Compare a modern edge-first web framework against the long-standing default for Node.js HTTP servers.
Pick Hono when you're targeting edge runtimes — Cloudflare Workers, Bun, Deno, Vercel Edge — and want a small, fast, TypeScript-first framework that runs the same code across all of them. Pick Express when you're on classic Node, your ecosystem and middleware history is built around it, and the deepest pool of compatible packages and tutorials matters more than edge-runtime portability.
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| Attribute | Express | Hono |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backend Framework | Backend Framework |
| Pricing Model | open-source | open-source |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | — | — |
