Unpoly
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 11 of 24 JavaScript libraries by recommenders
People recommend it for progressive enhancement and easy modal overlays with little JavaScript, though some find it a bit too complex.
People recommend it for progressive enhancement and easy modal overlays with little JavaScript, though some find it a bit too complex.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Praised as excellent, practical library
“I love it, it's excellent. Just like Django (or rails), it's a practical tool refined after actual needs and experience”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” “another excellent hypermedia oriented library”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” “unpoly is an excellent library”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” - Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX”
Strong progressive enhancement support
“It's pretty simple and has some great functionality, especially if you are shooting for progressive enhancement.”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” “I love the idea of a progressive framework and am willing to work around a few things to get it.”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” “best in class progressive enhancement”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” Clear, helpful documentation
“the Unpoly docs, correctly and clearly, point out that 'shatter' exists for just that purpose”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” “I love Unploy, the documentation as well, but I find it a bit too complex”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Seen as too complex
“I love Unploy, the documentation as well, but I find it a bit too complex”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX” “I found it bit too complex just as you said.”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Please just try HTMX”
Other JavaScript libraries people recommend
The four most recommended other JavaScript libraries, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jQuery | 111 | 48 | 70% | 12 | 16 yrs8 owners | Approved |
| Picknplace.js | 58 | 26 | 69% | 1 | — | — |
| Alpine.js | 50 | 16 | 76% | 11 | 1 yr4 owners | Approved |
| Effect (TypeScript library) | 38 | 16 | 70% | 10 | 2 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| UnpolyThis page | 10 | 2 | 83% | 4 | — | Approved |
What people said
16 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“You miss the point of tools like htmx/datastar/turbo/unpoly/alpine”
“I would just go all the way to using https://unpoly.com/ if I wanted the full-bang whiz.”
“I'd prefer Unpoly over HTMX”
“I love it, it's excellent. Just like Django (or rails), it's a practical tool refined after actual needs and experience”
“Unpoly makes it easy to create layers and modal overlays, saving a lot of time and JavaScript code.”
“I found it bit too complex just as you said.”
“I love Unploy, the documentation as well, but I find it a bit too complex”
“I love the idea of a progressive framework and am willing to work around a few things to get it.”
“renders as a blank page with NoScript enabled”
“unpoly is an excellent library”
“Damn, Unpoly looks great!”
“the Unpoly docs, correctly and clearly, point out that 'shatter' exists for just that purpose”
“It's pretty simple and has some great functionality, especially if you are shooting for progressive enhancement.”
“LLMs know nothing about Unpoly, and quite a bit about htmx.”
“best in class progressive enhancement”
“another excellent hypermedia oriented library”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.