astro
Astro is a modern site builder with web best practices, performance, and DX front-of-mind.
6.9M weekly downloads · 992.9 KB gzip · Health 85/100
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Comparison guide
Astro vs Next
Astro vs Next.js for 2026 projects: content sites, islands architecture, React Server Components, SEO, deployment, and when to pick each framework.
Quick Verdict
Smallest Bundle
Astro
992.9 KB gzipped
Most Popular
Next
65.5M weekly downloads
Best Maintained
Astro
100/100 maintenance score
Highest Quality
Astro
50/100 quality score
Overall Pick
Next
Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality
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Choosing between Astro and Next? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.
Downloads & Popularity
Next leads with 65.5M weekly downloads — roughly 9.4x more. Astro has 6.9M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Bundle Size
Astro has the smallest gzipped bundle at 992.9 KB. Next comes in at 55.0 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Health Score Comparison
Astro has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Next has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.
When to Choose Each
Choose Astro if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Next if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.
Our Verdict
Both Astro and Next are solid choices for JavaScript development. Astro has the edge in overall health score (85/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is astro better than next?
- It depends on your needs. Astro has a health score of 85/100 while Next scores 85/100. Next has more recorded weekly downloads (65.5M). Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
- Which has a smaller bundle size, astro or next?
- Astro has the smaller gzipped bundle at 992.9 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
- How many developers use astro vs next?
- Next has more recorded weekly downloads (65.5M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
- Which is better maintained, astro or next?
- Astro has a maintenance score of 100/100. Astro scores 100/100 and Next scores 100/100 on maintenance.
Astro vs Next.js: Content-First Islands vs Full-Stack React
Astro and Next.js overlap on SEO-friendly websites, but their center of gravity is different. Astro is content-first: static output, islands of interactivity, framework flexibility, and minimal JavaScript by default. Next.js is application-first: React Server Components, flexible rendering modes, API routes, middleware, and a large full-stack deployment ecosystem.
For documentation, marketing sites, guides, and mostly-static content hubs, Astro's default performance model is hard to beat because interactive components are opt-in. For SaaS dashboards, authenticated apps, product surfaces, and teams standardizing on React, Next.js gives you more integrated primitives and a deeper production ecosystem.
The deciding question is not "which has better SEO?" Both can produce crawlable, fast pages. The deciding question is whether the project is primarily a content site with a few interactive islands or a full-stack React application with content pages attached.
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The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet
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