Date-fns vs Date-fns-tz

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

date-fns

Extremely Popular

Version 4.1.0

67
Good

Modern JavaScript date utility library

Weekly Downloads
48.5M
32%
Bundle (gzip)
6.5 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
40
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

date-fns-tz

Very Popular

Version 3.2.0

61
Good

Time zone support for date-fns v3 with the Intl API

Weekly Downloads
7.3M
38%
Bundle (gzip)
63.8 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
20
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Date-fns and Date-fns-tz? 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

Date-fns leads with 48.5M weekly downloads — roughly 6.6x more. Date-fns-tz has 7.3M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Date-fns-tz has the smallest gzipped bundle at 63.8 KB. Date-fns comes in at 6.5 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Date-fns has an overall health score of 67/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Date-fns-tz 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 Date-fns if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record. Choose Date-fns-tz if you value large community support, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Date-fns and Date-fns-tz are solid choices for JavaScript development. Date-fns has the edge in overall health score (67/100), 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 date-fns better than date-fns-tz?
It depends on your needs. Date-fns has a health score of 67/100 while Date-fns-tz scores 61/100. Date-fns has more weekly downloads (48.5M), 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, date-fns or date-fns-tz?
Date-fns-tz has the smaller gzipped bundle at 63.8 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use date-fns vs date-fns-tz?
Based on npm download statistics, Date-fns has approximately 48.5M weekly downloads and Date-fns-tz has approximately 7.3M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, date-fns or date-fns-tz?
Date-fns currently has the higher overall health score at 67/100. Date-fns has a maintenance score of 40/100 and Date-fns-tz scores 20/100 on maintenance.

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