You-Dont-Need-jQuery vs You Might Not Need jQuery
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A reference of plain JavaScript equivalents for common jQuery methods, for modern browsers.
Open source · MIT
A site of side-by-side examples showing how to do common jQuery tasks with plain JavaScript.
The short answer
Choose You-Dont-Need-jQuery if you need…
- Front-end developers who already know jQuery and want to see native replacements
- Developers maintaining a site that only needs to support modern browsers
- Students learning what the DOM and browser APIs can do without a library
- Developers deciding whether a jQuery dependency is still worth keeping
Choose You Might Not Need jQuery if you need…
- Front-end developers maintaining older sites that still use jQuery
- Developers learning standard browser JavaScript APIs
- Teams deciding whether a jQuery dependency is worth keeping
- Developers who need to support older Internet Explorer versions and want the matching snippet
Side-by-side
| You-Dont-Need-jQuery | You Might Not Need jQuery | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Learning resource | Learning resource |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 20.1k | 14.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Read it online | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | JavaScript | Astro |
| Last code update | 8 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
You-Dont-Need-jQuery
This project is a collection of examples showing how to do common jQuery tasks, such as selecting elements, changing styles, manipulating the DOM, making Ajax calls, and handling events, using built-in browser JavaScript instead. Each entry pairs a jQuery snippet with a native equivalent. The README says the snippets target current evergreen browsers and that the alternatives are not completely equivalent in all cases, so testing is recommended.
You Might Not Need jQuery
This is a reference website that shows common jQuery tasks, such as selecting elements or making requests, alongside plain JavaScript alternatives. The README describes it as a resource for doing things 'au naturel,' meaning without jQuery. It is useful for developers deciding whether they still need the library in a given project.
Best for
You-Dont-Need-jQuery
- Front-end developers who already know jQuery and want to see native replacements
- Developers maintaining a site that only needs to support modern browsers
- Students learning what the DOM and browser APIs can do without a library
- Developers deciding whether a jQuery dependency is still worth keeping
You Might Not Need jQuery
- Front-end developers maintaining older sites that still use jQuery
- Developers learning standard browser JavaScript APIs
- Teams deciding whether a jQuery dependency is worth keeping
- Developers who need to support older Internet Explorer versions and want the matching snippet
Strengths
You-Dont-Need-jQuery
- Covers many common jQuery methods side by side with native code
- Explains differences in behavior, such as querySelector returning null when nothing matches
- Released under the MIT license
You Might Not Need jQuery
- Gives concrete side-by-side examples rather than abstract advice
- Organizes snippets by browser support level, which helps with legacy code
- Open source under the MIT license with a clear contribution pattern
Not ideal for
You-Dont-Need-jQuery
- Projects that must support Internet Explorer, since the README says IE fallbacks were removed and points to an older IE-compatible version instead
- Anyone expecting drop-in, guaranteed-identical behavior, since the README warns the alternatives are not completely equivalent in all scenarios
- Teams already built on React, Angular, or Vue who need framework-level solutions rather than raw DOM snippets
You Might Not Need jQuery
- People who want a ready-to-install library or framework; this repo is a reference site, not a package
- Beginners with no JavaScript background, since the examples assume some familiarity with the DOM
- Anyone looking for guidance on modern frameworks beyond the plain JavaScript examples shown in the README
Trade-offs
You-Dont-Need-jQuery
- It is a set of examples, not a library, so you must copy and adapt the code yourself
- The README notes some native alternatives are not fully equivalent to jQuery, so behavior may differ in edge cases
- The README is truncated in the provided text, so coverage of later sections such as Ajax, Events, and Animation could not be fully verified here
You Might Not Need jQuery
- The README is short and does not describe the full list of covered topics, so coverage is hard to judge from the text alone
- Last push in the metadata is July 2024, so currency of examples is not confirmed
- Some snippets target old browsers that many projects no longer need to support
Getting started
You-Dont-Need-jQuery
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/camsong/You-Dont-Need-jQueryYou Might Not Need jQuery
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/HubSpot/youmightnotneedjquery.gitInstall dependencies
npm installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between You-Dont-Need-jQuery and You Might Not Need jQuery?
You-Dont-Need-jQuery: A reference of plain JavaScript equivalents for common jQuery methods, for modern browsers. You Might Not Need jQuery: A site of side-by-side examples showing how to do common jQuery tasks with plain JavaScript. You-Dont-Need-jQuery suits front-end developers who already know jquery and want to see native replacements, while You Might Not Need jQuery suits front-end developers maintaining older sites that still use jquery.
Are You-Dont-Need-jQuery and You Might Not Need jQuery free?
You-Dont-Need-jQuery: Free and open source. You Might Not Need jQuery: Free and open source.
Is You-Dont-Need-jQuery or You Might Not Need jQuery more popular?
You-Dont-Need-jQuery has more GitHub stars (20.1k) than You Might Not Need jQuery (14.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.