Comparison

jQuery vs Preact

On the evidence we track, Preact leads this comparison with a composite score of 78/100. 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 →

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.

jQuery66

★Preact78

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	jQuery	PreactLeader
vioscaleAI score	66 / 100medium · 57%	78 / 100medium · 72%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	open_source	open_source
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Security
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	8.7	5.8
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 10 · 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	59,897	38,926
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	14,611,881	38,692,983
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	6	70
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	134	13
Historyrelease.history	13 items	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	MIT	MIT
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	JavaScript	JavaScript
Content
Faqcontent.faq	5 items	4 items

Score

vioscaleAI score

jQuery66 / 100medium · 57%

Preact78 / 100medium · 72%

Pricing

Free tier

jQuery✓

Preact✓

Model

jQueryopen_source

Preactopen_source

Price level

jQueryfree

Preactfree

Security

Scorecard

jQuery8.7

Preact5.8

Vulnerabilities

jQueryCount: 10 · 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

jQuery59,897

Preact38,926

Package downloads weekly

jQuery14,611,881

Preact38,692,983

Activity

Commits last 30d

jQuery6

Preact70

Release

Cadence days

jQuery134

Preact13

History

jQuery13 items

Preact20 items

License

Spdx

jQueryMIT

PreactMIT

Language

Primary

jQueryJavaScript

PreactJavaScript

Content

Faq

jQuery5 items

Preact4 items

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 JavaScript library that streamlines common web development tasks such as DOM querying and manipulation, event handling, and server communication. It abstracts browser differences to provide a unified interface, reducing the need for browser-specific workarounds.

Independently observed

Preact

Leader

A minimal virtual DOM framework providing React-style components and APIs, optimized for tiny bundle size and fast performance across modern browsers.

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 sourceFree tier

as of 2026-10-13verify ↗

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–

Still deciding?

jQuery or Preact: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

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