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Eleventy alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Eleventy: few batteries included; you assemble your own setup, and no editing interface for non-developers. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Eleventy, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Astro currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Astro logoAstroOpen sourceYesWindows, macOS, Linux4 of 466.5
2Hugo logoHugoOpen sourceYesWindows, macOS, Linux4 of 462.6
3Jekyll logoJekyllOpen sourceYesmacOS, Linux, Windows5 of 559.6
4Gatsby logoGatsbyOpen sourceYesWindows, macOS, Linux4 of 457.2
5CloudCannon logoCloudCannonPaidNoWeb4 of 455.3
6Decap CMS logoDecap CMSOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 453.6
  1. Astro logo

    1. AstroTop pick

    Best for: Developers building fast content sites who want to use any UI framework

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWindows, macOS, Linux

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Eleventy

    More batteries included, with components and islands for interactivity.

    Pros

    • Ships minimal JavaScript thanks to islands
    • Use React, Vue, Svelte and others together
    • Typed content collections and strong docs

    Cons

    • Less suited to very app-like, interactive products
    • Frequent major versions bring upgrade work
    • No editing interface without adding a CMS
    Visit Astro Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Astro a good Eleventy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Islands architecture
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026astro.build(opens source in a new tab)
    UI frameworks
    React, Vue, Preact, Svelte, Solid
    Checked Oct 25, 2026astro.build(opens source in a new tab)
    Positioning
    Framework for content-driven websites
    Checked Oct 25, 2026astro.build(opens source in a new tab)
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026astro.build(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Hugo logo

    2. Hugo

    Best for: Developers who want very fast builds for blogs, docs and content sites

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWindows, macOS, Linux

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Eleventy

    Faster builds in a single binary, no Node.js needed.

    Pros

    • Extremely fast builds even for large sites
    • Single binary with no runtime dependencies
    • Multilingual, taxonomies and image processing built in

    Cons

    • Go templates have a steep, awkward learning curve
    • No editing interface for non-developers
    • Frequent releases can change behaviour
    Visit Hugo Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Hugo a good Eleventy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache 2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Language
    Go
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Positioning
    Static site framework focused on speed
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Multilingual
    Single-host and multihost
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Jekyll logo

    3. Jekyll

    Best for: Bloggers and project pages hosted free on GitHub Pages

    Open sourceSelf-hostablemacOS, Linux, Windows

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Eleventy

    Ruby generator with built-in GitHub Pages support.

    Pros

    • Native GitHub Pages support with free hosting
    • Simple, blog-aware defaults
    • Mature with plenty of themes and documentation

    Cons

    • Slow builds on large sites
    • Ruby setup can be fiddly, especially on Windows
    • Slow-moving project with many dated plugins
    Visit Jekyll Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Jekyll a good Eleventy alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Install
    Ruby gem
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    GitHub Pages
    Supported
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Requirements
    Ruby 2.7.0+, RubyGems, GCC and Make
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Databases
    None needed
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Gatsby logo

    4. Gatsby

    Best for: Teams maintaining existing Gatsby sites built on React and GraphQL

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWindows, macOS, Linux

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Eleventy

    React-based framework with a GraphQL data layer.

    Pros

    • Unified GraphQL layer over many content sources
    • Large plugin ecosystem from its peak years
    • MIT-licensed and free

    Cons

    • Development has slowed sharply since the Netlify acquisition
    • Slow builds on large sites
    • Heavy plugin dependency trees are hard to upgrade
    Visit Gatsby Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Gatsby a good Eleventy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Framework
    React-based
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gatsbyjs.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Gatsby Cloud
    Merged into Netlify
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gatsbyjs.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data layer
    GraphQL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gatsbyjs.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. CloudCannon logo

    5. CloudCannon

    Best for: Agencies handing static-site-generator websites to non-technical client editors

    PaidWeb

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Eleventy

    Visual editing for Eleventy sites with hosting included.

    Pros

    • Visual editing for Hugo, Eleventy, Astro and Jekyll sites
    • Content stays in Git with branch previews
    • Build and hosting included

    Cons

    • No free plan, only a trial
    • Visual editing needs per-site configuration
    • Per-user add-on costs for bigger teams
    Visit CloudCannon Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is CloudCannon a good Eleventy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Standard plan
    $55/month, or $49/month paid annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloudcannon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    21 days
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloudcannon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extra users
    $10/month per user
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloudcannon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Git providers
    GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloudcannon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Decap CMS logo

    6. Decap CMS

    Best for: Static site owners who want free form-based editing that commits to Git

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Eleventy

    Free Git-based editor to put on top of an Eleventy site.

    Pros

    • Free, MIT-licensed and needs no database or server
    • Works with almost any static site generator
    • Editorial workflow with drafts and reviews via pull requests

    Cons

    • Basic editor compared with hosted CMSs
    • Slower development than in its Netlify years
    • Authentication setup can be fiddly outside Netlify
    Visit Decap CMS Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Decap CMS a good Eleventy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Former name
    Netlify CMS
    Checked Oct 25, 2026decapcms.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Editorial workflow
    Draft, review and publish
    Checked Oct 25, 2026decapcms.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Open source, free and self-hosted
    Checked Oct 25, 2026decapcms.org(opens source in a new tab)

The best Eleventy alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Astro logo

Best Eleventy alternative for most people

Astro

More batteries included, with components and islands for interactivity.

Hugo logo

Best Eleventy alternative for a free option

Hugo

Faster builds in a single binary, no Node.js needed.

Jekyll logo

Best Eleventy alternative for open source

Jekyll

Ruby generator with built-in GitHub Pages support.

Gatsby logo

Best Eleventy alternative for self-hosting

Gatsby

React-based framework with a GraphQL data layer.

Astro logo

Best Eleventy alternative for Mac

Astro

More batteries included, with components and islands for interactivity.

Astro logo

Best Eleventy alternative for Windows

Astro

More batteries included, with components and islands for interactivity.

Astro logo

Best Eleventy alternative for Linux

Astro

More batteries included, with components and islands for interactivity.

CloudCannon logo

Best Eleventy alternative for working in the browser

CloudCannon

Visual editing for Eleventy sites with hosting included.

Eleventy alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Eleventy?

Astro ranks first right now. More batteries included, with components and islands for interactivity. Hugo and Jekyll follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Eleventy?

Yes. Astro (open source), Hugo (open source), Jekyll (open source) and Gatsby (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Eleventy?

Yes: Astro, Hugo, Jekyll and Gatsby, plus 1 more in the list above. Astro, Hugo and Jekyll can also be self-hosted.

Which Eleventy alternatives work on Linux?

Astro, Hugo, Jekyll and Gatsby run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Eleventy?

The complaints we hear most: few batteries included; you assemble your own setup; no editing interface for non-developers; branding is in flux around Build Awesome.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Eleventy, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.