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Should I use You Might Not Need jQuery?

Examples of how to do common event, element, ajax and utility operations with plain javascript. - youmightnotneedjquery.com

Worth it. This is a free reference site, not software you buy — any developer weighing jQuery for a new project should read it first. Skip relying on it as gospel if you must support old browsers or want a maintained, supported product; it is a community snippet page.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 13 public sources

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityCommunity resource, no support
  • Security postureStatic site; its /security page 404s

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Developers dropping jQuery from new sites
  • WordPress theme devs trimming page weight
  • Learners migrating to vanilla JS
  • Legacy code audits

Not for

  • Teams supporting IE-era browsers — jQuery still earns its keep
  • Buyers shopping for software — it's an article, not a tool
  • Anyone wanting guaranteed updates or support
  • Complex SPAs — use a framework, not a snippet sheet

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Browser-support caveats — 'That's not always safe'; test snippets before shipping

medium

WordPress core still bundles jQuery; removing it from themes is on you

low

Static reference with no maintenance guarantees; verify against current browser APIs yourself

low

Site's own /security page returns a 404 — no formal security claims

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Completely free, no accounts or paywalls
  • Side-by-side vanilla JS replacements for common jQuery operations
  • Widely cited since 2014 as the canonical drop-jQuery argument
  • Open-source and hosted on HubSpot's GitHub
  • Cited for cutting jQuery's performance weight in themes

Cons

  • Not a product — no support, SLA, or roadmap
  • Covers common operations only, not complex app needs
  • Snippets aren't always safe drop-ins across browsers
  • Still debated; many devs keep jQuery for legacy reasons

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/30/2026 - 13 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x5news x4

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 13

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, zero cost, no upsells
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Side-by-side jQuery vs vanilla examples
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Covers common operations only
  • Support quality. Community resource, no support
  • Security posture. Static site; its /security page 404s
  • $0 Price Free, open-source reference site
  • Yes Free tier No paid plans exist
  • 2014 Launched First HN discussion Jan 30, 2014
  • HubSpot Maintainer Hosted on HubSpot's GitHub

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Full library of jQuery-to-vanilla examples
  • Open-source on GitHub
  • No accounts, limits, or upgrades

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Developers treat it as the canonical nudge toward vanilla JS, while most agree 'might' is the operative word.

“You MIGHT not need jQuery. He never said, 'In no…'”
Reddit, r/javascript
“That's not always safe”
Hacker News

Alternatives

Compare You Might Not Need jQuery with each alternative.

Companies that use it

Companies that could

  • WordPress⁶ Uses jQuery (bundled in core and themes) instead
Full analysis

Based on 13 public sources

Free reference, not a product: vanilla JS swaps for common jQuery ops. Read it before adding jQuery anywhere new.

Methodology

Based on 13 public sources

Sources

  1. You Might Not Need jQueryyoumightnotneedjquery.com
    official
  2. HubSpot/youmightnotneedjquery (GitHub)github.com
    official
  3. You might not need jQuery (HN, 2014)news.ycombinator.com
    news
  4. You might not need jQuery (HN, 2021)news.ycombinator.com
    news
  5. (Now More Than Ever) You Might Not Need jQuery — CSS-Trickscss-tricks.com
    news
  6. The performance impact of using jQuery in WordPress themesmake.wordpress.org
    news
  7. [AskJS] Do You Still Use jQuery in 2024, or Is Vanilla… — r/javascriptreddit.com
    review
  8. You might not need jQuery — r/javascriptreddit.com
    review
  9. My Personal Journey Graduating from jQuery to Modern JavaScriptjavascript.plainenglish.io
    review
  10. Why I'm still using jQuery in 2019arp242.net
    review
  11. You Don't Need jQuery (GitHub)github.com
    official
  12. You Might Not Need *youmightnotneed.com
    official
  13. You Might Not Need jQuery : r/programmingreddit.com
    review

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