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Redux vs Zustand

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Zustand

27.8 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Zustand

29.5M weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Zustand

100/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Redux

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Zustand

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

redux icon

redux

Extremely Popular

Version 5.0.1

0
61
Good

Predictable state container for JavaScript apps

Weekly Downloads
28.0M
33%
Bundle (gzip)
84.9 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
20
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
zustand icon

zustand

Extremely Popular

Version 5.0.12

0
85
Excellent

🐻 Bear necessities for state management in React

Weekly Downloads
29.5M
37%
Bundle (gzip)
27.8 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
100
Popularity
100
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Redux and Zustand? 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

Zustand leads with 29.5M weekly downloads — roughly 1.1x more. Redux has 28.0M weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Zustand has the smallest gzipped bundle at 27.8 KB. Redux comes in at 84.9 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Zustand has an overall health score of 85/100 (very good), with strong maintenance, security, popularity scores. Redux has an overall health score of 61/100 (good), 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 Redux if you value massive community and ecosystem, strong security track record. Choose Zustand if you value massive community and ecosystem, actively maintained, strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Redux and Zustand are solid choices for JavaScript development. Zustand 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 redux better than zustand?
It depends on your needs. Redux has a health score of 61/100 while Zustand scores 85/100. Zustand has more weekly downloads (29.5M), 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, redux or zustand?
Zustand has the smaller gzipped bundle at 27.8 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use redux vs zustand?
Based on npm download statistics, Redux has approximately 28.0M weekly downloads and Zustand has approximately 29.5M weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, redux or zustand?
Zustand currently has the higher overall health score at 85/100. Redux has a maintenance score of 20/100 and Zustand scores 100/100 on maintenance.

Redux vs Zustand: Structured Complexity vs Simple Elegance

Redux and Zustand both manage global state in React applications, but they approach the problem with vastly different philosophies. Redux is a comprehensive state management framework with strict unidirectional data flow, a middleware system, and powerful DevTools. It's designed for complex applications where predictability and traceability of state changes are paramount. Zustand is a lightweight alternative that provides a simple hook-based API with minimal boilerplate — you create a store in a few lines of code and use it directly in components.

The difference in developer experience is stark. A typical Redux Toolkit slice requires defining a slice name, initial state, reducers, and exported actions — around 20-30 lines for a simple feature. The equivalent Zustand store is 5-10 lines. Redux compensates for this verbosity with superior debugging capabilities: Redux DevTools let you time-travel through state changes, inspect action payloads, and replay sequences. Zustand supports Redux DevTools too, but its simpler action model means there's less to inspect.

Choose Redux Toolkit for large team projects where state management discipline matters — when multiple developers touch the same global state, Redux's explicit action/reducer pattern makes it easier to track who changed what and why. Choose Zustand for small-to-medium applications, personal projects, or any situation where you want global state without the ceremony. Many experienced React developers now default to Zustand and only reach for Redux when the application's state complexity genuinely demands it.

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