Skip to main content

Comparison guide

Bunyan vs Winston

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Hero image for Bunyan vs Winston

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Bunyan

12.3 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Winston

27.5M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Winston

60/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Bunyan

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Winston

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

  1. bunyan

    a JSON logging library for node.js services

    4.0M weekly downloads · 12.3 KB gzip · Health 61/100

    0

  2. winston

    A logger for just about everything.

    27.5M weekly downloads · 37.1 KB gzip · Health 73/100

    0

Choosing between Bunyan and Winston? 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

Winston leads with 27.5M weekly downloads — roughly 6.8x more. Bunyan has 4.0M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Bunyan has the smallest gzipped bundle at 12.3 KB. Winston comes in at 37.1 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Winston has an overall health score of 73/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Bunyan has an overall health score of 61/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Bunyan if you value large community support, strong security track record. Choose Winston if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Bunyan and Winston are solid choices for JavaScript development. Winston has the edge in overall health score (73/100), 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 bunyan better than winston?
It depends on your needs. Bunyan has a health score of 61/100 while Winston scores 73/100. Winston has more recorded weekly downloads (27.5M). Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, bunyan or winston?
Bunyan has the smaller gzipped bundle at 12.3 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use bunyan vs winston?
Winston has more recorded weekly downloads (27.5M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
Which is better maintained, bunyan or winston?
Winston has a maintenance score of 60/100. Bunyan scores 20/100 and Winston scores 60/100 on maintenance.

Related Comparisons

Pino vs Winston

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.