SHSelfHostIndex

asdf vs mise

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
AS asdf Extendable version manager for multiple languages VS MI mise Polyglot runtime manager and task runner
Featureasdfmise
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score97 · Excellent98 · Excellent
CategoryDeveloper Tools & GitDeveloper Tools & Git
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageGoRust
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB64 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcebinary, source
GitHub stars★ 25,589★ 34,237
First released20152023
Replacesnvm, rbenvasdf, nvm

What are asdf and mise?

asdf

asdf is a CLI tool that manages multiple runtime versions of languages and tools through a plugin system with a single per-project config file. It runs locally on developer machines.

  • Manage many runtimes
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Single config file
  • Cross-platform

Read the full asdf guide →

mise

mise is an open-source development tool that manages programming language runtimes, environment variables, and project tasks. It replaces multiple version managers with a single self-contained binary.

  • Multi-language version manager
  • Built-in task runner
  • Environment management
  • asdf plugin compatible

Read the full mise guide →

asdf vs mise: key differences

Asdf is written in Go, while mise is built with Rust. Asdf is the more established project (first released 2015), while mise arrived in 2023.

Why pick each one

Choose asdf if…

  • Manages many runtimes
  • Per-project version files
  • Large plugin catalog

Watch out for

  • Shims can confuse tooling
  • Plugin quality varies
asdf details

Choose mise if…

  • Single fast binary
  • Replaces many version managers
  • Compatible with asdf plugins

Watch out for

  • Shell integration required
  • Rapid release pace
mise details

Frequently asked questions

Is asdf or mise better?

Neither is universally better. mise has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are asdf and mise free and open-source?

Yes. asdf is licensed under MIT and mise under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run asdf and mise with Docker?

asdf: check the project docs for container support. mise: check the project docs for container support.