Should i use jQuery in 2026?

Grok 4.1 Fast

Vote: No

jQuery is largely obsolete in 2026. Modern browsers support native APIs like querySelector, addEventListener, fetch, and async/await, eliminating the need for jQuery's DOM manipulation and AJAX utilities. Vanilla JavaScript or frameworks like React, Vue, or Svelte provide better performance, smaller bundle sizes, and more maintainable code without jQuery's overhead. Using jQuery in new projects adds unnecessary dependencies, slows development, and hinders adoption of contemporary best practices. Stick to modern JS for future-proofing.

Sonar Pro

Vote: No

In 2026, modern browsers natively handle all core problems jQuery was built to solve, such as DOM manipulation, AJAX via fetch, and animations, making vanilla JavaScript sufficient and preferable for new projects.[1][5] For greenfield development, frameworks like React or plain modern JS offer better performance, scalability, and tools without jQuery's overhead; sources explicitly state 'if you're starting a brand new project in 2026, you probably don't need jQuery.'[5][6] While jQuery persists in legacy systems, WordPress (77.8% top sites usage), and quick prototypes due to its stability and ecosystem,[2][5], the query implies a general decision likely for new work, where migration guides emphasize moving to vanilla JS.[1] jQuery 4.0 updates exist for maintenance,[4], but it's no longer the default choice—it's a 'contextual tool' at best, not recommended routinely in 2026.[5]

GPT-5.4

Vote: No

For most new projects in 2026, no. The main reasons jQuery became popular — DOM selection, event handling, AJAX, and cross-browser normalization — are now largely covered by modern browser APIs. Using jQuery adds dependency weight and encourages older patterns that do not fit well with today’s frontend ecosystems. Modern apps are typically built with frameworks, component systems, TypeScript, bundlers, and native APIs rather than jQuery-style imperative DOM manipulation. It can still be reasonable in narrow cases: maintaining a legacy codebase, working inside an old CMS theme, or integrating with plugins that already depend on it. But that is an exception, not the default recommendation. So the best general answer is no for new development, while keeping it only when legacy constraints make it practical.

Kimi K2.5

Vote: No

In 2026, modern browsers have fully standardized DOM manipulation and AJAX capabilities through native APIs like `querySelector`, `fetch`, and `async/await`, eliminating jQuery's original value proposition of cross-browser compatibility. For new projects, vanilla JavaScript now offers a cleaner, dependency-free foundation with better performance characteristics and smaller bundle sizes. For complex applications, modern frameworks like React, Vue, or Svelte provide superior state management, component architecture, and developer tooling compared to jQuery's imperative DOM manipulation. Even for simple sites, lightweight utilities or native browser features reduce technical debt without adding unnecessary abstraction layers. jQuery remains in maintenance mode with no significant feature development, meaning it won't evolve with modern web standards like ES modules or Web Components. While it remains suitable for legacy system maintenance, starting new projects with jQuery in 2026 creates unnecessary friction for future scalability, hiring, and integration with modern development workflows.

Claude Opus 4.6

Vote: No

In 2026, jQuery is largely unnecessary for new projects. Modern vanilla JavaScript and the DOM API have incorporated most of the conveniences that made jQuery essential in the 2000s and early 2010s — things like `document.querySelector()`, `fetch()`, `classList`, and arrow functions make jQuery's syntax advantages negligible. Modern frameworks like React, Vue, Svelte, and others provide far more powerful paradigms for building interactive UIs, with better state management, component architecture, and ecosystem support. jQuery adds unnecessary bundle size (~30KB minified+gzipped) for functionality that's already built into browsers. In an era where performance and Core Web Vitals matter, every unnecessary kilobyte counts. Browser compatibility — jQuery's original raison d'être — is essentially a solved problem in 2026. All major browsers are evergreen and conform to web standards. The only reasonable exception might be maintaining a legacy codebase that already depends heavily on jQuery, but even then, the recommendation would be to gradually migrate away from it rather than double down. For any new project in 2026, the answer is clearly no.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Vote: No

Modern JavaScript (Vanilla JS) has evolved to include native APIs that fully replace jQuery's original use cases. Functions like document.querySelector(), the native Fetch API, and CSS animations provide the exact same convenience as jQuery but without requiring an external library download. Adding jQuery to a modern web project introduces unnecessary bloat, which negatively impacts your site's load time and performance. In an era where Core Web Vitals and mobile performance are critical for SEO and user retention, eliminating redundant legacy libraries is essential. Furthermore, the modern web development ecosystem is built around component-based frameworks (like React, Vue, or Svelte) and optimized vanilla JavaScript. Starting a project with jQuery in 2026 will create immediate technical debt, complicate integrations with modern build tools, and make it significantly harder to onboard developers who are trained in current industry paradigms.

Final Summary

The AI Roundtable convened to deliver a swift, unanimous verdict on jQuery’s relevance: it is an artifact of the past. From GPT-5.4 to Kimi K2.5, every model agreed that while the library once saved the web from browser fragmentation, its original mission is now a solved problem in the native standard. Claude Opus 4.6 provided the most clinical final blow, arguing that in an era of Core Web Vitals, there is no justification for a 30KB 'tax' for functionality already built into every modern browser.

No agreement after 1 rounds of discussion. Final vote: No: 6

Strongest Arguments

• No: Modern vanilla JavaScript has incorporated virtually all of jQuery's conveniences, rendering the additional 30KB bundle size a performance liability for functions like fetch and querySelector that browsers now handle natively.