Use if/else for boolean, range, or compound conditions; switch for one expression matched against discrete values; and a dispatch table when a key-to-handler mapping makes the available actions easier to understand. None is universally best: choose the form that expresses the decision clearly and fits the conventions of the team maintaining it.
How to choose among the three patterns
| Pattern | Best fit | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
if/else |
Truthiness checks, ranges, and conditions combining multiple tests. | Conditions run in order; later branches are skipped after the first true condition. Keep nested logic readable with block statements. |
switch |
One expression compared with a set of discrete values. | Cases use strict equality. Execution continues after a match until break or the end of the statement, so accidental fall-through is possible. |
| Dispatch table | A discrete key-to-action mapping that reads more clearly as data plus handlers. | It is not a natural replacement for range checks or compound predicates. Decide what should happen when a key is absent. |
The original SitePoint poll asked readers which approach they preferred. Its 2018 replies reflect individual coding preferences, not a representative survey or current consensus. The useful takeaway is that the condition’s shape and the codebase’s conventions matter more than a universal ranking. Read the SitePoint discussion.
Use if/else for conditions, not just choices
An if condition is evaluated as truthy or falsy. In an if/else if chain, JavaScript checks conditions in sequence and executes the first matching branch. That makes this form suitable when a decision depends on a range or on multiple predicates rather than one exact value.
if (score >= 90) {
grade = "A";
} else if (score >= 80) {
grade = "B";
} else {
grade = "C or below";
}Because order matters, put more specific or higher-priority conditions first. Use braces for branch bodies, particularly when nesting conditions, to make control flow easier to follow. MDN’s if…else reference documents truthiness and ordered evaluation.
#1 Best Overall
When early returns help
For guard conditions, consecutive if statements with early returns can make exceptions visible before the main path:
function ship(order) {
if (!order) return "No order";
if (!order.address) return "No address";
return "Ready to ship";
}This is a control-flow style, not a universally superior alternative. Use it when it reduces nesting and keeps the normal path clear.
Rank #2
Use switch for one expression and discrete cases
A switch is a direct fit when one value is compared against several exact alternatives. MDN describes it this way: “The switch statement evaluates an expression, matching the expression’s value against a series of case clauses, and executes statements after the first case clause with a matching value, until a break statement is encountered.” — MDN Web Docs, “switch – JavaScript” (accessed September 30, 2026).
switch (status) {
case "queued":
message = "Waiting";
break;
case "sent":
message = "Delivered";
break;
default:
message = "Unknown status";
}Each case is compared using strict equality. Add break when a matching case should stop; without it, execution falls through to subsequent statements. Fall-through can be deliberate when cases share behavior, but accidental fall-through is a common bug. A default branch makes the unmatched-value behavior explicit.
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A dispatch table associates keys with handlers, commonly using an object or a Map. It can be easier to scan than a long switch when the code is fundamentally a mapping from known values to actions:
const handlers = {
queued: () => "Waiting",
sent: () => "Delivered"
};
const message = handlers[status]?.() ?? "Unknown status";This example treats an absent handler as an unknown status. That policy should be intentional: an application might instead throw an error, log the unexpected key, or route it to a fallback handler.
Rank #4
A table is less clear when each branch expresses a predicate—such as “value is above a threshold” or “user is active and has permission”—rather than a lookup by one key. In those cases, keep the conditions visible in if/else. For more details on keyed collections, see MDN’s Map reference.
Choose for readability; benchmark only when performance matters
There is no comparative benchmark in the cited discussion and references establishing that a dispatch table, switch, or if/else is faster for a particular application. MDN notes that the JavaScript specification requires Map implementations to provide average access times that are sublinear in collection size; that requirement is not a guarantee that every lookup is O(1), nor a comparison with object properties or branching constructs.
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If performance is important, benchmark representative inputs and the actual workload on the runtime you deploy. Otherwise, favor the form that makes conditions, fallback behavior, and intended control flow easiest for the next maintainer to verify.
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