Best ORMs for Node.js in 2025: Prisma vs Drizzle vs TypeORM

Why ORMs Matter

Object-Relational Mappers (ORMs) bridge the gap between your application code and database. According to the State of JS 2024, Prisma leads with 65% usage among Node.js developers, while Drizzle has surged to 28% with the highest satisfaction rating.

Choosing the right ORM impacts development speed, application performance, and long-term maintainability.

Quick Comparison

Prisma: The Modern Standard

Prisma has become the go-to ORM for TypeScript projects, used by companies like Netflix, Notion, and Hashicorp.

Key Features

• Type-Safe Queries: Auto-generated types from your schema
• Prisma Studio: Visual database browser and editor
• Declarative Migrations: Schema-first approach
• Prisma Accelerate: Global database caching
• Prisma Pulse: Real-time database subscriptions

Schema Definition

// schema.prisma
model User {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String?
  posts     Post[]
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

model Post {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  title     String
  content   String?
  published Boolean  @default(false)
  author    User     @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
  authorId  Int
}

Query Examples

// Find users with their posts
const users = await prisma.user.findMany({
  where: { 
    email: { contains: '@company.com' }
  },
  include: { 
    posts: {
      where: { published: true },
      orderBy: { createdAt: 'desc' }
    }
  }
});

// Create with relations
const user = await prisma.user.create({
  data: {
    email: 'alice@example.com',
    name: 'Alice',
    posts: {
      create: [
        { title: 'Hello World', published: true }
      ]
    }
  },
  include: { posts: true }
});

// Transaction
const [user, post] = await prisma.$transaction([
  prisma.user.create({ data: { email: 'bob@example.com' } }),
  prisma.post.create({ data: { title: 'New Post', authorId: 1 } })
]);

Prisma Strengths

• Best-in-class developer experience
• Excellent autocomplete and error messages
• Visual database management with Prisma Studio
• Strong community and documentation
• Works with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, SQL Server

Prisma Limitations

• Larger bundle size (~2MB)
• Requires code generation step
• Cold starts can be slower in serverless
• Some advanced SQL features require raw queries

Drizzle: The Performance Champion

Drizzle has emerged as the performance-focused alternative, gaining rapid adoption in 2024-2025.

Key Features

• SQL-Like Syntax: Feels like writing SQL in TypeScript
• Zero Dependencies: Minimal bundle size (~50KB)
• Edge Ready: Optimized for serverless and edge
• No Code Generation: Types inferred at runtime
• Relational Queries: Prisma-like API available

Schema Definition

// schema.ts
import { pgTable, serial, text, boolean, timestamp, integer } from 'drizzle-orm/pg-core';

export const users = pgTable('users', {
  id: serial('id').primaryKey(),
  email: text('email').unique().notNull(),
  name: text('name'),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').defaultNow()
});

export const posts = pgTable('posts', {
  id: serial('id').primaryKey(),
  title: text('title').notNull(),
  content: text('content'),
  published: boolean('published').default(false),
  authorId: integer('author_id').references(() => users.id)
});

Query Examples

// SQL-like queries
const activeUsers = await db
  .select()
  .from(users)
  .where(eq(users.email, 'alice@example.com'));

// Joins
const usersWithPosts = await db
  .select({
    user: users,
    post: posts
  })
  .from(users)
  .leftJoin(posts, eq(users.id, posts.authorId))
  .where(eq(posts.published, true));

// Insert
const newUser = await db
  .insert(users)
  .values({ email: 'bob@example.com', name: 'Bob' })
  .returning();

// Relational queries (Prisma-like API)
const result = await db.query.users.findMany({
  with: {
    posts: {
      where: eq(posts.published, true)
    }
  }
});

Drizzle Strengths

• Fastest query execution
• Smallest bundle size (50x smaller than Prisma)
• Best for edge and serverless deployments
• SQL knowledge transfers directly
• No build step required

Drizzle Limitations

• Steeper learning curve for non-SQL developers
• Smaller ecosystem and community
• Less mature than Prisma
• Documentation still improving

TypeORM: The Enterprise Veteran

TypeORM remains popular in enterprise environments, especially for teams coming from Java/C# backgrounds.

Key Features

• Decorator-Based: Familiar to Java/C# developers
• Active Record & Data Mapper: Multiple patterns
• Mature Ecosystem: Years of production use
• Database Support: Widest compatibility

Entity Definition

// user.entity.ts
import { Entity, PrimaryGeneratedColumn, Column, OneToMany } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class User {
  @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
  id: number;

  @Column({ unique: true })
  email: string;

  @Column({ nullable: true })
  name: string;

  @OneToMany(() => Post, post => post.author)
  posts: Post[];

  @CreateDateColumn()
  createdAt: Date;
}

Query Examples

// Repository pattern
const users = await userRepository.find({
  where: { email: Like('%@company.com') },
  relations: ['posts'],
  order: { createdAt: 'DESC' }
});

// Query Builder
const users = await userRepository
  .createQueryBuilder('user')
  .leftJoinAndSelect('user.posts', 'post')
  .where('post.published = :published', { published: true })
  .getMany();

// Active Record pattern
const user = new User();
user.email = 'alice@example.com';
await user.save();

TypeORM Strengths

• Familiar to enterprise developers
• Supports multiple patterns (Active Record, Data Mapper)
• Widest database support
• Mature with extensive documentation

TypeORM Limitations

• Larger bundle size
• Slower cold starts
• Type safety not as strong as Prisma/Drizzle
• Development has slowed recently

Performance Benchmarks

Based on community benchmarks:

Key Takeaway: Drizzle is 2-3x faster than Prisma and 4-5x faster than TypeORM in most operations.

Edge & Serverless Compatibility

Migration Strategies

From TypeORM to Prisma

1. Generate Prisma schema from existing database
2. Update queries incrementally
3. Remove TypeORM decorators
4. Run Prisma migrations

From Prisma to Drizzle

1. Convert Prisma schema to Drizzle schema
2. Update query syntax (more SQL-like)
3. Remove Prisma client generation
4. Use Drizzle Kit for migrations

When to Choose Each

Choose Prisma When

• Developer experience is top priority
• Team is new to databases/SQL
• Need visual database tools
• Building with Next.js or similar
• Want strong community support

Choose Drizzle When

• Performance is critical
• Deploying to edge/serverless
• Team knows SQL well
• Bundle size matters
• Building real-time applications

Choose TypeORM When

• Team comes from Java/C# background
• Need Active Record pattern
• Working with legacy databases
• Enterprise environment with specific requirements
• Using NestJS (good integration)

Our Recommendation

For new projects in 2025:

1. Default Choice: Start with Prisma for the best developer experience and ecosystem
2. Performance Critical: Choose Drizzle for edge deployments and maximum performance
3. Enterprise/Legacy: Consider TypeORM if team has Java/C# background

The trend is clear: Drizzle is gaining momentum rapidly due to its performance advantages, while Prisma remains the most developer-friendly option.

Explore database tools in our Tools directory or compare options with our Compare tool.

Sources

• Prisma Documentation
• Drizzle ORM Documentation
• TypeORM Documentation
• State of JS 2024
• Drizzle Benchmarks