Is Vanilla.js better than jQuery?

Whether Vanilla.js is better than jQuery depends on the project’s requirements. Vanilla.js is lightweight and doesn’t require additional libraries, hence faster and more efficient for simple projects or modern browsers that already support many native JavaScript functions that jQuery originally was developed to simplify.
jQuery is a convenience library in that it wraps up DOM manipulation, event handling, and cross-browser compatibility into a neat little package. That can be quite useful for projects where older browsers are a target or when rapid development of complex interactions is necessary. In small, modern projects, Vanilla.js does a better job because of its simplicity and performance, whereas jQuery does its job perfectly in projects requiring either support for legacy browsers or when faster development of complex features is to be expected.