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Anouk vs Plasmo
Browser-extension framework (React-first, multi-browser)
Plasmo is a full extension framework. Anouk is the AI runtime you would call from inside one. They are different layers — and they happily compose.
| Feature | Anouk | Plasmo | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer in the stack | AI runtime + settings (call from inside an extension) | Full extension framework (build, manifest, components) | Comparable |
| Provider adapter | OpenAI-compatible shape; OpenAI, Anthropic, Together.xyz, Ollama, HF in README | No opinion — bring your own SDK | Anouk |
| Built-in cache | Keyed per request id | Out of scope | Anouk |
| Rate-limit queue | Per-provider queueing | Out of scope | Anouk |
| Settings panel | Pre-built runtime panel | Build your own with their UI primitives | Anouk |
| Multi-browser builds | Not in scope (Chrome / Chromium MV3 today) | First-class Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari targets | Plasmo |
| Hot reload | Out of scope (use your build tool) | Built-in dev server with HMR | Plasmo |
| React components | Plain DOM components, framework-agnostic | React-first; first-class React DX | Plasmo |
| Ecosystem size | Smaller, narrowly scoped | Large, plugin ecosystem, broad adoption | Plasmo |
| Composability | Drop-in alongside Plasmo / WXT / vanilla | Whole-app framework; opinionated layout | Anouk |
Pick Anouk when
- ▸You already have an extension (built with Plasmo, WXT, or hand-rolled) and just need an AI service, cache, queue, and settings panel
- ▸You want one adapter that speaks to OpenAI, Anthropic, Together.xyz, Ollama, and Hugging Face
- ▸You want users to set their own provider and key at runtime instead of baking choices in at build
- ▸You want a tiny CLI scaffold (anouk init) for a Chrome-style Manifest V3 starter without picking up a full framework
Pick Plasmo when
- ▸You need a complete extension framework: bundling, hot reload, React components, file-based routing, multi-browser targets
- ▸You want first-class Firefox and Safari builds out of the box
- ▸You want a large community, plugin ecosystem, and well-trod conventions for non-AI extension work
- ▸You are starting from zero and want the build system decisions made for you
They compose, not compete
Most teams will pick Plasmo (or similar) for the build layer and Anouk for the AI layer. Use both. The only thing they share is the manifest.