Vite offers an incredibly fast development experience by leveraging native ES modules in the browser. This allows for instant server start-up and near-instant updates during development, significantly reducing wait times and improving developer productivity.

Webpack can be slower in development due to its bundling process, which involves analyzing the entire dependency graph and creating bundles. However, with optimizations like caching and incremental builds, Webpack can still provide reasonable performance for larger applications.

Vite is designed to be simple and intuitive, requiring minimal configuration to get started. It provides sensible defaults and a straightforward setup, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.

Webpack is known for its complexity and steep learning curve. It offers extensive configuration options, which can be overwhelming for newcomers. However, this complexity allows for fine-tuned control over the build process, making it suitable for large-scale applications.

Vite has built-in support for HMR, which allows developers to see changes in real-time without a full page reload. This feature enhances the development experience by preserving the application state and speeding up the feedback loop.

Webpack also supports HMR, but it requires additional configuration and setup. While it can achieve similar results, the process may not be as seamless as Vite's implementation.

Vite has a growing ecosystem with plugins that cater to various needs, including support for different frameworks and tools. Its plugin system is designed to be simple and easy to use, allowing developers to extend functionality without much hassle.

Webpack boasts a vast ecosystem with a wide range of plugins and loaders, enabling developers to customize their build process extensively. This flexibility allows for integration with various technologies but can lead to complexity in managing dependencies.

Vite uses Rollup under the hood for production builds, which optimizes the output for performance. It focuses on tree-shaking and code-splitting to ensure that only the necessary code is included in the final bundle, resulting in smaller file sizes.

Webpack provides powerful optimization features, including code-splitting, tree-shaking, and various minification techniques. While it can produce highly optimized builds, achieving optimal performance often requires careful configuration and tuning.