82
ExcellentNode.js test runner that lets you develop with confidence.
- Weekly Downloads
- 434.5K
↓6%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 436.0 B
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
80
Popularity
80
Quality
80
Security
100
Stability
70
Comparison guide
Ava vs Jest
Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Quick Verdict
Smallest Bundle
Ava
436.0 B gzipped
Most Popular
Jest
35.4M weekly downloads
Best Maintained
Ava
80/100 maintenance score
Highest Quality
Ava
80/100 quality score
Overall Pick
Jest
Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality
86
ExcellentDelightful JavaScript Testing.
- Weekly Downloads
- 35.4M
↓6%
- Bundle (gzip)
- 2.0 KB
- Updated
- Vulns
- 0
Health Score Breakdown
Maintenance
80
Popularity
100
Quality
80
Security
100
Stability
70
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.
Downloads & Popularity
Jest leads with 35.4M weekly downloads — roughly 81.6x more. Ava has 434.5K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Bundle Size
Ava has the smallest gzipped bundle at 436.0 B. Jest comes in at 2.0 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Health Score Comparison
Jest has an overall health score of 86/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, quality, security, popularity scores. Ava has an overall health score of 82/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, quality, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.
When to Choose Each
Choose Ava if you value minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record. Choose Jest if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record.
Our Verdict
Both Ava and Jest are solid choices for JavaScript development. Jest has the edge in overall health score (86/100), 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 ava better than jest?
- It depends on your needs. Ava has a health score of 82/100 while Jest scores 86/100. Jest has more weekly downloads (35.4M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
- Which has a smaller bundle size, ava or jest?
- Ava has the smaller gzipped bundle at 436.0 B. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
- How many developers use ava vs jest?
- Based on npm download statistics, Ava has approximately 434.5K weekly downloads and Jest has approximately 35.4M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
- Which is better maintained, ava or jest?
- Jest currently has the higher overall health score at 86/100. Ava has a maintenance score of 80/100 and Jest scores 80/100 on maintenance.
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The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet
One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.