Feature Comparison

Feature	pnpm	Yarn	npm	Notes
Workspace support	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:
Isolated node_modules	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	Default in pnpm.
[Hoisted node_modules]	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	Default in npm.
Plug'n'Play	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:	Default in Yarn.
Autoinstalling peers	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:white_check_mark:
Zero-Installs	:x:	:white_check_mark:	:x:
Patching dependencies	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:
Managing runtimes	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:x:
Managing versions of itself	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:
Has a lockfile	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, package-lock.json.
Overrides support	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	Known as "resolutions" in Yarn.
Content-addressable storage	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:	Yarn uses a CAS when nodeLinker is set to pnpm.
Dynamic package execution	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	pnpm dlx, yarn dlx, npx.
Side-effects cache	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:x:
Catalogs	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:x:
Config dependencies	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:x:
JSR registry support	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:
Auto-install before script run	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:x:	In Yarn, Plug'n'Play ensures dependencies are always up to date.
Hooks	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:
Build script security	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:x:
SBOM generation	:white_check_mark:	:x:	:white_check_mark:	pnpm sbom, npm sbom.
Listing licenses	:white_check_mark:	:white_check_mark:	:x:	pnpm supports it via pnpm licenses list. Yarn has a plugin for it.

Note: To keep the comparison concise, we include only features likely to be used frequently.