Side-by-side NPM package comparison
Version 5.1.6
A tiny (118 bytes), secure URL-friendly unique string ID generator
Version 3.0.2
A universally-unique, lexicographically-sortable, identifier generator
Choosing between Nanoid and Ulid? 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.
Nanoid leads with 112.4M weekly downloads — roughly 23.5x more. Ulid has 4.8M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.
Nanoid has the smallest gzipped bundle at 3.6 KB. Ulid comes in at 20.3 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.
Ulid has an overall health score of 79/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Nanoid 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 Nanoid if you value massive community and ecosystem, minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record. Choose Ulid if you value large community support, strong security track record.
Both Nanoid and Ulid are solid choices for JavaScript development. Ulid 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.