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@tanstack/react-query vs Swr

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Swr

4.7 KB gzipped

Most Popular

@tanstack/react-query

35.5M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

@tanstack/react-query

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

@tanstack/react-query

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

@tanstack/react-query

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

@tanstack/react-query icon

@tanstack/react-query

Extremely Popular

Version 5.96.2

0
85
Excellent

Hooks for managing, caching and syncing asynchronous and remote data in React

Weekly Downloads
35.5M
35%
Bundle (gzip)
13.1 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
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
8.9M
6%
Bundle (gzip)
4.7 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
80
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between @tanstack/react-query 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

@tanstack/react-query leads with 35.5M weekly downloads — roughly 4.0x more. Swr has 8.9M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Swr has the smallest gzipped bundle at 4.7 KB. @tanstack/react-query comes in at 13.1 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

@tanstack/react-query has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Swr has an overall health score of 79/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose @tanstack/react-query if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record. Choose Swr if you value large community support, minimal bundle footprint, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both @tanstack/react-query and Swr are solid choices for JavaScript development. @tanstack/react-query has the edge in overall health score (85/100), 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 @tanstack/react-query better than swr?
It depends on your needs. @tanstack/react-query has a health score of 85/100 while Swr scores 79/100. @tanstack/react-query has more weekly downloads (35.5M), 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, @tanstack/react-query or swr?
Swr has the smaller gzipped bundle at 4.7 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use @tanstack/react-query vs swr?
Based on npm download statistics, @tanstack/react-query has approximately 35.5M weekly downloads and Swr has approximately 8.9M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, @tanstack/react-query or swr?
@tanstack/react-query currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. @tanstack/react-query has a maintenance score of 100/100 and Swr scores 80/100 on maintenance.

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