compare
AVA vs Vitest
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | AVA | Vitest |
|---|---|---|
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Stars | 21k | 17k |
| Latest | v8.0.1 | v5.0.3 |
| Last push | 2026-06-17 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | about 47 days between releases | about 10 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 0 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 77 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Mocha. Alternatives to Mocha →
Full replacementAVARuns each test file in its own process, concurrently, with assertions built in.
Full replacementVitestRuns describe and it style tests with assertions and mocks built in.
AVA
- v8.0.12026-05-17This release officially adds Node.js 26 support, with thanks to @novemberborn in
- v8.0.02026-04-27AVA now expects Node.js 22.20, 24.12 or newer.
- v7.0.02026-02-27Replace strip-ansi with node:util.stripVTControlCharacters
- v6.4.12025-07-12Keep test worker alive until explicitly freed
- v6.4.02025-06-07AVA is now tested with Node.js 24 (but no longer v23)
Vitest
- v5.0.32026-09-30Isolate result.status between repeats runs - by @hi-ogawa, Hiroshi Ogawa and Codex (GPT-6) in <samp>(5dbeb)…
- v5.0.22026-09-25Bind process in case global is overwritten - by @AriPerkkio in <samp>(0b792)</samp>
- v5.0.12026-09-15ui:
- v5.0.02026-09-03Vitest 5 is officially out! This release focuses on performance and brings a lot of new features while fixing long-stan…
- v5.0.0-rc.42026-08-31Parse files statically in vitest list by default - by @sheremet-va in <samp>(51e94)</samp>pre-release
AVA
✓ signed The latest release, v8.0.1, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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Vitest
✓ signed The latest release, v5.0.3, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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