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Gatsby vs Hugo
Compare Gatsby and Hugo 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
Hugo
The world's fastest framework for building static websites, with rich content management capabilities.
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
Hugo
Pros
- Extremely fast build times
- No dependencies required
- Live reload for instant preview
- Flexible content management
Cons
- Steeper learning curve for templating
- Less plugins than older generators
- Requires command line usage
- Go templates can be challenging
Features comparison
| Feature | Gatsby | Hugo |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| SEO | Yes Strong SEO support through gatsby-plugin-react-helmet and other official plugins | Yes Built-in SEO features including meta tags, canonical URLs, Open Graph, and JSON-LD |
| Sitemap | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-sitemap | Yes Built-in sitemap generation without plugins |
| RSS Feed | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-feed | Yes Built-in RSS/Atom feed generation without plugins |
| Theming system | Yes Supports themes through gatsby-theme architecture with component shadowing | Yes Powerful theming system with theme inheritance and module capabilities |
| Plugin system | Yes Extensive plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins available | Partial Uses 'modules' rather than plugins, with a different architectural approach than traditional plugins |
| Content Management | ||
| Emoji | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-emoji or other emoji plugins | Yes Native emoji support with several rendering options |
| Image optimization | Yes Advanced image optimization with gatsby-plugin-sharp, gatsby-image, and built-in responsive images | Yes Built-in image processing with resize, crop, filter capabilities and image optimization |
| Taxonomies | Via GraphQL Custom taxonomies can be implemented through GraphQL queries and data structures | Yes Powerful built-in taxonomy system with support for custom taxonomies |
| Pagination | Via API Pagination available through createPage API and GraphQL queries | Yes Built-in pagination for list pages with customizable options |
| Table of contents | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-table-of-contents or similar plugins | Yes Built-in table of contents generation for markdown content |
| Comments | Via integration Integration with Disqus, Commento, Utterances via React components | Via integration Integration with Disqus, Commento, Utterances or other comment systems via templates |
| Integrations | ||
| Social media integration | Via plugin Social sharing, cards, and integrations available through various plugins | Yes Built-in support for social cards, sharing, and integration via templates |
| Analytics | Via plugin Easy integration with Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom through official plugins | Via integration Easy integration with most analytics platforms via themes or templates |
| Newsletter | Via integration Can be integrated through React components for services like Mailchimp, ConvertKit | Via integration Third-party services can be integrated via templates or partials |
| Search | Via plugin Options include Algolia (gatsby-plugin-algolia), Lunr.js, Elasticsearch integrations | Via integration Options include built-in JSON index, Algolia, Lunr.js, or other client-side search solutions |
| Headless CMS integration | Yes First-class support for most headless CMS platforms with official plugins for Contentful, WordPress, Sanity, Strapi, etc. | Yes Excellent support for most headless CMS platforms including Contentful, Forestry, NetlifyCMS, Strapi |
| Advanced Features | ||
| Multilingual | Via plugin i18n support through plugins like gatsby-plugin-intl or gatsby-plugin-i18n | Yes First-class support for multilingual sites with i18n capabilities |
| AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-amp or custom implementation | Via templates Can be implemented using custom output formats and templates |
| PWA (Progressive Web App) | Yes First-class PWA support through gatsby-plugin-manifest and gatsby-plugin-offline | Via integration Requires custom configuration or theme with PWA support |
| Specialized Content | ||
| PlantUML | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom components or markdown remark plugins | Via shortcode Customizable shortcodes can be created for PlantUML integration |
| Mermaid | Via plugin Can be used with gatsby-remark-mermaid plugin | Via shortcode Official shortcode available for Mermaid diagrams |
| KaTeX (math) | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-katex or other math rendering plugins | Via integration Support through either KaTeX or MathJax via templates or theme integration |
| GitHub Gists integration | Via plugin Can be implemented with gatsby-remark-embed-gist | Via shortcode Can be implemented via custom shortcodes |