Guides
Fiverr Guides > Programming & Tech Guides

jQuery vs. React: 2026 Differences and Why to Choose One Over the Other

These two enormously popular JavaScript libraries serve different purposes.

By: R. Paulo Delgado
February 2, 2026
7 minute reading
Abstract 3D shapes with code snippet and 80% progress indicator on a dark green background

jQuery and React are the two most popular JavaScript libraries for front-end development in the world, according to Stack Overflow’s latest Global Developer Survey. However, jQuery’s popularity is more substantial among professional developers than among those getting started with coding. 

New coders likely prefer React because jQuery emerged in an era before many of the significant advancements in web development occurred. This puts jQuery at a disadvantage in specific projects requiring modern features. 

But whether to choose jQuery or React isn’t so easy to answer. 

Let’s take a deep dive into the background and use cases of these popular JavaScript libraries so you can decide which is best for you.

Find a Software Developer for Hire

fix wordpress issues, fix wordpress errors, bugs, fix wordpress website
M
Murtaz
Murtaz
Level 2

I will fix wordpress issues, fix wordpress errors, bugs, fix wordpress website

5.0(1k+)
From $5

Offers video consultations

fix wordpress issues, bugs, critical error, fix wordpress error, woocommerce fix
G
Ghulam
Ghulam
Level 2

I will fix wordpress issues, bugs, critical error, fix wordpress error, woocommerce fix

5.0(731)
From $5
fix wordpress issues, fix wordpress website, wordpress fix, wordpress bug fix
A
Arbab Hussain
Arbab Hussain
Level 2

I will fix wordpress issues, fix wordpress website, wordpress fix, wordpress bug fix

5.0(106)
From $5
fix html,css, and javascript issues
M
Maroof Roy
Maroof Roy
Top Rated

I will fix html,css, and javascript issues

5.0(45)
From $5

Offers video consultations

fix and develop any custom php, codeigniter, laravel website
J
Junaid Iqbal
Junaid Iqbal
Level 2

I will fix and develop any custom php, codeigniter, laravel website

4.9(253)
From $40

Offers video consultations

build ai powered web application using react and next
R
Rajitha Prasad
Rajitha Prasad
Level 2

I will build ai powered web application using react and next

5.0(196)
From $40

Offers video consultations

social media automation, youtube faceless video, instagram chatbot, manychat
R
Rex T
Rex T
Level 2

I will social media automation, youtube faceless video, instagram chatbot, manychat

5.0(18)
From $50
php laravel developer, laravel vue js web application, saas developer
W
Weballures
Weballures
Top Rated

Our agency will php laravel developer, laravel vue js web application, saas developer

5.0(37)
From $80
software developer mern stack developer saas php laravel ai web app development
G
Gurpreet D
Gurpreet D
Level 2

I will software developer mern stack developer saas php laravel ai web app development

5.0(187)
From $100
build react or nextjs web app with vercel ai sdk integration, ai web apps
B
Bilal A
Bilal A
Level 2

I will build react or nextjs web app with vercel ai sdk integration, ai web apps

5.0(54)
From $100
develop custom CRM software, erp and web applications in PHP
M
Mohsin
Mohsin
Top Rated

I will develop custom CRM software, erp and web applications in PHP

5.0(325)
From $300

Offers video consultations

be your custom ai software, full stack ai web application and software developer
U
Upmotion Tech
Upmotion Tech
Level 2

I will be your custom ai software, full stack ai web application and software developer

5.0(60)
From $500

Offers video consultations

build ai saas app ai website ai agent ai chatbot ai automation
A
Ai Maverick
Ai Maverick
Level 2

I will build ai saas app ai website ai agent ai chatbot ai automation

4.8(22)
From $500

Offers video consultations

do full stack web app development, custom website, frontend backend developer
I
Isaac Dev
Isaac Dev
Level 2

I will do full stack web app development, custom website, frontend backend developer

5.0(55)
From $120

Offers video consultations

convert figma to HTML PSD to HTML with bootstrap tailwind
i
iCoderz
iCoderz

Vetted Pro

Our agency will convert figma to HTML PSD to HTML with bootstrap tailwind

4.9(84)
From $100

Offers video consultations

be your full stack ai web developer for saas, ai software, ai web app developer
M
Muhammad A.
Muhammad A.
Level 2

I will be your full stack ai web developer for saas, ai software, ai web app developer

5.0(113)
From $130

Offers video consultations

do website development as full stack developer PHP laravel developer react js
Y
Yeasir Arafat
Yeasir Arafat
Level 2

I will do website development as full stack developer PHP laravel developer react js

5.0(228)
From $100
build PHP laravel full stack web app, saas and rest API
G
G. Soroar
G. Soroar
Level 2

I will build PHP laravel full stack web app, saas and rest API

4.9(89)
From $50

Offers video consultations

develop custom reactjs web apps, ai agents as a full stack developer
S
Shuvo
Shuvo
Level 2

I will develop custom reactjs web apps, ai agents as a full stack developer

4.9(164)
From $40

Offers video consultations

design and code your new professional email signature
D
Devmatters
Devmatters

Vetted Pro

I will design and code your new professional email signature

4.9(131)
From $100
get meta , fb, ig, wa , tiktok app permissions and approvals
S
Saad Abdullah
Saad Abdullah
Level 2

I will get meta , fb, ig, wa , tiktok app permissions and approvals

4.9(82)
From $150

Offers video consultations

build your nextjs or mern stack web application
K
Khizar
Khizar
Level 2

I will build your nextjs or mern stack web application

5.0(20)
From $150

Offers video consultations

build your web app, saas platform, or marketplace end to end
A
Abdelrahman S
Abdelrahman S
Level 1

I will build your web app, saas platform, or marketplace end to end

5.0(7)
From $100
build ai powered web app as full stack developer react and asp net core
Q
Qalb Abbas
Qalb Abbas
Level 2

I will build ai powered web app as full stack developer react and asp net core

4.9(72)
From $100

Offers video consultations

build a modern custom website as your full stack developer
L
Larice Gabba
Larice Gabba
Level 2

I will build a modern custom website as your full stack developer

4.9(34)
From $150

Offers video consultations

develop advanced python automation scripts and devops tools
D
Daniel Goldberg
Daniel Goldberg
Level 2

I will develop advanced python automation scripts and devops tools

5.0(7)
From $30
build ai agent with rag langchain langgraph and ai automation with n8n make
I
Ivan Rajic
Ivan Rajic
Level 2

I will build ai agent with rag langchain langgraph and ai automation with n8n make

5.0(12)
From $200
integrate any API to your wordpress or web app using PHP, node or react
R
Ray
Ray

I will integrate any API to your wordpress or web app using PHP, node or react

5.0(8)
From $35
do web app software development saas website ai agent react software developer
T
Tooba M
Tooba M
Level 2

I will do web app software development saas website ai agent react software developer

5.0(28)
From $100

Offers video consultations

be your software developer, saas developer or will do ai web app development
U
Uzair I
Uzair I

I will be your software developer, saas developer or will do ai web app development

5.0(2)
From $900
program python and django for you
K
Kevin M
Kevin M
Level 2

I will program python and django for you

5.0(163)
From $50
deploy, customize and develop new module in odoo
M
Mazhar
Mazhar
Top Rated

I will deploy, customize and develop new module in odoo

5.0(290)
From $120
build scalable mern stack web app with reactjs, typescript, node js
t
tahirwaleed399
tahirwaleed399
Level 2

I will build scalable mern stack web app with reactjs, typescript, node js

5.0(15)
From $200

Offers video consultations

build a high performance backend in rust production grade and scalable
o
obox systems
obox systems

Vetted Pro

Our agency will build a high performance backend in rust production grade and scalable

5.0(34)
From $195

Offers video consultations

be your full stack web developer and website programmer
A
Ammar Afzal
Ammar Afzal

Vetted Pro

I will be your full stack web developer and website programmer

4.9(132)
From $525

Offers video consultations

be your expert ai chatbot developer using voiceflow or dialogflow chatgpt more
B
BinaryBrix pvt.
BinaryBrix pvt.

Vetted Pro

Our agency will be your expert ai chatbot developer using voiceflow or dialogflow chatgpt more

5.0(12)
From $250

Offers video consultations

build a modern dynamic ai integrated saas web app as a php software developer
B
Basit A
Basit A
Top Rated

I will build a modern dynamic ai integrated saas web app as a php software developer

5.0(99)
From $300

Offers video consultations

develop a moodle plugin
V
Vitalii F
Vitalii F

Vetted Pro

I will develop a moodle plugin

4.9(4)
From $1,200

Offers video consultations

build production ready saas mvp, saas, crm, saas mvp development
W
Weballures
Weballures
Top Rated

Our agency will build production ready saas mvp, saas, crm, saas mvp development

5.0(17)
From $100
develop saas web app and ai software using mern stack, mern stack developer
W
Weballures
Weballures
Top Rated

Our agency will develop saas web app and ai software using mern stack, mern stack developer

5.0(16)
From $100
build python django web, mobile app with database mysql
T
Tariq Wazeer
Tariq Wazeer
Level 2

I will build python django web, mobile app with database mysql

4.9(67)
From $50

Offers video consultations

setup supabase into your website
H
Hekmat
Hekmat

Vetted Pro

I will setup supabase into your website

5.0(13)
From $100

Offers video consultations

web app development software developer php front end developer next js developer
i
iTechnoLabs
iTechnoLabs
Top Rated

Our agency will web app development software developer php front end developer next js developer

4.7(27)
From $100

Offers video consultations

be your senior PHP, laravel, and vue js full stack web developer
K
Krishna Clovon
Krishna Clovon
Level 2

I will be your senior PHP, laravel, and vue js full stack web developer

5.0(16)
From $25
ai software developer mern stack developer for full stack web app development
H
Harminder S
Harminder S

Vetted Pro

I will ai software developer mern stack developer for full stack web app development

5.0(250)
From $100

Offers video consultations

develop custom ai agents to automate your business
D
Dror B
Dror B

Vetted Pro

I will develop custom ai agents to automate your business

5.0(1)
From $1,500

Offers video consultations

do full stack website development as a software developer
A
Abdullah Ramzan
Abdullah Ramzan

Vetted Pro

I will do full stack website development as a software developer

5.0(9)
From $350

Offers video consultations

create an interactive 3d product configurator using threejs gsap webgl
T
Timo Pro
Timo Pro
Level 2

I will create an interactive 3d product configurator using threejs gsap webgl

4.7(17)
From $155

Offers video consultations

An overview of jQuery and React 

Facebook introduced React in 2009 as a front-end JavaScript framework to alleviate many of the challenges that front-end developers were experiencing in those days. It was hoped that React would greatly simplify the development of single-page applications, or SPAs. 
jQuery is an older utility library that provides quick solutions for simple problems. Whereas React is a framework dedicated to building user interfaces quickly, jQuery serves more as an all-around Swiss Army knife toolkit that helps make JavaScript developers’ lives easier. 
JavaScript is much easier to work with today, especially since ECMA International—the body regulating JavaScript standards—released ECMAScript 6, the 2015 standard for JavaScript, commonly known as EC6. 
EC6 introduced fundamental changes to JavaScript that reduced the need for many of the solutions provided by jQuery. However, a vibrant ecosystem and a plethora of third-party libraries had arisen by then, cementing jQuery’s position as an integral part of many web applications. 
jQuery also offers sophisticated and intuitive extension methods to query the DOM (Document Object Model) that JavaScript lacks, further ensuring that JavaScript developers continue to use jQuery. 
Unfortunately, React and jQuery don’t work seamlessly together. Although it’s possible to use React and jQuery in the same project through workarounds and careful planning, it isn’t recommended. Developers typically use jQuery and React in the same codebase only when an exceptional reason exists, such as a large legacy codebase that needs to be maintained. 
Because React and jQuery serve entirely different purposes, choosing either depends specifically on the objectives of your project. 
Popular front-end JavaScript frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular have rendered many of the original reasons for choosing jQuery obsolete. 
For straightforward web pages or web apps, jQuery remains an excellent choice, especially if you don’t have extensive experience with any of the above front-end frameworks. 
React typically makes more sense for large-scale applications. 

Different purposes

jQuery was developed as a fast, small, feature-rich JavaScript library, primarily designed to simplify tasks like HTML document traversal, manipulation, event handling, and animation. 
For example, jQuery lets JavaScript developers execute many complex tasks in a single line of code. The following JavaScript code sample to change the CSS of all paragraphs in an HTML document requires a mind-boggling 33 lines of code. 

JavaScript code sample to animate a paragraph’s opacity.
Achieving the same result using the jQuery library requires only a single, intuitive line of code:

Single line of code in jQuery.
Converting that single line of jQuery code into React wouldn’t be a fair comparison. Yes, the resulting code in React is more complex. But the comparison is moot: CSS standards have advanced so much since the release of jQuery that we can now achieve the same result without using any code. 
Specifically, the ability to add fade-ins was added directly to the CSS standard in 2009. Browser support for CSS transitions and animations lagged, but all major browsers supported it a few years later. Programmers no longer needed to use JavaScript code to create fade-ins but could simply add the relevant CSS, and the browser took care of the rest: 
jQuery was designed to solve challenges that developers were experiencing, but many of those challenges no longer exist, because technology has advanced. 
Facebook created React primarily to facilitate building user interfaces, especially complex ones that provide an excellent user experience. Getting to the point of generating simple animations in React requires that you scaffold the basic React app first. That takes some initial work. Once the scaffold exists, React lets you do many more complex things easily that jQuery can’t. 
The rule of thumb could be: 
  • For quick JavaScript solutions in existing projects, use jQuery, because of its ease of use. 
  • For building an entire app from scratch, especially large applications, consider using React. 

DOM manipulation

React uses a virtual DOM, while jQuery works with the traditional DOM. Both choices have pros and cons. 
React’s preference for a virtual DOM is also a significant difference between React and Angular—Google’s open-source front-end framework. 
The React library carries out all DOM element tasks in memory. When those tasks are complete, it pushes the changes to the physical DOM. Working with the real DOM, changing an element means changing the physical structure for every step, leading to potentially slower code. 

Community and ecosystem

React has a rich ecosystem of React libraries to speed up development. It also has a far greater number of npm packages than jQuery. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that jQuery has fewer third-party libraries to support it. 
jQuery predates the widespread adoption of npm—the Node Package Manager, a package manager used to install and manage software packages or libraries used in JavaScript development. 
Extending jQuery functionality is typically done by adding jQuery plug-ins through an additional