# Knex.js vs Sequelize

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Sequelize

| Attribute | Knex.js | Sequelize |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64.1 (71% (medium)) | 75.7 (69% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | 90 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 94,868 | 193,226 |
| adoption.github_stars | 20,337 | 30,349 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 5,735,405 | 2,730,957 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"An open-source Node.js package supporting nine SQL databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Oracle. Provides type-safe query building with TypeScript support, schema migrations, transaction handling with savepoints, connection pooling, and both promise and callback-based interfaces. It is indexed under ORM & Database Tools.","source":"https://knexjs.org","question":"What is Knex.js?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Knex.js is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://knexjs.org","question":"Is Knex.js free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Knex.js is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/knex/knex","question":"Is Knex.js open source?","confidence":0.99}]` | `[{"answer":"Sequelize is an ORM that bridges JavaScript and TypeScript applications with multiple relational databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, SQL Server, Snowflake, and DB2. It provides declarative schema modeling, relationship definitions, transaction support, and flexible data loading strategies. It is indexed under ORM & Database Tools.","source":"https://sequelize.org","question":"What is Sequelize?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Sequelize is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://sequelize.org","question":"Is Sequelize free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Sequelize supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://sequelize.org","question":"What platforms does Sequelize support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Sequelize can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://sequelize.org","question":"Can Sequelize be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Sequelize is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize","question":"Is Sequelize open source?","confidence":0.99}]` |
| deployment.options | - | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A Node.js library that provides a programmatic interface for constructing SQL queries, featuring support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Oracle, and other popular databases with built-in connection pooling and streaming capabilities. | Open-source object-relational mapper for Node.js and TypeScript that provides a unified interface for interacting with multiple relational databases. It includes features for managing relationships, transactions, and query optimization. |
| features.capabilities | `{"raw_sql":true,"multi_db":true,"languages":"JavaScript, TypeScript","relations":true,"migrations":true,"studio_gui":false,"schema_first":true,"type_safe_queries":true,"connection_pooling":true}` | `{"multi_db":true,"languages":"JavaScript, TypeScript","relations":true,"migrations":true,"schema_first":true,"type_safe_queries":true}` |
| language.primary | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://knexjs.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:34:17.530Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://sequelize.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T21:37:06.541Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 28 | 20 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.3.0","date":"2026-06-26T14:55:58Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.10","date":"2026-05-02T12:14:38Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.9","date":"2026-04-03T20:25:30Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.8","date":"2026-03-30T18:29:09Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.7","date":"2026-03-30T18:28:52Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.6","date":"2026-03-25T02:06:50Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.3","date":"2026-03-22T22:38:07Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.1","date":"2026-03-22T21:08:27Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.0","date":"2026-03-22T17:37:15Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.1.0","date":"2023-12-07T23:17:57Z","type":"stable","version":"3.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.0.1","date":"2023-10-06T12:23:40Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.0.0","date":"2023-10-06T06:56:38Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.5.1","date":"2023-07-12T21:26:26Z","type":"stable","version":"2.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.5.0","date":"2023-07-08T21:04:46Z","type":"stable","version":"2.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.4.2","date":"2023-03-29T11:15:20Z","type":"stable","version":"2.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.4.1","date":"2023-03-29T11:11:39Z","type":"stable","version":"2.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.4.0","date":"2023-01-06T15:45:16Z","type":"stable","version":"2.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.3.0","date":"2022-09-01T21:17:24Z","type":"stable","version":"2.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.2.0","date":"2022-07-18T21:26:26Z","type":"stable","version":"2.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.1.0","date":"2022-05-26T09:04:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2.1.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.8","date":"2026-03-07T18:44:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.48","date":"2026-02-04T13:52:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.48"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.47","date":"2025-10-25T08:02:02Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.47"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.7","date":"2025-03-28T11:35:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.46","date":"2025-03-22T20:59:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.46"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.6","date":"2025-03-04T10:38:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.45","date":"2025-02-17T13:59:21Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.45"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.44","date":"2025-01-27T07:32:05Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.44"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.5","date":"2024-10-25T12:30:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.43","date":"2024-10-04T14:13:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.43"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.4","date":"2024-10-04T14:21:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.42","date":"2024-09-13T13:40:39Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.42"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.41","date":"2024-05-17T14:56:35Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.41"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.3","date":"2024-04-13T20:54:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.40","date":"2024-04-11T17:31:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.40"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.2","date":"2024-03-29T18:55:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.39","date":"2024-03-22T17:25:56Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.39"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.38","date":"2024-03-19T08:38:28Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.38"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v7.0.0-alpha.37","date":"2024-02-10T13:55:26Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v7.0.0-alpha.37"},{"url":"https://github.com/sequelize/sequelize/releases/tag/v6.37.1","date":"2024-02-18T00:44:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.37.1"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 4.6 | 6.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=knex&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` | `{"count":19,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=sequelize&per_page=100","last_12m":2,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` |

## Capabilities (ORM & Database Tools)

| Capability | Knex.js | Sequelize |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type-safe queries | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema migrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Relations / joins API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Languages | JavaScript, TypeScript | JavaScript, TypeScript |
| **Modelling** |  |  |
| Schema-first modelling | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Flexibility** |  |  |
| Raw SQL escape hatch | ✓ | - |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Multiple database backends | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Connection pooling | ✓ | - |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Data browser / studio | ✗ | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:48:41.012Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*