Comparison

npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages vs npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads

npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages and npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads both land on Worth it.

npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages

Worth it

Confidence: Medium

Free, no-signup npm download charts . a fine utility for quick popularity checks.

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npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads

Worth it

Confidence: High

Use it . it's free and the fastest way to gauge npm package adoption before committing.

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npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages versus npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads
Compare	npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages	npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads
Verdict	Worth it	Worth it
Best for	Open-source maintainers tracking package adoption	JS/TS devs choosing between libraries
Who it's not for	Anyone making build-vs-buy calls from raw download counts	Non-JavaScript stacks (Python, Go, Rust) . nothing to compare
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.^³	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹⁰
Support quality	No evidence in sources	No support evidence found
Public sentiment	Practitioners warn that npm download counts are unreliable popularity signals because mirrors and bots inflate them.^⁴	Developers, bloggers, and researchers consistently recommend it as the quickest npm popularity comparison.¹¹
Biggest gotcha	Mirror sites cache packages automatically, inflating download numbers for unused packages^⁴	One developer demonstrated npm download counts can be exploited; treat numbers as directional only^⁵

Pick npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages when

Open-source maintainers tracking package adoption
Quick side-by-side package comparisons
Researchers citing npm adoption trends

When npm-stat: download statistics for NPM packages is not a fit

Anyone making build-vs-buy calls from raw download counts
Teams needing real-time or private-registry stats
Businesses wanting vendor SLAs or guaranteed support

Pick npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads when

JS/TS devs choosing between libraries
Framework adoption research
Indie devs and students picking stacks
Tech-radar trend spotting

When npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads is not a fit

Non-JavaScript stacks (Python, Go, Rust) . nothing to compare
Teams needing license, audit, or maintenance vetting of packages
Anyone wanting vendor support, SLAs, or data exports
Procurement-grade decisions . popularity ≠ production-readiness

Sources

npm-stat homepagenpm-stat.com
official
npm-stat charts page (donation note)npm-stat.com
official
npm-stat security pagenpm-stat.com
security
How reliable are npm package download counts?community.latenode.com
review
How I exploited NPM downloads... and why you shouldn'tdev.to
review
npm-increaser-downloads (count inflation tool)npmjs.com
news
pvorb/npm-stat.com source on GitHubgist.github.com
official
Apify npm Package Stats actorapify.com
official
npm trends: Compare NPM package downloads (official)npmtrends.com
official
npmtrends security pagenpmtrends.com
security
awesome-vibe-coding . GitHub list marking it [Free]github.com
review
Testing Framework Adoption Trends: 5 Years of npm Data . TestDinotestdino.com
review
React Query paper citing npmtrends . TechRxivtechrxiv.org
review
VueJS vs ReactJS vs SvelteJS . Reddit r/sveltejsreddit.com
review
5 Best Practices for Choosing Third-Party NPM Packagesreadclub.me
review
Rise of JavaScript Frameworks . Master's thesis citing npmtrendsagrawalshyam.com
review