What jQuery JavaScript Library does

jQuery is an open-source JavaScript library project originally created by John Resig in 2006 and now governed under the OpenJS Foundation, a US-based nonprofit. The library provides a thin abstraction over HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax, designed to simplify cross-browser JavaScript development. Its core product, jQuery Core, is approximately 30kB minified and gzipped, supports CSS3 selectors, and works across Chrome, Edge, Firefox, IE, Safari, Android, and iOS. The jQuery 4.0 release (January 2026) added FormData handling, improved CSP and Trusted Types support, and was authored in ESM. The broader jQuery umbrella includes jQuery UI (UI widgets and themes, now maintenance-only), jQuery Mobile (touch-optimized mobile framework, deprecated), Sizzle (CSS selector engine), and QUnit (JavaScript unit testing framework), along with a community-driven plugin registry.

The library was historically used by 73% of the 10 million most popular websites (as of 2021) and is cited in published developer books, but it generates no revenue. The product is distributed under the MIT license at no cost via direct download from jquery.com, Fastly CDN (code.jquery.com), and package managers including NPM and Bower. The project is maintained by a volunteer contributor base (300+ additional authors contributed to jQuery UI alone) under OpenJS Foundation governance, with no traditional sales motion and community-led, self-serve distribution. Named historical enterprise adopters include Pinterest, PayPal, Netflix, IMDB, and Huffington Post, though these are users rather than paying customers.

Strategically, jQuery is in a maintenance-and-modernization posture. jQuery UI was placed in maintenance-only mode in October 2021 and jQuery Mobile was deprecated in the same period, both framed as part of broader modernization efforts. The jQuery Foundation was absorbed into the OpenJS Foundation in 2019, consolidating governance. The January 2026 release of jQuery 4.0 signals continued investment in the core library, but the deprecation of sub-products reflects the broader industry shift toward modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue, Angular, Svelte) for new development. As a free, community-maintained project with no monetization path, jQuery's primary stakeholder value lies in its enduring install base and ecosystem rather than in financial returns.

Name

jQuery JavaScript Library

Legal name

jQuery JavaScript Library (OpenJS Foundation Project)

Website

https://jquery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

jQuery is a free, open-source JavaScript library created in 2006 and governed by the OpenJS Foundation, simplifying HTML DOM manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax for web developers across all major browsers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Open Source Software (No Revenue): jQuery is released under the MIT license and is free for all use cases including commercial projects. The project is maintained by volunteers and the OpenJS Foundation. No revenue is generated from the software itself.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

jQuery is a fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library that simplifies HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax through an easy-to-use API that works across a multitude of browsers. The core library has a lightweight footprint of approximately 30kB minified and gzipped, supports CSS3 selectors, and is released under the MIT license for free use in any project, including commercial applications.

Product overview

jQuery is a suite of JavaScript libraries and tools consisting of jQuery Core (the main fast and lightweight JavaScript library for DOM manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax), jQuery UI (a collection of user interface widgets, interactions, effects, and theming tools now in maintenance mode), jQuery Mobile (a mobile-optimized framework for touch-friendly web applications, now deprecated), Sizzle (CSS selector engine), QUnit (unit testing framework), and a community-driven plugins ecosystem. The jQuery project is an OpenJS Foundation project actively maintained and used by millions of websites worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• jQuery UI: A curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of the jQuery library. Now in maintenance-only mode.
• jQuery Mobile
• Sizzle
• QUnit
• jQuery Migrate

Products and services

• jQuery Core A fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library that simplifies HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax with an easy-to-use API that works across multiple browsers. Lightweight footprint of 30kB minified and gzipped. Supports CSS3 selectors. Distributed free under the MIT license for use in any project, including commercial applications.
• jQuery UI A curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of jQuery Core. Includes widgets such as accordions, datepickers, dialogs, and drag-and-drop functionality with ThemeRoller for custom theming. Currently in maintenance-only mode, with patches issued only for critical security, interoperability, or regression bugs.
• jQuery Mobile A mobile-friendly framework providing touch-friendly UI widgets and an AJAX-powered navigation system to support animated page transitions for building sites and apps accessible on smartphones, tablets, and desktop devices. Project is deprecated.
• Sizzle A CSS selector engine that serves as the underlying selector mechanism for jQuery Core.
• QUnit A JavaScript unit testing framework used for testing jQuery and other JavaScript code.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30kB minified and gzipped footprint
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OpenJS FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerjQuery is hosted under the OpenJS Foundation, which provides governance, trademark management, infrastructure, and legal support. The OpenJS Foundation manages projects including jQuery, jQuery UI, jQuery Mobile, Sizzle, and QUnit. The foundation provides Contributor License Agreement (CLA) management and maintains the project's intellectual property.
• FastlycoreTechnology or IntegrationFastly provides CDN (Content Delivery Network) services for jQuery distributions at code.jquery.com and releases.jquery.com. Fastly enables fast, global delivery of jQuery libraries to developers worldwide.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• React: Meta-maintained JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is the most direct peer to jQuery as a foundational front-end library, both targeting web developers and addressing DOM manipulation/interaction, though React is component-based and dominates greenfield development today.
• Backbone.js: Lightweight JavaScript framework that was a contemporary and direct competitor to jQuery in the early 2010s, often used together with jQuery. Directly comparable as a foundational front-end library for the same developer persona.
• Underscore.js: JavaScript utility library predecessor to Lodash that competed in the same developer-tools category as jQuery, providing helper functions for common programming tasks in the browser.
• Vue.js: Progressive JavaScript framework for building UIs and single-page applications. It is directly comparable to jQuery as a foundational web developer library, with overlapping developer audience and front-end productivity use cases.
• MooTools: Object-oriented JavaScript framework that was a contemporary of jQuery in the late 2000s. Directly comparable as a foundational library aimed at simplifying browser-side JavaScript development.
• Angular: Google-maintained TypeScript-based web application framework. It targets the same web developer audience as jQuery and competes for front-end development mindshare in the same browser/DOM interaction layer.
• Lodash: Utility JavaScript library widely used alongside or in place of jQuery for common programming tasks. Targets the same developer base and is often considered alongside jQuery in front-end stack decisions.
• Prototype.js: Older JavaScript framework and direct competitor to early jQuery, providing DOM extension utilities and Ajax helpers. Historically comparable as a foundational front-end library for web developers.
• Zepto.js: Minimalist JavaScript library designed as a jQuery-compatible alternative with a smaller footprint for mobile. Directly comparable in API design, target audience, and use cases.

Emerging players

• Alpine.js: Lightweight, declarative JavaScript framework that brings reactivity to markup with minimal overhead. Emerges in the same lightweight DOM-manipulation niche jQuery occupies, appealing to developers who want a small modern alternative.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jquery
• GitHubgithub.com/jquery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about jQuery JavaScript Library