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Gatsby vs Eleventy (11ty)
Compare Gatsby and Eleventy (11ty) to find the best tool for your needs.
Gatsby
A React-based static site generator with powerful data layer and plugin ecosystem.
See all detailsVS
Eleventy (11ty)
A simpler static site generator focused on flexibility and performance.
See all detailsQuick overview
Pricing
Free (open source), paid Gatsby Cloud services
Free (open source)
Pros & Cons
Gatsby
Pros
- React-based architecture
- GraphQL data layer
- Large plugin ecosystem
- Progressive image loading
Cons
- Requires React knowledge
- Steep learning curve
- Build time can be slow for large sites
- Complex for simple projects
Eleventy (11ty)
Pros
- Zero client-side JavaScript by default
- Extremely flexible templating
- Fast builds
- Easy to learn and use
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem than Gatsby/Hugo
- Less built-in features
- Documentation can be sparse
- Requires some technical knowledge
Features comparison
| Feature | Gatsby | Eleventy (11ty) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| SEO | Yes Strong SEO support through gatsby-plugin-react-helmet and other official plugins | Via integration Requires custom implementation or adding meta tags in templates |
| Sitemap | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-sitemap | Via plugin Can be added with plugins like eleventy-plugin-sitemap |
| RSS Feed | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-feed | Via plugin Available through plugins like eleventy-plugin-rss |
| Theming system | Yes Supports themes through gatsby-theme architecture with component shadowing | Partial No formal theming system, but flexible templating allows for theme-like structures |
| Plugin system | Yes Extensive plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins available | Yes Extensible through JavaScript plugins and custom shortcodes |
| Content Management | ||
| Emoji | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-emoji or other emoji plugins | Via plugin Can be implemented through markdown-it plugins |
| Image optimization | Yes Advanced image optimization with gatsby-plugin-sharp, gatsby-image, and built-in responsive images | Via plugin Available through eleventy-img or similar plugins |
| Taxonomies | Via GraphQL Custom taxonomies can be implemented through GraphQL queries and data structures | Via integration Can be implemented through custom collections and tags |
| Pagination | Via API Pagination available through createPage API and GraphQL queries | Yes Built-in pagination API |
| Table of contents | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-table-of-contents or similar plugins | Via plugin Can be implemented through markdown-it plugins or custom functions |
| Comments | Via integration Integration with Disqus, Commento, Utterances via React components | Via integration Can integrate with services like Disqus, Utterances, etc. through template includes |
| Integrations | ||
| Social media integration | Via plugin Social sharing, cards, and integrations available through various plugins | Via integration Requires custom implementation in templates |
| Analytics | Via plugin Easy integration with Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom through official plugins | Via integration Easy to add through template includes |
| Newsletter | Via integration Can be integrated through React components for services like Mailchimp, ConvertKit | Via integration Can be added through template includes |
| Search | Via plugin Options include Algolia (gatsby-plugin-algolia), Lunr.js, Elasticsearch integrations | Via integration Options include Algolia, Lunr.js, or custom client-side implementation |
| Headless CMS integration | Yes First-class support for most headless CMS platforms with official plugins for Contentful, WordPress, Sanity, Strapi, etc. | Yes Good support for various headless CMS options through data fetching |
| Advanced Features | ||
| Multilingual | Via plugin i18n support through plugins like gatsby-plugin-intl or gatsby-plugin-i18n | Via integration Possible through directory structure and custom collections |
| AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-amp or custom implementation | Via integration Can be implemented through custom output formats |
| PWA (Progressive Web App) | Yes First-class PWA support through gatsby-plugin-manifest and gatsby-plugin-offline | Via integration Can be implemented through custom service worker and manifest files |
| Specialized Content | ||
| PlantUML | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom components or markdown remark plugins | Via plugin Can be implemented through markdown-it plugins or custom shortcodes |
| Mermaid | Via plugin Can be used with gatsby-remark-mermaid plugin | Via plugin Can be implemented through custom shortcodes or markdown-it plugins |
| KaTeX (math) | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-katex or other math rendering plugins | Via plugin Can be implemented using eleventy-plugin-katex or similar solutions |
| GitHub Gists integration | Via plugin Can be implemented with gatsby-remark-embed-gist | Via integration Can be implemented through custom shortcodes |