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Comparison guide

Kysely vs Prisma

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Hero image for Kysely vs Prisma

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Kysely

39.3 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Kysely

15.6M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Prisma

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Kysely

80/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Kysely

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

kysely icon

kysely

Extremely Popular

Version 0.29.5

0
86
Excellent

Type safe SQL query builder

Weekly Downloads
15.6M
11%
Bundle (gzip)
39.3 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
80
Popularity
100
Quality
80
Security
100
Stability
70
prisma icon

prisma

Extremely Popular

Version 8.0.0-rc.13

0
85
Excellent

The Prisma CLI: one binary for the ORM, Composer, and the Prisma Developer Platform.

Weekly Downloads
15.4M
7%
Bundle (gzip)
157.6 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Kysely and Prisma? 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

Kysely leads with 15.6M weekly downloads — roughly 1.0x more. Prisma has 15.4M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Kysely has the smallest gzipped bundle at 39.3 KB. Prisma comes in at 157.6 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Kysely has an overall health score of 86/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, quality, security, popularity scores. Prisma has an overall health score of 85/100 (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 Kysely if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record. Choose Prisma if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Kysely and Prisma are solid choices for JavaScript development. Kysely has the edge in overall health score (86/100), 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 kysely better than prisma?
It depends on your needs. Kysely has a health score of 86/100 while Prisma scores 85/100. Kysely has more weekly downloads (15.6M), 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, kysely or prisma?
Kysely has the smaller gzipped bundle at 39.3 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use kysely vs prisma?
Based on npm download statistics, Kysely has approximately 15.6M weekly downloads and Prisma has approximately 15.4M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, kysely or prisma?
Kysely currently has the higher overall health score at 86/100. Kysely has a maintenance score of 80/100 and Prisma scores 100/100 on maintenance.

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