alternatives to

Express

Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for node.

Fastify, Koa, Hono and more. 5 alternatives to Express, in JavaScript, TypeScript. Compare fit, licence, stars and the latest signed release.

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5 open source alternatives to Express
Tool	Fit	Stars	Licence	Terms	Self-hosted	Language	Latest	Last push
Fastify	Full replacement	37k	MIT	Open source	No	JavaScript	v5.12.8	2026-11-07
Koa	Full replacement	36k	MIT	Open source	No	JavaScript	v3.3.0	2026-11-03
Hono	Full replacement	33k	MIT	Open source	No	TypeScript	v4.13.18	2026-11-11
Elysia	Full replacement	19k	MIT	Open source	No	TypeScript	1.4.32	2026-11-11
hapi	Full replacement	15k	Other	Open source	No	JavaScript	v21.3.0	2026-11-04

Every alternative

5 alternatives

Fastify Full replacement

Fast and low overhead web framework, for Node.js

Schema-based validation and serialisation, and a plugin system.

Language: JavaScript
Licence: MIT
Stars: 37k
Latest: v5.12.8
Last push: 2026-11-07

Koa Full replacement

Expressive middleware for node.js using ES2017 async functions

Minimal Node.js web framework built on async functions, with fewer built-in middleware.

Language: JavaScript
Licence: MIT
Stars: 36k
Latest: v3.3.0
Last push: 2026-11-03

Hono Full replacement

Web framework built on Web Standards

Built on Web Standards, runs on Node.js, Deno, Bun and edge runtimes.

Language: TypeScript
Licence: MIT
Stars: 33k
Latest: v4.13.18
Last push: 2026-11-11

Elysia Full replacement

Ergonomic Framework for Humans

Built for Bun, with end-to-end types between server and client.

Language: TypeScript
Licence: MIT
Stars: 19k
Latest: 1.4.32
Last push: 2026-11-11

hapi Full replacement

The Simple, Secure Framework Developers Trust

Configuration-centric routes and a plugin system instead of middleware chains, with validation built in.

Language: JavaScript
Licence: Other
Stars: 15k
Latest: v21.3.0
Last push: 2026-11-04

Head to head

About Express

Language: JavaScript
Licence: MIT
Stars: 70k
Last push: 2026-11-02

About Express →