Date-fns vs Moment

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
Bundle (gzip)
6.5 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
40
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

moment

Extremely Popular

Version 2.30.1

73
Good

Parse, validate, manipulate, and display dates

Weekly Downloads
30.0M
Bundle (gzip)
1.2 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
60
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Date-fns and Moment? 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 1.6x more. Moment has 30.0M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Moment has the smallest gzipped bundle at 1.2 MB. 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

Moment has an overall health score of 73/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Date-fns has an overall health score of 67/100 (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 Moment if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Date-fns and Moment are solid choices for JavaScript development. Moment 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 moment?
It depends on your needs. Date-fns has a health score of 67/100 while Moment scores 73/100. 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 moment?
Moment has the smaller gzipped bundle at 1.2 MB. 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 moment?
Based on npm download statistics, Date-fns has approximately 48.5M weekly downloads and Moment has approximately 30.0M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, date-fns or moment?
Moment currently has the higher overall health score at 73/100. Date-fns has a maintenance score of 40/100 and Moment scores 60/100 on maintenance.

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