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Hexo vs Gatsby
Compare Hexo and Gatsby to find the best tool for your needs.
Hexo
A fast, simple & powerful blog framework powered by Node.js, popular in the developer community.
See all detailsVS
Gatsby
A React-based static site generator with powerful data layer and plugin ecosystem.
See all detailsQuick overview
Pricing
Free (open source)
Free (open source), paid Gatsby Cloud services
Pros & Cons
Hexo
Pros
- Blazing fast generation
- Markdown support
- One-command deployment
- Extensive plugin system
Cons
- Less active community than some alternatives
- Documentation can be incomplete
- Limited themes for non-technical blogs
- Some plugins aren't maintained
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
Features comparison
| Feature | Hexo | Gatsby |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| SEO | Via plugin Available through hexo-seo plugin or custom configuration | Yes Strong SEO support through gatsby-plugin-react-helmet and other official plugins |
| Sitemap | Via plugin Available through hexo-generator-sitemap | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-sitemap |
| RSS Feed | Via plugin Available through hexo-generator-feed | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-feed |
| Theming system | Yes Robust theming system with many available themes | Yes Supports themes through gatsby-theme architecture with component shadowing |
| Plugin system | Yes Extensive plugin ecosystem with many available plugins | Yes Extensive plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins available |
| Content Management | ||
| Emoji | Via plugin Support through hexo-filter-github-emojis or similar plugins | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-emoji or other emoji plugins |
| Image optimization | Via plugin Available through hexo-filter-responsive-images or similar plugins | Yes Advanced image optimization with gatsby-plugin-sharp, gatsby-image, and built-in responsive images |
| Taxonomies | Partial Built-in support for categories and tags; custom taxonomies require additional configuration | Via GraphQL Custom taxonomies can be implemented through GraphQL queries and data structures |
| Pagination | Yes Built-in pagination for post listings | Via API Pagination available through createPage API and GraphQL queries |
| Table of contents | Yes Built-in table of contents generation | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-table-of-contents or similar plugins |
| Comments | Yes Built-in support for Disqus; other systems supported via themes | Via integration Integration with Disqus, Commento, Utterances via React components |
| Integrations | ||
| Social media integration | Via theme Most themes include social media integration options | Via plugin Social sharing, cards, and integrations available through various plugins |
| Analytics | Via integration Most themes support analytics integration | Via plugin Easy integration with Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom through official plugins |
| Newsletter | Via integration Can be added through theme customization | Via integration Can be integrated through React components for services like Mailchimp, ConvertKit |
| Search | Via plugin Options include hexo-generator-search or Algolia integration | Via plugin Options include Algolia (gatsby-plugin-algolia), Lunr.js, Elasticsearch integrations |
| Headless CMS integration | Via plugin Integration possible with various headless CMS platforms | Yes First-class support for most headless CMS platforms with official plugins for Contentful, WordPress, Sanity, Strapi, etc. |
| Advanced Features | ||
| Multilingual | Yes Built-in i18n support | Via plugin i18n support through plugins like gatsby-plugin-intl or gatsby-plugin-i18n |
| AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | Via plugin Can be implemented with hexo-generator-amp | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-amp or custom implementation |
| PWA (Progressive Web App) | Via plugin Available through hexo-pwa or similar solutions | Yes First-class PWA support through gatsby-plugin-manifest and gatsby-plugin-offline |
| Specialized Content | ||
| PlantUML | Via plugin Can be added with hexo-filter-plantuml or similar plugins | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom components or markdown remark plugins |
| Mermaid | Via plugin Available through hexo-filter-mermaid-diagrams or similar plugins | Via plugin Can be used with gatsby-remark-mermaid plugin |
| KaTeX (math) | Via plugin Available through hexo-renderer-markdown-it-katex or similar plugins | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-katex or other math rendering plugins |
| GitHub Gists integration | Via plugin Can be implemented through custom tags or plugins | Via plugin Can be implemented with gatsby-remark-embed-gist |