Kysely vs Drizzle ORM(2026)
Kysely is better for teams that need best typescript types of any query builder. Drizzle ORM is the stronger choice if very fast. Kysely is free and Drizzle ORM is free.
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
Affiliate disclosure: Some “Visit” links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you. It does not affect our rankings or editorial coverage. Learn more.
Kysely
Kysely is a type-safe SQL query builder (not a full ORM) for TypeScript with excellent autocomplete and zero magic.
Visit KyselyDrizzle ORM
Drizzle is a lightweight TypeScript ORM with a SQL-like API that compiles to raw SQL for maximum performance.
Visit Drizzle ORMHow Do Kysely and Drizzle ORM Compare on Features?
| Feature | Kysely | Drizzle ORM |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | free |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Type-safe query builder | ✓ | — |
| Raw SQL escape hatches | ✓ | — |
| Migrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple dialects | ✓ | — |
| Edge-compatible | ✓ | ✓ |
| No codegen | ✓ | — |
| SQL-like API | — | ✓ |
| Zero dependencies | — | ✓ |
| Multiple DB drivers | — | ✓ |
| Schema introspection | — | ✓ |
Kysely Pros and Cons vs Drizzle ORM
K
Kysely
+Best TypeScript types of any query builder
+Close to raw SQL
+Fast
+Edge-compatible
+No codegen step
−Not a full ORM (no relations magic)
−Less magic means more code
−Smaller community than Prisma
D
Drizzle ORM
+Very fast
+Edge-compatible
+Thin abstraction (close to SQL)
+Great TypeScript types
+No codegen
−Less magic than Prisma
−Smaller ecosystem
−Docs less polished
Should You Use Kysely or Drizzle ORM?
Choose Kysely if…
- •Best TypeScript types of any query builder
- •Close to raw SQL
- •Fast
Choose Drizzle ORM if…
- •Very fast
- •Edge-compatible
- •Thin abstraction (close to SQL)