Best jQuery Plugins of 2013

So far in our “Best of 2013” series, we’ve looked at free fonts and free PSDs. And now it’s time to highlight what we feel like are the best jQuery plugins of this year. There are always lots of jQuery plugins being released, but we think that these standout from the rest in what they can offer from a functionality standpoint.

jQuery Scroll Path

jQuery Scroll Path it’s a plugin for defining custom scroll paths. It uses canvas flavored syntax to draw lines and arcs.

freetile.js

Freetile is a plugin for jQuery that enables the organization of webpage content in an efficient, dynamic and responsive layout.

gridster.js

This is it, the mythical drag-and-drop multi-column grid has arrived. Gridster is a jQuery plugin that allows building intuitive draggable layouts from elements spanning multiple columns.

Fancy Input

CSS3 text typing effects for input fields.

Superscrollorama

The jQuery plugin for supercool scroll animation.

jQuery File Upload

File Upload widget with multiple file selection, drag&drop support, progress bars and preview images for jQuery. Supports cross-domain, chunked and resumable file uploads and client-side image resizing.

jQuery Validation Engine

jQuery validation engine is a Javascript plugin aimed at the validation of form fields in the browser (IE 6-8, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera 10). The plugin provides visually appealing prompts that grab user attention on the subject matter.

Validations range from email, phone, and URL, to more complex calls such as ajax processing or custom javascript functions. Bundled with many locales, the error prompts can be translated into the language of your choice.

kerning.js

Take control of your web typography.

equalize.js

The jQuery plugin for equalizing the height or width of elements.

MeanMenu

A free jQuery Responsive Menu plugin for you to Hide or show menu children, Target navigation element to swap out with MeanMenu, Control screen width at which MeanMenu activates and much more.

Toolbar.Js

Toolbar allows you to quickly create tooltip style toolbars for use in web applications and websites. The toolbar is easily customizable using the twitter bootstrap icons and provides flexibility around the toolbars display and number of icons.

Smart Menus

Website menus that work on all devices.

NProgress

A nanoscopic progress bar. Featuring realistic trickle animations to convince your users that something is happening!

FlowType

Web typography at its finest: font-size and line-height based on element width.

Device.js

Device.js makes it easy to write conditional CSS and/or JavaScript based on device operating system (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows), orientation (Portrait vs. Landscape), and type (Tablet vs. Mobile).