Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Version 10.1.0
Run scripts that set and use environment variables across platforms
Version 17.3.1
Loads environment variables from .env file
Choosing between Cross-env and Dotenv? 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.
Dotenv leads with 107.6M weekly downloads — roughly 6.7x more. Cross-env has 16.1M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Dotenv has the smallest gzipped bundle at 3.3 KB. Cross-env comes in at 5.9 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Dotenv has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Cross-env 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.
Choose Cross-env if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record. Choose Dotenv if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, actively maintained, strong security track record.
Both Cross-env and Dotenv are solid choices for JavaScript development. Dotenv has the edge in overall health score (85/100), 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.