No. 12 of 51 ·Development Environment Managers

nvm

Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

nvm is ranked #12 of 51 in development environment managers on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

nvm plans and pricing

All plans

nvm Free Open-source Node.js version manager github.com · 29 Sept 2026

Compared on development environment managers

Free plan: Yes
Supported scope: single_language
Project version pinning: Yes
Lockfile support: Yes
Automatic switching: Yes
Shell integration: Yes
Operating systems: cross_platform
CI/CD usage: Yes

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The record

Purpose: nvm lets users install and use different Node.js versions from the command line.
Installation model: It is designed to be installed per user and invoked per shell.
Shell support: It works on POSIX-compliant shells including sh, dash, ksh, zsh, and bash.
Version management: Users can install specific Node.js versions, switch between them, and set aliases such as a default version.
LTS support: It supports installing, using, and listing Node.js long-term support versions through LTS aliases and commands.
Project configuration: nvm can use an .nvmrc file to specify a Node.js version for a project, with shell snippets documented for automatic switching.
Package migration: During installation, nvm can reinstall global npm packages from another installed Node.js version.
Offline use: It can install a previously downloaded or cached Node.js version without network access using the --offline flag.
Docker and CI: The README documents using nvm in Docker, including an example for CI/CD jobs.
Windows support: The project says nvm can work on Windows through WSL, and may work with Git Bash or Cygwin, depending on the environment.
Platform limitation: The project does not support the Fish shell and points users to community alternatives.
Security: The GitHub repository links to a security policy, but the README does not state a security certification or compliance standard.
Support: The project states that only the latest nvm version is supported.
License: The repository identifies the project as MIT licensed.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Development Environment Managers in 2026#12 of 51
Best Runtime Version Managers in 2026#4 of 30
Best Disk Diagnostic Software in 2026#4 of 25

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Sources

github.com/nvm-sh/nvm· checked 29 Sept 2026