Build Interactive Comparison Tools with Zero Dependencies

When I built the broadband and mobile plan comparison tools for Sorted MY , I made a deliberate choice: no frameworks . No React, no Vue, no build step. Just vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. The result? Pages that load in under a second, rank well in search, and are trivially maintainable. Here is what I learned building them. Why Vanilla JS for Comparison Tools? Comparison tools have a specific shape: a dataset, user-controlled filters, and a rendered table or card grid. This maps cleanly onto browser primitives without needing a virtual DOM or reactive state system. Benefits of going frameworkless: Zero JS bundle overhead (no 40kB React runtime) No build pipeline to maintain Pages are static-friendly — ideal for GitHub Pages or any CDN Search engines see fully-rendered HTML (or near-instant hydration) Easier to audit and debug The Core Pattern Every comparison tool I build follows the same three-layer pattern: Data layer → plain JS array of objects Filter layer → pure functions tha