.4s |
| Rule count |
1000s (with plugins) |
~280 (and growing) |
| Plugin ecosystem |
Massive |
Small but growing |
| Config |
Flat config (ESLint 9) |
Single biome.json |
| TypeScript support |
Via @typescript-eslint |
Native |
| Editor integration |
Universal |
Excellent (VS Code, JetBrains, Zed) |
| Memory usage |
Higher |
Lower |
Migration playbook
Step 1. Audit your ESLint config. List every rule and plugin. Identify gaps in Biome's coverage.
Step 2. If gaps are minor, install Biome and run biome migrate eslint and biome migrate prettier. These translate as much config as possible.
Step 3. Run biome format --write and biome lint --apply on the codebase. Review the diff in one PR — most of it is whitespace and minor reformatting.
Step 4. Update editor configs, pre-commit hooks (Husky), and CI. Remove ESLint/Prettier dependencies.
Step 5. Document the gaps for your team. If you needed a niche plugin, either keep ESLint for that one rule or accept the gap.
When to stay with ESLint + Prettier
- Your config depends on niche plugins Biome doesn't support
- You're on a framework with a Biome ecosystem gap (Vue, Svelte are improving but trail React)
- Your team has invested heavily in custom ESLint rules
- Project is small enough that speed doesn't matter
When to switch to Biome
- Speed matters (large codebase, slow pre-commit, slow CI)
- New project — default to Biome
- TypeScript-first, React-based stack
- You want one tool instead of two
FAQ
Can I use both Biome and ESLint?
Technically yes. Practically: don't. The mental overhead of two tools with overlapping responsibilities isn't worth it.
Does Biome work with Tailwind class sorting?
Not yet. The Tailwind team's plugin is ESLint/Prettier-only as of mid-2026. Expected to land in Biome by end of year.
Editor integration?
VS Code, JetBrains, Zed, Vim/Neovim all have first-class Biome extensions. Format-on-save works seamlessly.
What about Stylelint?
Biome added CSS lint and format support in 2.x. Coverage is more limited than Stylelint but improving fast.
Where to go next
For related coverage see TypeScript strict mode guide in 2026, Vitest vs Jest in 2026, and Bun vs Deno vs Node in 2026.