Kysely vs Prisma ORM

Kysely vs Prisma ORM
Fact	Kysely	Prisma ORM
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Licence	MIT	Apache-2.0
Stars	14k	48k
Latest	v0.29.6	v0.17.0
Last push	2026-10-06	2026-10-06
Release cadence	too few releases	too few releases
Active contributors	5 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days	15 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days
Flags	none	none

How they relate

Kysely replaces Prisma ORM. Alternatives to Prisma ORM →
PartialTypes come from TypeScript interfaces instead of a schema file and a generated client.
Both replace Sequelize. Alternatives to Sequelize →
PartialKyselyA type-safe SQL query builder rather than an ORM, with no models to define.
Full replacementPrisma ORMSchema file with a generated, type-safe client.
Both replace TypeORM. Alternatives to TypeORM →
PartialKyselyA type-safe SQL query builder rather than an ORM, with no entities or relations to map.
Full replacementPrisma ORMSchema file with a generated, type-safe client.

v8.0.0-rc.142026-09-30In this release, connect() on the Postgres serverless client returns a connection with db.orm, db.transaction(...) and…pre-release
v8.0.0-rc.132026-09-28This release brings MongoDB closer to Postgres: a Mongo schema can declare Int64, Decimal128, Binary, Json and Bson fie…pre-release
v8.0.0-rc.122026-09-24This release adds Postgres full-text search, prepared ORM reads and aggregates, schemas split across several files, and…pre-release
v8.0.0-rc.112026-09-13This release moves the toolchain onto @prisma/cli-engine@0.4.0, which adds a Markdown output format to every CLI comman…pre-release
v8.0.0-rc.102026-09-12This RC finishes the rename from Prisma Next to Prisma 8 in every identifier a project can see (the old schema header k…pre-release

unsigned The latest release, v0.29.6, carries no signature GitHub could verify.

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✓ signed The latest release, v0.17.0, carries a signature GitHub verified.

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