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Comparison guide
Date-fns vs Dayjs
Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Quick Verdict
Smallest Bundle
Dayjs
3.0 KB gzipped
Most Popular
Date-fns
56.0M weekly downloads
Best Maintained
Dayjs
80/100 maintenance score
Highest Quality
Date-fns
50/100 quality score
Overall Pick
Dayjs
Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality
dayjs
2KB immutable date time library alternative to Moment.js with the same modern API
44.3M weekly downloads · 3.0 KB gzip · Health 79/100
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Choosing between Date-fns and Dayjs? 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 56.0M weekly downloads — roughly 1.3x more. Dayjs has 44.3M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Bundle Size
Dayjs has the smallest gzipped bundle at 3.0 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
Dayjs has an overall health score of 79/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Date-fns has an overall health score of 73/100 (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 Dayjs if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record.
Our Verdict
Both Date-fns and Dayjs are solid choices for JavaScript development. Dayjs has the edge in overall health score (79/100), 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 dayjs?
- It depends on your needs. Date-fns has a health score of 73/100 while Dayjs scores 79/100. Date-fns has more recorded weekly downloads (56.0M). 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 dayjs?
- Dayjs has the smaller gzipped bundle at 3.0 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 dayjs?
- Date-fns has more recorded weekly downloads (56.0M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
- Which is better maintained, date-fns or dayjs?
- Dayjs has a maintenance score of 80/100. Date-fns scores 60/100 and Dayjs scores 80/100 on maintenance.
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