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Gatsby vs Pelican
Compare Gatsby and Pelican 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
Pelican
A Python-based static site generator that supports Markdown and reStructuredText, ideal for technical blogs.
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
Pelican
Pros
- Written in Python
- No database required
- Markdown and reStructuredText support
- Extensible plugin system
- Active community and development
Cons
- Command-line focused workflow
- Requires Python knowledge for customization
- Less beginner-friendly than some alternatives
- Fewer themes than WordPress or Hugo
- Limited built-in features compared to dynamic CMS
Features comparison
| Feature | Gatsby | Pelican |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| SEO | Yes Strong SEO support through gatsby-plugin-react-helmet and other official plugins | Partial Basic SEO through templates, but requires additional configuration for advanced features |
| Sitemap | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-sitemap | Via plugin Available through pelican-sitemap plugin |
| RSS Feed | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-feed | Yes Built-in Atom and RSS feed generation |
| Theming system | Yes Supports themes through gatsby-theme architecture with component shadowing | Yes Support for custom and third-party themes with Jinja2 templating |
| Plugin system | Yes Extensive plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins available | Yes Extensive plugin system with Python-based plugins |
| Content Management | ||
| Emoji | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-emoji or other emoji plugins | Via plugin Requires Markdown extension or custom plugin |
| Image optimization | Yes Advanced image optimization with gatsby-plugin-sharp, gatsby-image, and built-in responsive images | Via plugin Available through pelican-image-process or similar plugins |
| Taxonomies | Via GraphQL Custom taxonomies can be implemented through GraphQL queries and data structures | Partial Built-in support for categories and tags, custom taxonomies require plugins |
| Pagination | Via API Pagination available through createPage API and GraphQL queries | Yes Built-in pagination for article listings |
| Table of contents | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-table-of-contents or similar plugins | Via plugin Available through plugins or Markdown extensions |
| Comments | Via integration Integration with Disqus, Commento, Utterances via React components | Via integration Integration with Disqus built-in, other systems require custom theme integration |
| Integrations | ||
| Social media integration | Via plugin Social sharing, cards, and integrations available through various plugins | Via plugin Requires plugins like pelican-social-share or custom theme integration |
| Analytics | Via plugin Easy integration with Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom through official plugins | Via integration Can be added through theme templates or dedicated plugins |
| Newsletter | Via integration Can be integrated through React components for services like Mailchimp, ConvertKit | Via integration Requires manual integration through theme templates |
| Search | Via plugin Options include Algolia (gatsby-plugin-algolia), Lunr.js, Elasticsearch integrations | Via plugin Options include tipue_search plugin or client-side search integration |
| Headless CMS integration | Yes First-class support for most headless CMS platforms with official plugins for Contentful, WordPress, Sanity, Strapi, etc. | Limited Possible but not as seamless as with other generators; requires custom integration |
| Advanced Features | ||
| Multilingual | Via plugin i18n support through plugins like gatsby-plugin-intl or gatsby-plugin-i18n | Yes Built-in i18n support with the pelican-i18n_subsites plugin |
| AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-amp or custom implementation | Via plugin Would require custom plugin implementation |
| PWA (Progressive Web App) | Yes First-class PWA support through gatsby-plugin-manifest and gatsby-plugin-offline | Via integration Requires manual implementation in theme |
| Specialized Content | ||
| PlantUML | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom components or markdown remark plugins | Via plugin Can be added via custom plugin or Markdown extension |
| Mermaid | Via plugin Can be used with gatsby-remark-mermaid plugin | Via plugin Through custom plugin or Markdown extension |
| KaTeX (math) | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-katex or other math rendering plugins | Via plugin Math support through pelican-render-math or similar plugins |
| GitHub Gists integration | Via plugin Can be implemented with gatsby-remark-embed-gist | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom plugins or theme modifications |