Inquirer and prompts are two popular Node.js libraries for building interactive command-line interfaces. Inquirer is a mature, feature-rich solution that has been a cornerstone of the Node.js ecosystem since the early days, offering extensive prompt types and customization options. Prompts emerged as a lightweight alternative that deliberately prioritizes simplicity and performance over comprehensive features, using modern async/await patterns instead of reactive programming.
The choice between these libraries matters for CLI tool developers who need to balance feature requirements against bundle size and complexity. Inquirer (especially the modern @inquirer/prompts rewrite) serves teams building sophisticated CLI applications with complex user interactions and TypeScript projects. Prompts appeals to developers creating streamlined tools where minimal dependencies, fast execution, and straightforward API design are paramount.
For most new CLI projects, prompts is the better default choice if your interaction patterns are straightforward and you value simplicity and performance. Its lightweight footprint, clean async/await API, and minimal learning curve make it ideal for modern Node.js tooling where fast startup time and small dependencies matter. The library's opinionated approach eliminates decision fatigue and gets you building quickly without sacrificing functionality for common use cases.
However, choose @inquirer/prompts (not the legacy inquirer package) when you're building TypeScript applications, need extensive built-in prompt types, or require advanced customization for complex CLI workflows. The comprehensive feature set and mature ecosystem provide solutions for edge cases that would require custom implementation in prompts. The rewrite addressed the legacy package's size and TypeScript issues, making modern inquirer competitive again for projects where the extra bytes are worthwhile trade-offs for built-in functionality and type safety.