Although there are many JavaScript frameworks available, jQuery has remained the most popular and influential in web design and development.
Its main purpose is to simplify the process of writing complex JavaScript functions by bundling them into methods that can be called with just one line of code. This makes it lightweight and easy to extend with free plugins for almost any functionality you can think of.
However, using jQuery also comes with some potential downsides, such as performance issues, added overhead, a learning curve, specific version dependencies, and compatibility with newer technologies.
Despite these drawbacks, jQuery can still be incredibly useful for legacy systems or specific projects, and it remains a popular choice for many developers. In fact, there are a vast number of jQuery plugins available that can help improve the functionality of your website or application.
In this collection, we share some of our favorite jQuery plugins that we believe can help take your web development projects to the next level.
jQuery Plugins for Web & Mobile Layouts
pagePiling.js
pagePiling.js is a jQuery plugin for ‘piling’ your layout sections over one another and accessing them by scrolling.
fullPage.js
fullPage.js is a simple plugin for creating fullscreen scrolling websites.
gridscrolling.js
gridscrolling.js is a plugin for positioning sections and asides in a grid & allowing for easy cursor key navigation.
Flickerplate
Flickerplate is a responsive, touch-enabled and lightweight plugin that allows you to ‘flick’ through content.
jInvertScroll
jInvertScroll is a lightweight plugin that allows you to move horizontally with a parallax effect while scrolling down.
Animsition
Animsition is a simple plugin for adding page transitions with CSS animations.
Brick Work
Brick Work is a lightweight (15kb) and feature-rich plugin for creating responsive dynamic layouts.
ScrollMe
ScrollMe is a lightweight plugin that allows you to add simple scrolling effects to webpages.
smoothState.js
jquery.smoothState.js is a plugin that progressively enhances pages to behave more like a single-page application.
multiscroll.js
multiscroll.js is a simple plugin for creating multi-scrolling websites with two vertical scrolling panels.
matchHeight.js
matchHeight.js is a more robust equal heights plugin for jQuery.
Slidebars
Slidebars is a lightweight (2kb) plugin for creating an app-style push-menu.
scotchPanels.js
scotchPanels.js is a jQuery off-canvas menu and panel plugin.
jQuery Plugins for Media (Images & Video)
Focuspoint
Focuspoint is a plugin for dynamically cropping images to fill the available space without cutting out the image’s subject.
Fluidbox
Fluidbox is a replication of the Medium.com lightbox module, with some added improvements.
GifPlayer
GifPlayer is a small plugin that allows you to control when to play and stop animated GIFs.
rowGrid.js
rowGrid.js is a plugin for placing images on a grid with support for infinite scrolling.
SVGMagic
SVGMagic is a simple SVG fallback plugin that finds SVG images on your site and creates PNG versions if the browser doesn’t support them.
Vide jQuery
Vide is a jQuery plugin for quickly adding video backgrounds to your webpages.
Dense.js
Dense.js is a plugin for easily serving retina-ready images.
Covervid
Covervid is a simple plugin that will allow you to make HTML5 video behave like a background image.
jQuery-Cropbox
jQuery-Cropbox is a handy plugin for in-place image cropping (zoom & pan, as opposed to select and drag).
Face Detection
Face Detection is a powerful jQuery/Zepto plugin that detects faces on images, videos, and canvases.
BttrLazyLoading
BttrLazyLoading is a plugin that allows your web app to only load images within the viewport as the user scrolls.
jQuery Slider, Carousel & Gallery Plugins
Simple jQuery Slider
Simple jQuery Slider is a lightweight jQuery Slider that does precisely what a slider should do: ‘slide slides.’
FSVS
FSVS is a simple fullscreen vertical slider using CSS3 transitions with jQuery fallback.
anoFlow
anoFlow is a feature-rich and responsive lightbox/gallery plugin.
nanoGALLERY
nanoGALLERY is a responsive, touch-enabled and easy-to-use image gallery plugin.
Justified.js
Justified.js is a plugin that creates a justified image grid of images.
Shuffle Images
Shuffle Images is a jQuery plugin that allows you to display and shuffle multiple images within a gallery by moving or shaking the cursor.
Skippr
Skippr is a super simple and lightweight slideshow plugin for jQuery.
jQuery Text Effect Plugins
fontFlex.js
fontFlex.js is a lightweight plugin for dynamically changing font sizes.
Typewriter
t.js is a lightweight jQuery plugin for typewriter-like text effects.
Morphext
Morphext – An Animate.css powered jQuery carousel plugin for text phrases.
Splitchar
Splitchar is a jQuery plugin that allows you to style and design the first, second or both halves of a character.
jQuery Form Element Plugins
BootstrapValidator
BootstrapValidator is a jQuery plugin for validating Bootstrap forms.
Labelauty
Labelauty – An excellent and lightweight jQuery plugin that gives beauty to checkboxes and radio buttons.
Guardian
Guardian is a flexible and easy-to-extend all-purpose form validation jQuery plugin.
fontIconPicker
fontIconPicker is a lightweight plugin that allows you to include a simple icon picker (with search and pagination) within any form.
HideSeek
HideSeek is a simple yet customizable jQuery plugin for live search.
ClockPicker
ClockPicker is a clock-style timepicker for jQuery or Bootstrap.
jQuery Utility Plugins
jQuery Confirm Mailto
jQuery Confirm Mailto is a plugin to Confirm with users before opening any mailto: link through their default email client.
jNottery
jNottery is a plugin that allows you to add notes to a page.
Responsive Tabs
Responsive Tabs is a plugin that offers responsive tab functionality.
adaptive-backgrounds.js
adaptive-backgrounds.js is a fantastic plugin that extracts the dominant color from the images on your web page and applies the color to their parent.
…and finally…
Planetarium
Planetarium is a jQuery plugin that allows you to construct interactive planets and build the Universe!
table-dragger
table-dragger allows you to easily add drag-and-drop sorting to your table without jQuery.
Selector
Selector is a micro JavaScript library used as a replacement for jQuery, weighing in at nearly 5KB.
wanker.js
jquery.wanker.js is a humourous jQuery plugin that reveals a public service announcement when people start excessively resizing their desktop browser as they try to see your responsive breakpoints. As they say, ‘The web is meant to be read, not squished!’
