Best JavaScript date libraries
Libraries for parsing, formatting and calculating with dates. date-fns leads with about 118M real installs a week, followed by dayjs with about 109M.
| package | real installs / week | npm / week | noise | last release | confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. date-fnsModern JavaScript date utility library | 118M | 118,219,626 | under 1% | May 2026 | high |
| 2. dayjs2KB immutable date time library alternative to Moment.js with the same modern API | 109M | 109,228,671 | under 1% | Aug 2026 | high |
| 3. luxonImmutable date wrapper | 58.3M | 58,320,740 | under 1% | Sep 2025 | high |
| 4. momentParse, validate, manipulate, and display dates | 51M | 51,004,578 | under 1% | Sep 2026 | high |
| 5. @js-temporal/polyfillPolyfill for Temporal (https://github.com/tc39/proposal-temporal), an ECMA TC39 Stage 3 proposal | 6.89M | 6,890,255 | under 1% | Mar 2025 | high |
Ranked by real installs. That measures use, not quality: read the notes below before choosing. Mirror spikes and crawlers removed. CI and dependency installs still count, so this is not a head count. Noise: the share of npm's count that mirror spikes and crawlers account for. What remains still includes CI and dependency installs. Rows are refreshed in rotation, the oldest here on Nov 6, 2026.
How do they differ?
date-fns is a set of separate functions that tree-shake well. Day.js is small, with an API close to Moment. Luxon builds on the Intl API and handles time zones well. Moment is in maintenance mode, and its own docs suggest an alternative for new projects.