@koshmoney/countries vs i18n-iso-countries

i18n-iso-countries is a popular package for ISO 3166-1 country codes with built-in translations for 50+ languages. It has been around for years and is widely used. Here is an honest comparison with @koshmoney/countries to help you choose the right package for your project.

Feature Comparison

Where i18n-iso-countries Wins

Translation support is the standout feature. If your application needs to display country names in Arabic, Japanese, French, or any of 50+ languages, i18n-iso-countries handles this out of the box:

// i18n-iso-countries
import countries from 'i18n-iso-countries';
import de from 'i18n-iso-countries/langs/de.json';
 
countries.registerLocale(de);
countries.getName('US', 'de'); // 'Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika'

@koshmoney/countries does not include translations. If multilingual country names are a core requirement, i18n-iso-countries is the better choice for that specific use case.

Where @koshmoney/countries Wins

Subdivision Data

@koshmoney/countries includes 5,000+ subdivision records (states, provinces, regions) with ISO 3166-2 codes. i18n-iso-countries only covers countries:

import { subdivision } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
subdivision.forCountry('US');
// [{ code: 'US-CA', name: 'California', type: 'State', ... }, ...]
 
subdivision.whereCode('DE-BY');
// { code: 'DE-BY', name: 'Bavaria', type: 'State', ... }

Postal Code Validation

Validate postal codes for 150+ countries:

import { postalCode } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
postalCode.isValid('US', '90210');      // true
postalCode.isValid('GB', 'SW1A 1AA');   // true
postalCode.isValid('CA', 'K1A 0B1');    // true

EU/SEPA Membership

Built-in membership checks without maintaining your own lists:

import { membership } from '@koshmoney/countries/membership';
 
membership.isEU('FR');       // true
membership.isSEPA('GB');     // true (UK remains in SEPA)
membership.isEurozone('SE'); // false

Tree-Shaking

@koshmoney/countries uses subpath exports so you only load what you need:

// Only country data: ~8KB
import { country } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
// Only US subdivisions: ~10KB total
import '@koshmoney/countries/subdivision/US';

With i18n-iso-countries, importing any function loads the entire module even if you only need one feature.

Bundle Size

Migration Guide

If you are currently using i18n-iso-countries and want to switch:

Before (i18n-iso-countries)

import countries from 'i18n-iso-countries';
 
// Get country name
countries.getName('US', 'en'); // 'United States of America'
 
// Convert alpha-2 to alpha-3
countries.alpha2ToAlpha3('US'); // 'USA'
 
// Validate
countries.isValid('US'); // true
 
// Get all countries
const all = countries.getNames('en');

After (@koshmoney/countries)

import { country } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
// Get country name
country.toName('US'); // 'United States'
 
// Convert alpha-2 to alpha-3
country.alpha2ToAlpha3('US'); // 'USA'
 
// Validate
country.isValid('US'); // true
 
// Get all countries
const all = country.all();

Key Differences

• getName(code, locale) becomes toName(code) (English only)
• getNames(locale) becomes all() (returns array of objects, not name map)
• alpha2ToAlpha3() works the same way
• isValid() works the same way
• No locale parameter needed (single language)

When to Choose Which

Choose i18n-iso-countries if:

• You need country names in multiple languages
• You only need country-level data (no subdivisions)
• Translation is a core feature of your application

Choose @koshmoney/countries if:

• You need subdivisions (states, provinces, regions)
• You need postal code validation
• You need EU/SEPA/Eurozone membership checks
• You want smaller bundle sizes
• You want a unified API for country + subdivision + validation
• English-only country names are sufficient

Related Resources

• Tree-Shaking Country Data — how subpath exports reduce bundle size
• Getting Started — quick setup guide
• vs countries-list — comparison with another alternative
• API Reference — full API documentation