Styled-components vs Vanilla-extract

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

styled-components

Very Popular

Version 6.3.11

85
Excellent

CSS for the <Component> Age. Style components your way with speed, strong typing, and flexibility.

Weekly Downloads
8.9M
↑27%
Bundle (gzip)
8.4 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

vanilla-extract

Niche

Version

43
Fair
Weekly Downloads
0
Stable
Bundle (gzip)
0 B
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
20
Popularity
10
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Styled-components and Vanilla-extract? 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

Styled-components leads with 8.9M weekly downloads — roughly 8899795.0x more. Vanilla-extract has 0 weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Vanilla-extract has the smallest gzipped bundle at 0 B. Styled-components comes in at 8.4 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Styled-components has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Vanilla-extract has an overall health score of 43/100 (moderate), with strong security scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Styled-components if you value large community support, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Vanilla-extract if you value strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Styled-components and Vanilla-extract are solid choices for JavaScript development. Styled-components 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 styled-components better than vanilla-extract?
It depends on your needs. Styled-components has a health score of 85/100 while Vanilla-extract scores 43/100. Styled-components has more weekly downloads (8.9M), 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, styled-components or vanilla-extract?
Vanilla-extract has the smaller gzipped bundle at 0 B. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use styled-components vs vanilla-extract?
Based on npm download statistics, Styled-components has approximately 8.9M weekly downloads and Vanilla-extract has approximately 0 weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, styled-components or vanilla-extract?
Styled-components currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Styled-components has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Vanilla-extract scores 20/100 on maintenance.

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