Which ORM?: Explained

Which ORM? Explained

Answer a few questions about how much SQL you want to write, how you define your schema, how much bundle weight matters, and your team's taste to choose between Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, and raw SQL or a query builder.

An ORM trades raw SQL for typed objects in your language. The trade is control for safety, and each ORM places the dial differently: schema-first or code-first, SQL-like or abstract, heavy or featherweight. Pick the one whose dial sits where your team wants it. The questions below turn that preference into a recommendation, ranked against the alternatives.

Decision guide · 4 options

The options

Prisma

Schema-first, fully type-safe, with migrations and a visual studio.

Teams that want a single source of truth in a schema file, generated end-to-end types, and the least hand-written SQL.

Drizzle

A lightweight, SQL-like ORM with first-class TypeScript and tiny bundles.

Edge and serverless apps, and developers who want the ORM to mirror SQL closely while staying fast and small.

TypeORM

Decorator-based, with ActiveRecord and DataMapper patterns.

NestJS or decorator-heavy codebases that want a mature, convention-driven ORM with familiar enterprise patterns.

Raw SQL or a query builder (Knex, Kysely)

Write the SQL yourself, with optional typed query building.

Teams that want full control, peak performance, and zero abstraction between them and the database.

Which one fits you?

Answer a few questions to get a recommendation.

Question 1 of 4