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Comparison guide

Date-fns vs Date-fns-tz

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Date-fns-tz

3.2 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Date-fns

122.5M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Date-fns

60/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Date-fns

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Date-fns

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

  1. date-fns

    Modern JavaScript date utility library

    122.5M weekly downloads · 17.1 KB gzip · Health 73/100

    0
  2. date-fns-tz

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

    13.2M weekly downloads · 3.2 KB gzip · Health 61/100

    0

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 122.5M weekly downloads — roughly 9.3x more. Date-fns-tz has 13.2M 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 3.2 KB. Date-fns comes in at 17.1 KB. 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 73/100 (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 massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, 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 (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 date-fns better than date-fns-tz?
It depends on your needs. Date-fns has a health score of 73/100 while Date-fns-tz scores 61/100. Date-fns has more recorded weekly downloads (122.5M). Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, date-fns or date-fns-tz?
Date-fns-tz has the smaller gzipped bundle at 3.2 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?
Date-fns has more recorded weekly downloads (122.5M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
Which is better maintained, date-fns or date-fns-tz?
Date-fns has a maintenance score of 60/100. Date-fns scores 60/100 and Date-fns-tz scores 20/100 on maintenance.

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