Best Node.js ORMs and query builders
Libraries for talking to a database from Node.js and TypeScript. drizzle-orm leads with about 47.4M real installs a week, followed by kysely with about 28.5M.
| package | real installs / week | npm / week | noise | last release | confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. drizzle-ormDrizzle ORM package for SQL databases | 47.3M–47.4M | 47,360,683 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
| 2. kyselyType safe SQL query builder | 28.5M | 28,540,928 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 3. prismaThe Prisma CLI: one binary for the ORM, Composer, and the Prisma Developer Platform. | 25.7M–25.8M | 25,753,459 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 4. mongooseMongoose MongoDB ODM | 8.86M–8.87M | 8,866,542 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 5. knexA batteries-included SQL query & schema builder for PostgresSQL, MySQL, CockroachDB, MSSQL and SQLite3 | 6.84M | 6,842,887 | under 1% | Jun 2026 | high |
| 6. typeormData-Mapper ORM for TypeScript and ES2023+. Supports MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, SAP HANA, SQLite… | 6.68M–6.69M | 6,688,924 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
| 7. sequelizeSequelize is a promise-based Node.js ORM tool for Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server, Amazon Redshi… | 4.1M–4.11M | 4,106,507 | under 1% | Mar 2026 | high |
| 8. @mikro-orm/coreTypeScript ORM for Node.js based on Data Mapper, Unit of Work and Identity Map patterns. Supports MongoDB, MySQL, Postg… | 1.46M | 1,461,676 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | 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?
Prisma generates a typed client from its own schema file. Drizzle defines the schema in TypeScript and stays close to SQL. TypeORM and Sequelize are long-standing ORMs. Mongoose is for MongoDB only. Knex and Kysely are query builders rather than ORMs.