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Comparison guide

Lucia vs Passport

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Passport

2.8 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Passport

7.4M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Lucia

20/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Lucia

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Passport

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

  1. lucia

    A simple and flexible authentication library

    304.8K weekly downloads · 4.0 KB gzip · Health 57/100

    0
  2. passport

    Simple, unobtrusive authentication for Node.js.

    7.4M weekly downloads · 2.8 KB gzip · Health 61/100

    0

Choosing between Lucia and Passport? 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

Passport leads with 7.4M weekly downloads — roughly 24.3x more. Lucia has 304.8K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Passport has the smallest gzipped bundle at 2.8 KB. Lucia comes in at 4.0 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Passport has an overall health score of 61/100 (good), with strong security, popularity scores. Lucia has an overall health score of 57/100 (moderate), 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 Lucia if you value minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record. Choose Passport if you value large community support, minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Lucia and Passport are solid choices for JavaScript development. Passport has the edge in overall health score (61/100), 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 lucia better than passport?
It depends on your needs. Lucia has a health score of 57/100 while Passport scores 61/100. Passport has more recorded weekly downloads (7.4M). Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, lucia or passport?
Passport has the smaller gzipped bundle at 2.8 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use lucia vs passport?
Passport has more recorded weekly downloads (7.4M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
Which is better maintained, lucia or passport?
Lucia has a maintenance score of 20/100. Lucia scores 20/100 and Passport scores 20/100 on maintenance.

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One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.