Skip to main content

Apollo-client vs Swr

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Apollo-client

15.4 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Swr

9.2M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Swr

80/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Apollo-client

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Swr

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

Version 2.6.10

0
57
Fair

A simple yet functional GraphQL client.

Weekly Downloads
443.8K
11%
Bundle (gzip)
15.4 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
20
Popularity
80
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
swr icon

swr

Very Popular

Version 2.4.1

0
79
Good

React Hooks library for remote data fetching

Weekly Downloads
9.2M
25%
Bundle (gzip)
90.8 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
80
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Apollo-client and Swr? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Swr leads with 9.2M weekly downloads — roughly 20.6x more. Apollo-client has 443.8K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Apollo-client has the smallest gzipped bundle at 15.4 KB. Swr comes in at 90.8 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Swr has an overall health score of 79/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Apollo-client has an overall health score of 57/100 (moderate), with strong security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Apollo-client if you value strong security track record. Choose Swr if you value large community support, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Apollo-client and Swr are solid choices for JavaScript development. Swr has the edge in overall health score (79/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is apollo-client better than swr?
It depends on your needs. Apollo-client has a health score of 57/100 while Swr scores 79/100. Swr has more weekly downloads (9.2M), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, apollo-client or swr?
Apollo-client has the smaller gzipped bundle at 15.4 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use apollo-client vs swr?
Based on npm download statistics, Apollo-client has approximately 443.8K weekly downloads and Swr has approximately 9.2M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, apollo-client or swr?
Swr currently has the higher overall health score at 79/100. Apollo-client has a maintenance score of 20/100 and Swr scores 80/100 on maintenance.

Related Comparisons

The 2026 JavaScript Stack Cheatsheet

One PDF: the best package for every category (ORMs, bundlers, auth, testing, state management). Used by 500+ devs. Free, updated monthly.