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Comparison guide

Happy-dom vs Jsdom

happy-dom is 2-4x faster than jsdom for Vitest. Compare DOM compatibility, performance benchmarks, and migration guide. Updated for 2026.

Hero image for Happy-dom vs Jsdom

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Jsdom

999.3 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Jsdom

65.0M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Happy-dom

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Happy-dom

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Jsdom

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

happy-dom icon

happy-dom

Extremely Popular

Version 20.10.6

0
85
Excellent

Happy DOM is a JavaScript implementation of a web browser without its graphical user interface. It includes many web standards from WHATWG DOM and HTML.

Weekly Downloads
11.3M
↑20%
Bundle (gzip)
2.4 MB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
jsdom icon

jsdom

Extremely Popular

Version 29.1.1

0
79
Good

A JavaScript implementation of many web standards

Weekly Downloads
65.0M
Stable
Bundle (gzip)
999.3 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
80
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Happy-dom and Jsdom? 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

Jsdom leads with 65.0M weekly downloads — roughly 5.8x more. Happy-dom has 11.3M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Jsdom has the smallest gzipped bundle at 999.3 KB. Happy-dom comes in at 2.4 MB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Happy-dom has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Jsdom has an overall health score of 79/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Happy-dom if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Jsdom if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Happy-dom and Jsdom are solid choices for JavaScript development. Happy-dom 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is happy-dom better than jsdom?
It depends on your needs. Happy-dom has a health score of 85/100 while Jsdom scores 79/100. Jsdom has more weekly downloads (65.0M), 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, happy-dom or jsdom?
Jsdom has the smaller gzipped bundle at 999.3 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use happy-dom vs jsdom?
Based on npm download statistics, Happy-dom has approximately 11.3M weekly downloads and Jsdom has approximately 65.0M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, happy-dom or jsdom?
Happy-dom currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Happy-dom has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Jsdom scores 80/100 on maintenance.

The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet

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