Ajv vs jq
Ajv
ajv.js.orgjq
jqlang.orgSide by side
| Figure | Ajv | jq |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · JSON Tools | 8.0 (#10) | 8.8 (#2) |
| License | The project is distributed under the MIT License, which permits use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale subject to its terms. | jq code is licensed under the MIT license, while its documentation is licensed under CC-BY-3.0. |
| Security | Ajv warns that schemas from untrusted sources can create performance and security risks and recommends limiting schema size and depth. | SHA-256 checksums are provided for release and pre-release binaries, and release artifacts are signed by a jq release key. |
| Support | Ajv is included in a Tidelift subscription for centralized support in addition to support from maintainers. | The project points users to Stack Overflow, the #jq Libera.Chat channel, and its Discord server for questions and discussion. |
Plans
In their own words
jq
jq is a free command-line processor for selecting and transforming JSON data. A jq filter takes an input and produces output; filters can be combined to access nested attributes, construct objects, gather results into arrays, or make other transformations. It reads whitespace-separated JSON values and writes serialized results separated by whitespace. Each expression runs on each input value and may produce zero or more outputs. For very large inputs, the --stream option parses incrementally. Output options include compact, raw, ASCII, sorted-key, and colored forms. Written in portable C, jq has no runtime dependencies, and a standalone binary can be copied to another machine of the same type. Standalone executables are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with packages listed for Linux distributions and package managers including Homebrew, MacPorts, winget, Scoop, and Chocolatey. A Docker image is also available. Release binaries have SHA-256 checksums, and signed release artifacts use jq release keys. The code is licensed under MIT; the documentation uses CC-BY-3.0.