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Head-to-head · Static Site Generators

Hugo vs Eleventy

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Hugo #2 in Static Site Generators 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Hugo
Eleventy #6 in Static Site Generators 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Eleventy

Hugo leads on 0 checks, Eleventy on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreHugo · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresEleventy · 3 of 4

Hugo scores higher on our rubric for static site generators: 9.2 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Hugo is the better fit for fast, content-rich sites. Eleventy is the better fit for simple flexible static sites.

  • Hugo fits best

    Fast, content-rich sites

  • Eleventy fits best

    Simple flexible static sites

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Side by side

Feature Hugo 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Eleventy 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.7
Ranking #2 in Static Site Generators #6 in Static Site Generators
Best for Fast, content-rich sites Simple flexible static sites
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Hugo 2/4 · Eleventy 3/4
CMS integration Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Incremental builds Not checked yet Not checked yet
Multilingual support ✓ ✓
Local preview server ✓ ✓
Specs
Content sources Markdown Markdown
Supported languages Go, Ruby, Python HTML, Markdown, WebC, JavaScript, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, Mustache, EJS, Haml, Pug, TypeScript, JSX, MDX, Sass
Our review
Pros
  • Supports Markdown, HTML, Org Mode, AsciiDoc, Pandoc, and reStructuredText
  • Includes multilingual support, taxonomies, themes, modules, and content adapters
  • Provides image processing, asset pipelines, and live local development updates
  • Zero-configuration setup with extensible configuration
  • Supports Markdown and many templating languages
  • Includes collections, data cascade, watch mode, and preview server
Cons
  • Static generation is not designed for dynamic application workloads
  • Deployment relies on external hosting or cloud-storage workflows
  • Its broad configuration may require technical knowledge to manage effectively
  • 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

Hugo is an open-source static site generator written in Go. It converts structured content, templates, data, and assets into static websites for documentation, blogs, landing pages, portfolios, corporate sites, and other content-led…

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 →
  1. HugoStatic Site Generators 9.2Free plan
  2. EleventyStatic Site Generators 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Hugo — where it wins

    • Supports Markdown, HTML, Org Mode, AsciiDoc, Pandoc, and reStructuredText
    • Includes multilingual support, taxonomies, themes, modules, and content adapters
    • Provides image processing, asset pipelines, and live local development updates

    Where it doesn't

    • Static generation is not designed for dynamic application workloads
    • Deployment relies on external hosting or cloud-storage workflows
    • Its broad configuration may require technical knowledge to manage effectively

  • 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
  • Hugo9.2/10 · Free plan

    A free, flexible choice for fast, content-rich websites across major desktop platforms.

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

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

    Visit EleventyFull verdict →

More comparisons

All static site generators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update