node-fetch vs superagent

node-fetch is downloaded 7.4× more often than superagent (596,360,386 vs 81,006,257 per month), so it has the larger community and more answered questions online. node-fetch has been updated more recently, a sign of more active maintenance.

Metric	node-fetch	superagent
Weekly downloads	141,594,834✓	18,853,906
Monthly downloads	596,360,386✓	81,006,257
GitHub stars	8,857	16,650✓
Minified size	—	57.9 kB
Minified + gzipped	—	18.3 kB
Dependencies	—	9
Open issues	247	183✓
Last commit	2026-05-12✓	2026-01-06
Latest version	3.3.2	10.3.0
License	MIT	MIT

When to choose which

node-fetch

A fetch() polyfill for older Node.js.

Choose it when: Legacy Node before v18. On Node 18+ fetch is global, so you usually no longer need this.

+ Familiar fetch API
+ Lightweight
- Redundant on Node 18+
- Manual JSON parsing
- No interceptors

superagent

A long-standing chainable HTTP client.

Choose it when: Existing projects already using it, or if you like its chainable request API. Newer wrappers are lighter.

+ Chainable API
+ Plugins
+ Browser + Node
- Older style
- Slower-moving maintenance

Feature comparison

Feature	node-fetch	superagent
Runtime	Node only	Browser + Node
Built on	fetch polyfill	XHR / http
Interceptors / hooks	✗ No	Plugins
Automatic JSON	✗ No	✓ Yes
Built-in retries	✗ No	✓ Yes

node-fetch

A light-weight module that brings Fetch API to node.js

Details GitHub npm

superagent

elegant & feature rich browser / node HTTP with a fluent API

Details GitHub npm

Related comparisons

axios vs node-fetch axios vs superagent ky vs node-fetch ky vs superagent got vs node-fetch got vs superagent node-fetch vs wretch node-fetch vs redaxios

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Data from npm, Bundlephobia and GitHub. Last updated 2026-06-02.