Quick Comparison
| Hono | Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Any (Node, Bun, Deno, Workers) | Node.js |
| Performance | Very fast | Good |
| TypeScript | First-class | Community types |
| Bundle size | ~14KB | ~200KB |
| Edge | Yes (Cloudflare, Vercel) | No |
| Middleware | Built-in essentials | Massive ecosystem |
When to Use Hono
- Edge deployments (Cloudflare Workers, Vercel Edge)
- Multi-runtime (Node + Bun + Deno)
- You want TypeScript-first
- API-focused projects
When to Use Express
- You need Express-specific middleware
- Your team knows Express
- You need the largest ecosystem
- Traditional Node.js server
Verdict
Hono for new API projects, especially if you’re targeting the edge. Express if you need its middleware ecosystem or your team already knows it.