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Head-to-head · Template Engine Software

Thymeleaf vs Smarty

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Thymeleaf #4 in Template Engine Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Thymeleaf
Smarty #8 in Template Engine Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Smarty

Thymeleaf leads on 1 check, Smarty on 0, and 3 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 scoreThymeleaf · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth

Thymeleaf scores higher on our rubric for template engine software: 9.1 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #8.

Thymeleaf offers automatic escaping; Smarty doesn't.

Thymeleaf is the better fit for java teams building HTML templates with Spring. Smarty is the better fit for PHP teams separating presentation from application logic.

  • Thymeleaf fits best

    Java teams building HTML templates with Spring

  • Smarty fits best

    PHP teams separating presentation from application logic

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Side by side

Feature Thymeleaf 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Smarty 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.7
Ranking #4 in Template Engine Software #8 in Template Engine Software
Best for Java teams building HTML templates with Spring PHP teams separating presentation from application logic
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Support Docs, Community Community
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Thymeleaf 2/4 · Smarty 2/4
Template inheritance ✓ ✓
Automatic escaping ✓ (best) —
Sandbox mode Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Async rendering Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Rendering mode Server Server
Syntax model Logic-based Logic-based
License model Open-source Open-source
Our review
Pros
  • Processes HTML, XML, text, JavaScript, CSS, and raw templates
  • Natural templates remain usable as static browser prototypes
  • Fragments, layout inheritance, dialects, and Spring integration support reuse
  • Compiles templates to PHP scripts and recompiles when files change
  • Template inheritance lets child templates fill parent blocks
  • Built-in caching plus custom functions and variable modifiers
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires your own application environment
  • Rendering is server-side rather than client-side
  • Support is limited to documentation and community channels
  • HTML escaping is optional rather than enabled by default
  • Self-hosted deployment requires a PHP application
  • Support is community-based
Our verdict

Thymeleaf is an open-source, server-side Java template engine for web and standalone applications. It suits developers building JVM applications with or without Spring, particularly teams that want HTML templates to remain viewable as…

Read the review →

Smarty is an open-source PHP template engine for teams that want presentation handled separately from application logic. PHP applications pass content and variables into templates, where tags format and render them. That arrangement can…

Read the review →
  1. ThymeleafTemplate Engine Software 9.1Free plan
  2. SmartyTemplate Engine Software 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Thymeleaf — where it wins

    • Processes HTML, XML, text, JavaScript, CSS, and raw templates
    • Natural templates remain usable as static browser prototypes
    • Fragments, layout inheritance, dialects, and Spring integration support reuse

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires your own application environment
    • Rendering is server-side rather than client-side
    • Support is limited to documentation and community channels

  • Smarty — where it wins

    • Compiles templates to PHP scripts and recompiles when files change
    • Template inheritance lets child templates fill parent blocks
    • Built-in caching plus custom functions and variable modifiers

    Where it doesn't

    • HTML escaping is optional rather than enabled by default
    • Self-hosted deployment requires a PHP application
    • Support is community-based

More comparisons

All template engine software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update