AJAX vs Fetch API: what should you use today?

Classic AJAX, meaning requests made through XMLHttpRequest, is legacy at this point: every major browser has supported the newer Fetch API natively since 2017, and Fetch paired with async/await is the default way modern JavaScript makes asynchronous requests. AJAX itself isn't a rival technology to Fetch; it's the general pattern of updating a page without a full reload, and XMLHttpRequest was just the original tool used to do it.

How do XMLHttpRequest and Fetch actually compare?

When does each one make sense?

When classic AJAX still makes sense

Reach for XMLHttpRequest when you're maintaining a codebase already built on it, often through jQuery's $.ajax wrapper, and rewriting working calls isn't worth the risk. It's also the more direct option when you need fine-grained upload progress reporting, since XHR's onprogress event gives you incremental byte counts without extra code to read a stream manually.

When to use Fetch instead

Use Fetch for any new code, especially once you pair it with async/await, which reads like synchronous code without callback nesting. It's also the better fit when you need to cancel a request in flight, such as dropping a stale search-as-you-type call with AbortController, or when you're consuming a large or streamed response body directly.

Which one fits your project?

Teams starting a new frontend, or adding a new feature to an existing one, should default to Fetch, since it's what current documentation, tutorials, and libraries assume. Teams maintaining an older jQuery-based admin panel, or an app that still supports Internet Explorer, have a legitimate reason to leave existing XHR calls alone rather than rewriting working code for its own sake.

Updated: July 22, 2026.