Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

jQuery Mobile VS Onsen UI

Compare jQuery Mobile VS Onsen UI and see what are their differences

jQuery Mobile logo jQuery Mobile

jQuery Mobile

Onsen UI logo Onsen UI

HTML5 Hybrid Mobile App UI Framework - work with Angular, React, Vue, Meteor & pure JavaScript. Material & Flat design.
  • jQuery Mobile Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • Onsen UI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-21

jQuery Mobile features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    jQuery Mobile provides a unified user interface across multiple devices and platforms, making it easier to create applications that work seamlessly on both iOS and Android.
  • Ease of Use
    With a familiar syntax for those who have used jQuery, jQuery Mobile makes it easy to get started with mobile web development. Its straightforward API and comprehensive documentation further aid in rapid development.
  • Theme Customization
    The jQuery Mobile ThemeRoller allows developers to customize the look and feel of their mobile websites easily. Multiple built-in themes are available, and they can be modified or new themes can be created.
  • Extensive UI Components
    jQuery Mobile comes with a wide range of UI components such as buttons, dialogs, sliders, and more. These components are touch-optimized and ready to use, allowing for quicker development.
  • Accessibility
    The framework is designed with accessibility in mind, providing support for ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) guidelines and ensuring that applications are usable by people with disabilities.

Possible disadvantages of jQuery Mobile

  • Performance Issues
    jQuery Mobile can sometimes be slower than native mobile applications or other frameworks, especially on older devices. This is due to its heavy reliance on JavaScript and extensive DOM manipulations.
  • Limited Customizability
    While ThemeRoller offers considerable customization options, deep customizations can be challenging. This can make it difficult to achieve a unique look and feel without extensive CSS overrides.
  • Dependency on jQuery
    Since jQuery Mobile is built on top of jQuery, any limitations or issues in jQuery affect jQuery Mobile as well. Additionally, including the full jQuery library increases the overall load size, impacting performance.
  • Outdated Technology
    As web technologies have advanced, some developers consider jQuery Mobile to be outdated compared to newer frameworks like React Native or Flutter, which offer more robust and scalable options for mobile development.
  • Smaller Community
    The community around jQuery Mobile is smaller compared to other popular mobile development frameworks. This can lead to less frequent updates, fewer third-party plugins, and limited support.

Onsen UI features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Onsen UI supports iOS, Android, and Windows platforms, allowing developers to create apps that work seamlessly across multiple operating systems using a single codebase.
  • Easy to Learn
    Onsen UI provides clear documentation and an extensive set of components, making it easy for developers, including those who are new to mobile development, to get started quickly.
  • Performance
    Onsen UI is known for its performance, providing smooth animations and transitions on both mobile and desktop devices. It's optimized to work well even on less powerful devices.
  • Integration with Popular Frameworks
    Onsen UI can be seamlessly integrated with popular front-end frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.js, enhancing its versatility and allowing developers to use their framework of choice.
  • Customizability
    The platform offers a high level of customizability, letting developers create unique and tailored user experiences by extending and modifying existing components.
  • Active Community
    Onsen UI has a robust community and active support, which means developers can readily find solutions to problems, share knowledge, and get updates on new features.
  • Built-in Theme Support
    Onsen UI provides built-in themes that automatically change the look and feel of the application to match the target platform, enhancing user experience by providing a native look and feel.

Possible disadvantages of Onsen UI

  • Dependency on Groovy
    Some features in Onsen UI depend on the Monaca CLI which uses Groovy, adding an additional technology layer that developers might need to learn.
  • Limited Plugin Ecosystem
    Compared to other frameworks like React Native or Flutter, Onsen UI has a relatively limited range of third-party plugins, which can restrict the functionality or require custom development for certain features.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Customization
    While basic usage is straightforward, advanced customization may have a steeper learning curve, particularly for developers not familiar with mobile-first design principles.
  • Less Popularity
    Onsen UI is less popular compared to frameworks like React Native and Flutter, which can result in fewer resources, tutorials, and community support.
  • Debugging Complexity
    Debugging mobile-specific issues can be more involved when using a hybrid framework like Onsen UI compared to using native development tools.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies in a hybrid environment can sometimes be challenging, especially when dealing with different versions of libraries and platform-specific issues.

Analysis of Onsen UI

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Onsen UI is considered a good choice for developers looking to build mobile applications quickly and efficiently. It offers a robust set of features and adheres to native design guidelines, making it a reliable framework for creating high-quality mobile and web apps.

Why this product is good

  • Onsen UI is a popular open-source framework for developing hybrid and mobile web apps. It is known for its ease of use, comprehensive documentation, and ability to integrate seamlessly with other frameworks like Angular and React. With a strong emphasis on performance and user experience, Onsen UI provides a wide range of components that are specifically optimized for mobile devices.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a framework that supports hybrid app development.
  • Teams looking to build cross-platform mobile applications with a native look and feel.
  • Projects that require integration with popular frameworks like Angular, Vue.js, or React.
  • Developers who value detailed documentation and a supportive community.

jQuery Mobile videos

jQuery Mobile Review

More videos:

  • Review - jQuery Mobile Book Reviews jQuery Mobile - First Look and jQuery Mobile Up and Running

Onsen UI videos

Onsen UI - Introduction

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Onsen UI Getting Started Tutorial
  • Review - Masahiro Tanaka - Hybrid Mobile Apps with Vue.js and Onsen UI | VueConf 2017

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to jQuery Mobile and Onsen UI)
Development Tools
54 54%
46% 46
JavaScript Framework
56 56%
44% 44
Developer Tools
47 47%
53% 53
Javascript UI Libraries
58 58%
42% 42

User comments

Share your experience with using jQuery Mobile and Onsen UI. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare jQuery Mobile and Onsen UI

jQuery Mobile Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks For Mobile App Development
jQuery Mobile is a leading user interface framework, created on jQuery core and based on JavaScript programming. It is lightweight in size, with a strong theming framework and simple API that facilitates the creation of highly responsive mobile applications and powerful websites. It designs single good quality websites and applications that can work seamlessly on devices and...
Source: medium.com
9 Top JavaScript Mobile Frameworks To Know In 2020
jQuery Mobile supports a number of user interfaces that are compatible with modern platforms such as Android, iOS and to the earliest of platforms such as Opera Mini and Nokia Symbian. With the help of PhoneGap, you can integrate your jQuery web app code to an interactive iOS or Android application.

Onsen UI Reviews

Top React component libraries (2021 edition)
Originally based on AngularJS with support for jQuery, Onsen UI offers an adapted framework for React. Onsen was developed by Monaca Software which specializes in mobile app development and is based out of Japan. Based on the mobile-first origin, the Onsen UI framework is well suited for building mobile apps.
Source: retool.com
Top JavaScript Frameworks For Mobile App Development
OnSen UI is a powerful, free, opensource mobile application JavaScript framework that is bundled up with ready to implement features with a native nature. It is apt for building hybrid apps with Cordova and progressive web apps.There are 3 layers attached to it — CSS components, framework bindings, and web components.
Source: medium.com
Comparing popular React component libraries
Onsen UI is a bit different from the previous libraries we’ve examined. Because it’s built with a mobile-first design in mind, Onsen UI is mostly used to build cross-platform mobile web apps.
10 React Native Alternatives
Most importantly, the Onsen UI ecosystem has a toolkit known as Monaca that helps in developing hybrid mobile apps.
20 Best Front-End Frameworks For Bootstrap Alternative
Onsen UI is a hybrid framework that works well with PhoneGap and Cordova. With AngularJS, jQuery, Font Awesome and TopCoat as the foundation, Onsen UI can be a promising tools for developing amazing mobile apps. Onsen UI can help you build mobile apps easily using the concept of Web Components.
Source: beebom.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, jQuery Mobile should be more popular than Onsen UI. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

jQuery Mobile mentions (3)

Onsen UI mentions (2)

  • 12 Frameworks for Hybrid Mobile Apps
    Onsen UI has quickly grown in adoption since its release in 2013. It is an open-source framework under the Apache v2 license. Onsen UI is framework-agnostic UI components, you can choose and switch among the frameworks: AngularJS, Angular, React, and Vue.js or go pure JavaScript to build your hybrid apps. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Why are HTML attributes set differently into the DOM?
    For one of our web applications, we used the Onsen UI js framework with its React support library. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing jQuery Mobile and Onsen UI, you can also consider the following products

Bootstrap - Simple and flexible HTML, CSS, and JS for popular UI components and interactions

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Apache Cordova - Platform for building native mobile applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript

NativeScript - Build truly native apps with JavaScript

PhoneGap - Easily create apps using the web technologies you know and love: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Mobile Angular UI - Build HTML5 Mobile Apps with Bootstrap and Angular JS