Which one should I pick for a new project?

This depends entirely on what your project needs:

Pick jodaorg/joda-time if:

• You need date/time handling in Java and are stuck on Java versions before Java 8
• You're working on Android with API levels below 26
• You need specialized calendar systems (Gregorian, Julian, Buddhist, Coptic, Ethiopic, Islamic)

However, the README makes clear: "Joda-time is no longer in active development except to keep timezone data up to date. From Java SE 8 onwards, users are asked to migrate to java.time (JSR-310)."

For new projects, use java.time instead (built into Java 8+). It's the official standard and actively maintained as part of the JDK.

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Pick xuxueli/xxl-job if:

• You need distributed task scheduling for background jobs across multiple machines
• You want a job scheduling framework with admin dashboard, executor management, and monitoring
• You're building microservices that need coordinated batch processing

These solve completely different problems—date/time handling vs. job scheduling. They're not alternatives to each other; they address different domains entirely.

For new projects starting today:

• Date/time: Use Java's built-in java.time (not Joda-Time)
• Job scheduling: xxl-job is actively maintained and well-suited for distributed scenarios

FOLLOW_UPS:

• Does your project need distributed task scheduling?
• Are you constrained to Java versions before 8?
• What's your primary use case: dates or background jobs?