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Head-to-head · Blog Software

Jekyll vs Pelican

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Jekyll #7 in Blog Software 8.0/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Jekyll
Pelican #8 in Blog Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Pelican

Jekyll leads on 0 checks, Pelican on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreJekyll · 8.0/10
  • Free planonly Pelican

Jekyll scores higher on our rubric for blog software: 8.0 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #8.

Jekyll is the better fit for developers comfortable maintaining a static blog. Pelican is the better fit for technical bloggers who prefer static publishing.

  • Jekyll fits best

    Developers comfortable maintaining a static blog

  • Pelican fits best

    Technical bloggers who prefer static publishing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Jekyll 8.0/10 Visit ↗ Pelican 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.0 7.9
Ranking #7 in Blog Software #8 in Blog Software
Best for Developers comfortable maintaining a static blog Technical bloggers who prefer static publishing
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Open source Free plan
Free plan Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted, Cloud Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business
Features Jekyll 0/3 · Pelican 0/3
Custom domain Not checked yet Not checked yet
Post scheduling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Built-in analytics Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Content editor Not checked yet Not checked yet
Included users Not checked yet Not checked yet
Content export Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Turns Markdown, Liquid, HTML, and CSS into static websites
  • Supports drafts, tags, categories, excerpts, and future-dated posts
  • Offers theme customization, plugins, and GitHub Pages deployment
  • Authors can write in Markdown or reStructuredText.
  • Generates static HTML with themes, feeds, and multilingual articles.
  • Imports content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS.
Cons
  • Theme editing relies on custom code
  • Content is managed in files rather than through a database
  • Hosting and services depend on the deployment setup
  • Publishing requires command-line site generation.
  • You must deploy the generated files using external hosting.
  • Themes require custom code, and analytics need external services or configuration.
Our verdict

Jekyll is an open-source, Ruby-based static site generator for blogs and other websites. It converts Markdown, Liquid templates, HTML, and CSS into static files, with content managed in text files rather than a database. Its file-based…

Read the review →

Pelican is an open-source static site generator for bloggers who want to publish from files rather than manage a hosted blog editor. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and turns Markdown or reStructuredText into static HTML pages and…

Read the review →
  1. JekyllBlog Software 8.0Open source
  2. PelicanBlog Software 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Jekyll — where it wins

    • Turns Markdown, Liquid, HTML, and CSS into static websites
    • Supports drafts, tags, categories, excerpts, and future-dated posts
    • Offers theme customization, plugins, and GitHub Pages deployment

    Where it doesn't

    • Theme editing relies on custom code
    • Content is managed in files rather than through a database
    • Hosting and services depend on the deployment setup

  • Pelican — where it wins

    • Authors can write in Markdown or reStructuredText.
    • Generates static HTML with themes, feeds, and multilingual articles.
    • Imports content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS.

    Where it doesn't

    • Publishing requires command-line site generation.
    • You must deploy the generated files using external hosting.
    • Themes require custom code, and analytics need external services or configuration.
  • Jekyll8.0/10 · Open source

    A file-based blog generator for developers who want control over code and deployment.

    Visit JekyllFull verdict →
  • Pelican7.9/10 · Free plan

    A free, command-line static publishing tool for technical bloggers comfortable with self-hosting.

    Visit PelicanFull verdict →

More comparisons

All blog software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update