Zod vs Yup vs Valibot: Choosing the Right Schema Validator in 2025

When building modern applications—especially with React, Next.js, or TypeScript—schema validation plays a huge role. Whether you're handling form input, API payloads, or environment configs, choosing the right validation library can save you hours of debugging and make your codebase more robust.

In 2025, the top contenders are Zod, Yup, and the rising star Valibot. But which one is right for you?

⚖️ Quick Comparison Table

🔧 Zod: TypeScript’s Best Friend

Zod is a TypeScript-first schema declaration and validation library. Its biggest strength is automatic type inference, meaning you write your schema once and get both runtime validation and compile-time TypeScript types.

Example

import { z } from "zod";

const userSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string(),
  age: z.number().min(18),
  email: z.string().email(),
});

type User = z.infer<typeof userSchema>; // 🪄 Type automatically generated

✅ Pros

• TypeScript-native with no need for manual typing

• Great error messages

• Nested structures and unions are easy

• Works well with React Hook Form

❌ Cons

• Slightly larger bundle size

• Verbose in deeply nested schemas

🧠 Best Use:

TypeScript-heavy apps, backend input validation (e.g., tRPC), Next.js apps

🧰 Yup: The Old Reliable

Yup has been around for a while and was the de facto standard for form validation in React projects—especially with Formik and React Hook Form. It uses a fluent, chaining API similar to Joi.

Example

import * as yup from "yup";

const userSchema = yup.object({
  name: yup.string().required(),
  age: yup.number().min(18).required(),
  email: yup.string().email().required(),
});

✅ Pros

• Battle-tested

• Deep Formik integration

• Familiar API for many devs

❌ Cons

• Poor TypeScript support (no inference)

• Slower and heavier than newer libraries

• Hard to compose and reuse in TS projects

🧠 Best Use:

Legacy codebases, projects already using Formik

🦾 Valibot: The Fastest Validator on the Block

Valibot is a newer validation library built with performance and tree-shaking in mind. Despite its tiny size, it offers excellent TypeScript inference and great ergonomics.

Example

import { object, string, number, minLength, email, minValue } from "valibot";

const userSchema = object({
  name: string([minLength(1)]),
  age: number([minValue(18)]),
  email: string([email()]),
});

✅ Pros

• Ultra-lightweight (tree-shakable)

• Excellent performance (up to 10x faster than Yup)

• Fully typed and composable

❌ Cons

• Smaller community

• Fewer guides/tutorials

• Limited integrations compared to Zod

🧠 Best Use:

Serverless apps, frontend-heavy projects where performance matters, embedded devices

🏁 Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

• 🟢 Use Zod if:

  • You're using TypeScript extensively

  • You want a solid DX with tRPC, Next.js, or form libraries

  • You want full control and safety

• 🟡 Use Yup if:

  • You're maintaining a legacy React project

  • You're heavily invested in Formik or don’t use TypeScript

• 🌱 Use Valibot if:

  • You care about performance + bundle size

  • You’re building micro-frontends, widgets, or embedded apps

  • You want a modern, lightweight validator for modern stacks