Comparison

Relay vs urql

On the evidence we track, Relay leads this comparison with a composite score of 71/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Relay full profile →urql full profile →

Machine formatsJSON Markdown GraphQLor send Accept: application/json

★Relay71

urql55

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	RelayLeader	urql
Vioscale score	71 / 100medium · 57%updating	55 / 100low · 48%updating
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	commercial	open_source
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Security
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	5.8	-
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=relay-runtime&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40urql%2Fcore&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	76,213	57,619
Github starsadoption.github_stars	18,956	8,967
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	5,142,504	1,132,793
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	72	3
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	47	-
Historyrelease.history	20 items	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	MIT	MIT
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	Rust	TypeScript
Market
Availabilitymarket.availability	Available worldwide	-

Score

Vioscale score

Relay71 / 100medium · 57%updating

urql55 / 100low · 48%updating

Pricing

Free tier

Relay✓

urql✓

Model

Relaycommercial

urqlopen_source

Price level

Relayfree

urqlfree

Security

Scorecard

Relay5.8

urql–

Vulnerabilities

RelayCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=relay-runtime&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

urqlCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40urql%2Fcore&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

Adoption

Dependent repos

Relay76,213

urql57,619

Github stars

Relay18,956

urql8,967

Package downloads weekly

Relay5,142,504

urql1,132,793

Activity

Commits last 30d

Relay72

urql3

Release

Cadence days

Relay47

urql–

History

Relay20 items

urql20 items

License

Spdx

RelayMIT

urqlMIT

Language

Primary

RelayRust

urqlTypeScript

Market

Availability

RelayAvailable worldwide

urql–

Capabilities

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

Capability comparison for GraphQL Tools
Capability	Relay	urql
Core
Role	Client	Client
Primary language	JavaScript / TypeScript	TypeScript
Modelling
Schema approach	Code-first	-
Scale
Federation / subgraph composition	✗	-
Realtime
Real-time subscriptions	✓	-
Performance
Response / edge caching	✓	✓
DX
Typed code generation	✓	-
Automation
Generates API from a database	✗	-
Security
Built-in authz / permissions	✗	-
Deployment
Official hosted offering	✗	-
Self-hostable	✓	-

Core

Role

RelayClient

urqlClient

Primary language

RelayJavaScript / TypeScript

urqlTypeScript

Modelling

Schema approach

RelayCode-first

urql-

Scale

Federation / subgraph composition

Relay✗

urql-

Realtime

Real-time subscriptions

Relay✓

urql-

Performance

Response / edge caching

Relay✓

urql✓

Typed code generation

Relay✓

urql-

Automation

Generates API from a database

Relay✗

urql-

Security

Built-in authz / permissions

Relay✗

urql-

Deployment

Official hosted offering

Relay✗

urql-

Self-hostable

Relay✓

urql-

What each one is

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

Relay

Leader

An open-source framework that enables type-safe GraphQL queries in JavaScript applications, with built-in support for caching, error handling, and server-side rendering via React Server Components.

Independently observed

urql

A JavaScript GraphQL client that integrates with popular frameworks like React and Vue. The library is designed to be lightweight with optional features for caching and optimization.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Relay

Leader

Open sourceFree tier

Free and open-source

as of 2026-08-14verify ↗

urql

Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source (MIT license)

as of 2026-08-14verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	Relay	urql
WebPlatforms	✓	✓
CLIPlatforms	✓	✗
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	-

Platforms

Web

Relay✓

urql✓

CLI

Relay✓

urql✗

Deployment

Self-hosted

Relay✓

urql–

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