Comparison

jQuery vs Preact

On the evidence we track, Preact leads this comparison with a composite score of 81/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

jQuery full profile →Preact full profile →

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jQuery65

★Preact81

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	jQuery	PreactLeader
Vioscale score	65 / 100medium · 59%updating	81 / 100medium · 72%updating
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	-
Modelpricing.model	commercial	commercial
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Security
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	8.7	5.7
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 6 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=jquery&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0 · Max severity: HIGH	Count: 2 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=preact&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: HIGH
Reliability
Status pagereliability.status_page	✓	-
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	998,742	78,992
Github starsadoption.github_stars	59,773	38,834
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	17,487,401	31,234,030
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	2	100
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	134	13
Historyrelease.history	13 items	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	MIT	MIT
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	JavaScript	JavaScript

Score

Vioscale score

jQuery65 / 100medium · 59%updating

Preact81 / 100medium · 72%updating

Pricing

Free tier

jQuery✓

Preact–

Model

jQuerycommercial

Preactcommercial

Price level

jQueryfree

Preactfree

Security

Scorecard

jQuery8.7

Preact5.7

Vulnerabilities

jQueryCount: 6 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=jquery&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0 · Max severity: HIGH

PreactCount: 2 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=preact&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: HIGH

Reliability

Status page

jQuery✓

Preact–

Adoption

Dependent repos

jQuery998,742

Preact78,992

Github stars

jQuery59,773

Preact38,834

Package downloads weekly

jQuery17,487,401

Preact31,234,030

Activity

Commits last 30d

jQuery2

Preact100

Release

Cadence days

jQuery134

Preact13

History

jQuery13 items

Preact20 items

License

Spdx

jQueryMIT

PreactMIT

Language

Primary

jQueryJavaScript

PreactJavaScript

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for frontend ui frameworks. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for Frontend UI Frameworks
Capability	jQuery	Preact
Core
Paradigm	JavaScript utility library	Virtual DOM component library
Reusable component model	✗	✓
Rendering
Virtual DOM	✗	✓
Signals / fine-grained reactivity	✗	-
SSR support	✗	✓
DX
First-class TypeScript	✗	-
State
Built-in state management	✗	✓
Ecosystem
Official router	✗	-
Performance
Runtime size	Small (10–40kb)	Tiny (<10kb)

Core

Paradigm

jQueryJavaScript utility library

PreactVirtual DOM component library

Reusable component model

jQuery✗

Preact✓

Rendering

Virtual DOM

jQuery✗

Preact✓

Signals / fine-grained reactivity

jQuery✗

Preact-

SSR support

jQuery✗

Preact✓

First-class TypeScript

jQuery✗

Preact-

State

Built-in state management

jQuery✗

Preact✓

Ecosystem

Official router

jQuery✗

Preact-

Performance

Runtime size

jQuerySmall (10–40kb)

PreactTiny (<10kb)

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

jQuery

A widely-used JavaScript library that simplifies HTML document traversal, element manipulation, event handling, animations, and server communication across different browsers with a compact, easy-to-use API.

Independently observed

Preact

Leader

A minimal virtual DOM library that provides a React-compatible API with significantly reduced file size. Preact delivers performance-focused component development without the overhead of traditional frameworks.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

jQuery

Open sourceFree tier

as of 2026-08-13verify ↗

Preact

Leader

Open source

as of 2026-08-13verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	jQuery	Preact
WebPlatforms	✓	✓
CLIPlatforms	✓	✗
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	-
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	-

Platforms

Web

jQuery✓

Preact✓

CLI

jQuery✓

Preact✗

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

jQuery✓

Preact–

Self-hosted

jQuery✓

Preact–

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.