DevTools VS

Express vs Fastify

Updated Apr 26, 2026

Quick Verdict

Express has 1.9x more GitHub stars, while Express has 13.7x more weekly downloads.

GitHub Stars
Express 69.0K
vs
Fastify 36.1K
Downloads/wk
Express 93.0M
vs
Fastify 6.8M
Contributors
Express 380
vs
Fastify 879
Bundle Size
Express 241.8 KB
vs
Fastify 132.9 KB

Express

Website

Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for Node.js

nodejshttpmiddlewareminimal

Fastify

Website

Fast and low-overhead web framework for Node.js

nodejsfastschemaplugins

Detailed Comparison

Side-by-side metrics from GitHub and npm

Metric
Express
Fastify
GitHub Stars
69.0K
36.1K
Weekly Downloads
93.0M
6.8M
Forks
23.2K
2.7K
Open Issues
208
127
Contributors
380
879
Bundle Size (gzip)
241.8 KB
132.9 KB
Dependencies
28
15
Latest Version
5.2.1
5.8.5
Last Commit
Apr 23, 2026
Apr 24, 2026
License
MIT
MIT
First Published
Dec 29, 2010
Oct 7, 2016

Download Trends

Weekly npm downloads over the past 52 weeks

Feature Comparison

Framework capabilities at a glance

Feature
Express
Fastify
Typescript
Middleware
Websockets
Validation
Openapi
Edge Runtime
Decorators

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Express vs Fastify

Is Express better than Fastify?

It depends on your use case. Express is fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for node.js, while Fastify is fast and low-overhead web framework for node.js. Compare the stats and features above to decide which fits your needs.

Is Express still maintained in 2026?

Yes, Express was last updated on April 23, 2026 and has 380 contributors.

Can I migrate from Express to Fastify?

Migration complexity depends on how deeply Express is integrated into your project. Both tools serve similar purposes in the Backend Frameworks space, so migration is generally feasible with proper planning.

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