# Video.js 24 Hacker News commenters recommended Video.js and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Free, maintained JavaScript video player with composable design and streaming support; critics find it heavy when native browser video suffices. ## Why people recommend it - Composable, tree-shakeable architecture (4 comments): "by building a highly composable, loosely coupled player framework with well defined architectural seams/contracts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47516955)) "Less trade-offs and more taking advantage of modern JS bundlers." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47519963)) "The composable/tree-shakeable direction is the right call." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47529271)) - Easy switching between streaming formats (3 comments): "If you want it to be dirt simple to switch between, say, a simple MP4, MPEG-DASH, or HLS, Video.js's architecture makes that simple." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47523756)) "If you need stable video player or want streaming features you should use it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47513478)) "Video.js is catered for those required streaming." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47518924)) - Plugin ecosystem and theming (2 comments): "inspired by the simplicity of video.js (especially the theming)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47511573)) "The plugin ecosystem was for me a huge benefit for Video.js" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47514463)) - Easy-to-use APIs (3 comments): "we're pouring love into the APIs so they feel good to use" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47512257)) "You absolutely can do that with videojs, it's very easy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47514855)) "I do this with videojs and it works great." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47514666)) ## What people warn about - Size and dependency weight concerns (2 comments): "there's no reason to take on a dependency like this if you don't need something beyond what the web platform already gives you" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47526269)) "lamenting the other day about the size of video.js, which is used in my legacy web app" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47511926)) - Bugs and missing features reported (4 comments): "Seeking on the main https://videojs.org/ page doesn't work for me on chromium." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47513409)) "a quick test to replace my audio player turned up the following gaps for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47513144)) "I switched off video.js some time ago because it kept giving me trouble." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47510723)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [jQuery](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jquery.md): 111 recommend - [Picknplace.js](https://hackerapproved.com/p/picknplace-js.md): 58 recommend - [Alpine.js](https://hackerapproved.com/p/alpine-js.md): 50 recommend - [Effect (TypeScript library)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/effect.md): 38 recommend - [Hotwire Turbo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/turbo.md): 22 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Video.js", https://hackerapproved.com/p/video-js/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).