Gatsby vs Eleventy

Gatsby9.4Visit Eleventy8.7Visit

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

vs

Eleventy #6 in Static Site Generators 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Eleventy

• Gatsby fits best

  CMS-heavy React sites

• Eleventy fits best

  Simple flexible static sites

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Side by side

Feature	Gatsby 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Eleventy 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.7
Ranking	#1 in Static Site Generators	#6 in Static Site Generators
Best for	CMS-heavy React sites	Simple flexible 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	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Gatsby 4/4 · Eleventy 3/4
CMS integration	✓	✓
Incremental builds	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Multilingual support	✓	✓
Local preview server	✓	✓
Specs
Content sources	Api	Markdown
Supported languages	JavaScript, Node.js	HTML, Markdown, WebC, JavaScript, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, Mustache, EJS, Haml, Pug, TypeScript, JSX, MDX, Sass
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	Zero-configuration setup with extensible configuration Supports Markdown and many templating languages Includes collections, data cascade, watch mode, and preview server
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	Requires Node.js for local development CMS integration is guidance rather than a built-in CMS Internationalization relies on guidance and plugin support
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 →	Eleventy is an open-source static site generator that transforms directories of templates into pre-rendered HTML. It supports Markdown plus HTML, WebC, JavaScript, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, Mustache, EJS, Haml, Pug, TypeScript, JSX,… 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

• Eleventy — where it wins

  • Zero-configuration setup with extensible configuration
  • Supports Markdown and many templating languages
  • Includes collections, data cascade, watch mode, and preview server

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires Node.js for local development
  • CMS integration is guidance rather than a built-in CMS
  • Internationalization relies on guidance and plugin support

• Gatsby9.4/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit GatsbyFull verdict →
• Eleventy8.7/10 · Free plan

  A flexible, framework-optional generator for Markdown and template-driven static sites.

  Visit EleventyFull verdict →