Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Version 7.0.0
Node.js test runner that lets you develop with confidence.
Version 30.2.0
Delightful JavaScript Testing.
Choosing between Ava and Jest? 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.
Jest leads with 41.5M weekly downloads — roughly 77.3x more. Ava has 537.0K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Ava has the smallest gzipped bundle at 651.0 B. Jest comes in at 1.9 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Ava has an overall health score of 90/100 (excellent), with strong maintenance, quality, security, popularity scores. Jest has an overall health score of 80/100 (very good), with strong quality, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.
Choose Ava if you value minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Jest if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record.
Both Ava and Jest are solid choices for JavaScript development. Ava has the edge in overall health score (90/100), 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.