Gatsby vs Cecil

Gatsby9.4Visit Cecil8.9Visit

Higher score Gatsby #1 in Static Site Generators 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Gatsby

vs

Cecil #4 in Static Site Generators 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Cecil

• Gatsby fits best

  CMS-heavy React sites

• Cecil fits best

  PHP static sites

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Side by side

Feature	Gatsby 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Cecil 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.9
Ranking	#1 in Static Site Generators	#4 in Static Site Generators
Best for	CMS-heavy React sites	PHP static sites
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Gatsby 4/4 · Cecil 3/4
CMS integration	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Incremental builds	✓	✓
Multilingual support	✓	✓
Local preview server	✓	✓
Specs
Content sources	Api	Markdown
Supported languages	JavaScript, Node.js	PHP
Our review
Pros	GraphQL data layer connects files, APIs, CMSs, databases, and services Supports static generation, SSR, DSG, and incremental builds Integrates with major CMSs, Shopify, and multilingual routing options	Incremental builds reduce work for changed pages and dependent templates. Multilingual content, translations, taxonomies, RSS, and pagination are built in. Responsive images support WebP and AVIF output alongside SEO helpers.
Cons	Requires JavaScript and Node.js development The broad feature set adds architectural choices for smaller sites Gatsby Cloud and Netlify Cloud are directing users to migrate to Netlify	The supported language is PHP. It does not include AI features. Its output is static, without a database or server-side runtime.
Our verdict	Gatsby is an open-source, React-based framework for building websites and web applications. It generates static assets at build time, combines content from filesystems, APIs, CMSs, databases, and other services, and exposes that… Read the review →	Cecil is an open-source, command-line static site generator written in PHP. It turns Markdown and plain-text content, images, and Twig templates into static websites without a database or server-side runtime. The project is aimed at… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Gatsby — where it wins

  • GraphQL data layer connects files, APIs, CMSs, databases, and services
  • Supports static generation, SSR, DSG, and incremental builds
  • Integrates with major CMSs, Shopify, and multilingual routing options

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires JavaScript and Node.js development
  • The broad feature set adds architectural choices for smaller sites
  • Gatsby Cloud and Netlify Cloud are directing users to migrate to Netlify

• Cecil — where it wins

  • Incremental builds reduce work for changed pages and dependent templates.
  • Multilingual content, translations, taxonomies, RSS, and pagination are built in.
  • Responsive images support WebP and AVIF output alongside SEO helpers.

  Where it doesn't

  • The supported language is PHP.
  • It does not include AI features.
  • Its output is static, without a database or server-side runtime.

• Gatsby9.4/10 · Free plan

  A broad React framework for static, dynamic, multilingual, and CMS-connected sites.

  Visit GatsbyFull verdict →
• Cecil8.9/10 · Free plan

  A focused, open-source choice for PHP teams building multilingual static sites.

  Visit CecilFull verdict →