ncu vs npm outdated: 4 Majors Beyond Wanted

I ran npm-check-updates (ncu) 23.1.0 and npm outdated on the same package.json with seven intentionally stale deps: ncu proposed four major bumps (React 18 to 19, Vite 5 to 8, TypeScript 5 to 7, ESLint 8 to 10), while npm's Wanted column stayed inside the current major for those four. Wall-clock medians were close: ncu 863 ms, npm outdated 783 ms.

Short answer: use ncu when you want package.json ranges moved to latest, including breaking majors. Use npm outdated when you only want what a normal npm update can install inside today's ranges. No affiliate links in this post.

What I tested

• Machine: 8 vCPU Intel Xeon / 15 GB RAM Linux cloud box, Node 20.19.2 / npm 9.2.0, tested 5 Oct 2026 (about 23:47 to 23:52 IST). Shared box; seven interleaved rounds per command after one warmup each.
• Fixture: /workspace/bench-ncu/package.json with axios 1.6.0, eslint 8.57.0, lodash 4.17.21, prettier 3.2.5, react 18.2.0, typescript 5.4.5, vite 5.2.0 (plus ncu itself installed locally).
• Commands: npx npm-check-updates (human table), npm outdated (human table). Separate JSON-oriented runs were timed but not used for the major-count story (ncu --format json is invalid on 23.1; use other --format values).
• Timing: process wall clock via performance.now() around a fresh child process. Medians: ncu 863 ms, npm outdated 783 ms (npm exits 1 when anything is outdated; that is normal).
• Findings: ncu grouped three minor bumps and four majors. For the four majors, npm Wanted stayed on 18.3.1 / 5.4.21 / 5.9.3 / 8.57.1 while Latest matched ncu's targets (19.3.0 / 8.3.2 / 7.0.2 / 10.12.0).
• One surprise: people treat ncu as "faster outdated," but on this box it was slightly slower. The useful difference was the Wanted-versus-latest view, not the milliseconds.
• Not tested: ncu -u writing package.json, monorepo / workspaces mode, pnpm or Yarn adapters, interactive reject filters, CI fail-on-major scripts, Windows/macOS.

What does ncu show that npm outdated does not?

Package	Locked	npm Wanted	npm Latest / ncu target	Gap
react	18.2.0	18.3.1	19.3.0	major only in ncu / Latest
vite	5.2.0	5.4.21	8.3.2	major only in ncu / Latest
typescript	5.4.5	5.9.3	7.0.2	major only in ncu / Latest
eslint	8.57.0	8.57.1	10.12.0	major only in ncu / Latest
axios	1.6.0	1.20.0	1.20.0	same minor
lodash	4.17.21	4.18.1	4.18.1	same minor
prettier	3.2.5	3.9.9	3.9.9	same minor

npm outdated already prints Latest. What it will not do is treat Latest as the upgrade you get from npm update. Wanted is the ceiling of your current range. ncu's default table is a proposal to rewrite those ranges. That is why teams say "ncu found majors npm hid": Wanted hid them, Latest did not.

If you are deciding whether TypeScript 7 is even worth chasing after ncu lists it, see the TypeScript 7 upgrade post. For keeping versions aligned across packages, see syncpack vs npm-check.

Is ncu faster than npm outdated?

Command	Median wall clock (7 runs)
ncu 23.1.0	863 ms
npm outdated	783 ms

No, not here. The gap is noise next to registry latency. Do not pick ncu for speed.

Should you add ncu to the workflow?

Situation	My pick
Monthly "what majors are we behind on?" review	ncu
Safe npm update preview inside current ranges	npm outdated
CI that fails when Wanted moves	npm outdated --json
CI that fails when Latest is a new major	ncu (or compare Latest yourself)
You already run syncpack / Renovate for ranges	Optional; ncu is redundant

Bottom line: on seven stale deps, ncu proposed four majors that npm Wanted never suggested. Who should skip ncu: repos that must not rewrite ranges by hand and already trust Renovate or Dependabot pull requests for majors. For unused-dependency cleanup after upgrades, see knip vs depcheck; for runtime package managers around those installs, see pnpm vs npm vs Bun; for a current Vite major after ncu flags it, see the Vite 8.3.2 post.

How this was made: I pinned seven old deps on the ShopperCove test box, ran interleaved ncu and npm outdated processes, saved the tables and timings to JSON, and checked the write-up against that output with AI drafting help.

Sources

• https://github.com/raineorshine/npm-check-updates
• https://www.npmjs.com/package/npm-check-updates
• https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v9/commands/npm-outdated
• https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v9/commands/npm-update

Related

• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/syncpack-vs-npm-check
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/typescript-7-should-you-upgrade
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/knip-vs-depcheck
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/pnpm-vs-npm-vs-bun
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/vite-8-3-2-renderbuilturl-bundled-dev-sourcemaps-october-2026
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/oxlint-vs-eslint
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/lefthook-vs-husky
• https://www.shoppercove.com/blog/volta-vs-fnm