Comparison

Express vs Fastify

On the evidence we track, Express leads this comparison with a composite score of 77/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Express77
Fastify64
Score
Vioscale score
Express77 / 100high · 79%updating
Fastify64 / 100high · 78%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Express
Fastify
Model
Expresscommercial
Fastifycommercial
Price level
Expressfree
Fastifyfree
Transparent
Express
Fastify
Integrations
Count
Express13
Fastify17
Adoption
Dependent repos
Express1,853,938
Fastify16,712
Github stars
Express69,394
Fastify37,024
Package downloads weekly
Fastify
Stackoverflow questions
Express96,000
Fastify
Activity
Commits last 30d
Express40
Fastify69
Release
Cadence days
Express4
Fastify3
History
Express20 items
Fastify20 items
License
Spdx
ExpressMIT
FastifyMIT
Language
Primary
ExpressJavaScript
FastifyJavaScript
Market
Content
Faq
Express7 items
Fastify

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for web frameworks. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Rendering model
Express-
Fastify-
File-based routing
Express
Fastify-
Language
ExpressJavaScript
FastifyJavaScript/TypeScript
Rendering
Server components
Express
Fastify-
Streaming SSR
Express
Fastify-
Fullstack
Built-in API / backend routes
Express
Fastify
DX
First-class TypeScript
Express
Fastify
Fast refresh / HMR
Express
Fastify-
Deployment
Edge runtime support
Express
Fastify-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Express

Leader

A minimal framework providing essential routing, middleware, and HTTP utilities for building web applications and APIs in Node.js without imposing architectural constraints.

Independently observed

Fastify

A Node.js web framework optimized to handle high request volumes with minimal overhead, featuring a plugin system, JSON Schema validation, and native TypeScript support.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Express

Leader
Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Fastify

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Express
Fastify
CLI
Express
Fastify
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Express
Fastify
Self-hosted
Express
Fastify
On-premise
Express
Fastify

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (4)
  • MongoDB
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • Elasticsearch

Express

Leader
13 total - 9 not shared
  • Cassandra
  • Couchbase
  • CouchDB
  • LevelDB
  • MySQL
  • Neo4j
  • Oracle
  • SQL Server
  • SQLite
Independently observed

Fastify

17 total - 13 not shared
  • Next.js
  • Apollo Server
  • Angular
  • Swagger/OpenAPI
  • WebSocket
  • JWT
  • Helmet
  • Sentry
  • RabbitMQ
  • CORS
  • CSRF
  • OAuth2
  • Kubernetes
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.