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Comparison guide

Better-auth vs Next-auth

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Next-auth

81.6 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Better-auth

7.8M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Better-auth

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Better-auth

80/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Better-auth

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

  1. better-auth

    The most comprehensive authentication framework for TypeScript.

    7.8M weekly downloads · 197.4 KB gzip · Health 92/100

    0
  2. next-auth

    Authentication for Next.js

    4.0M weekly downloads · 81.6 KB gzip · Health 73/100

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Choosing between Better-auth and Next-auth? 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

Better-auth leads with 7.8M weekly downloads — roughly 2.0x more. Next-auth has 4.0M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Next-auth has the smallest gzipped bundle at 81.6 KB. Better-auth comes in at 197.4 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Better-auth has an overall health score of 92/100 (excellent), with strong maintenance, quality, security, popularity scores. Next-auth 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.

When to Choose Each

Choose Better-auth if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Next-auth if you value large community support, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Better-auth and Next-auth are solid choices for JavaScript development. Better-auth has the edge in overall health score (92/100), 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 better-auth better than next-auth?
It depends on your needs. Better-auth has a health score of 92/100 while Next-auth scores 73/100. Better-auth has more recorded weekly downloads (7.8M). Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, better-auth or next-auth?
Next-auth has the smaller gzipped bundle at 81.6 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use better-auth vs next-auth?
Better-auth has more recorded weekly downloads (7.8M). Download counts reflect package installations, not unique developers.
Which is better maintained, better-auth or next-auth?
Better-auth has a maintenance score of 100/100. Better-auth scores 100/100 and Next-auth scores 60/100 on maintenance.

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