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Pelican vs Gatsby
Compare Pelican and Gatsby to find the best tool for your needs.
Pelican
A Python-based static site generator that supports Markdown and reStructuredText, ideal for technical blogs.
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
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
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 | Pelican | Gatsby |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| SEO | Partial Basic SEO through templates, but requires additional configuration for advanced features | Yes Strong SEO support through gatsby-plugin-react-helmet and other official plugins |
| Sitemap | Via plugin Available through pelican-sitemap plugin | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-sitemap |
| RSS Feed | Yes Built-in Atom and RSS feed generation | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-feed |
| Theming system | Yes Support for custom and third-party themes with Jinja2 templating | Yes Supports themes through gatsby-theme architecture with component shadowing |
| Plugin system | Yes Extensive plugin system with Python-based plugins | Yes Extensive plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins available |
| Content Management | ||
| Emoji | Via plugin Requires Markdown extension or custom plugin | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-emoji or other emoji plugins |
| Image optimization | Via plugin Available through pelican-image-process 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 plugins | Via GraphQL Custom taxonomies can be implemented through GraphQL queries and data structures |
| Pagination | Yes Built-in pagination for article listings | Via API Pagination available through createPage API and GraphQL queries |
| Table of contents | Via plugin Available through plugins or Markdown extensions | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-table-of-contents or similar plugins |
| Comments | Via integration Integration with Disqus built-in, other systems require custom theme integration | Via integration Integration with Disqus, Commento, Utterances via React components |
| Integrations | ||
| Social media integration | Via plugin Requires plugins like pelican-social-share or custom theme integration | Via plugin Social sharing, cards, and integrations available through various plugins |
| Analytics | Via integration Can be added through theme templates or dedicated plugins | Via plugin Easy integration with Google Analytics, Plausible, Fathom through official plugins |
| Newsletter | Via integration Requires manual integration through theme templates | Via integration Can be integrated through React components for services like Mailchimp, ConvertKit |
| Search | Via plugin Options include tipue_search plugin or client-side search integration | Via plugin Options include Algolia (gatsby-plugin-algolia), Lunr.js, Elasticsearch integrations |
| Headless CMS integration | Limited Possible but not as seamless as with other generators; requires custom integration | 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 with the pelican-i18n_subsites plugin | Via plugin i18n support through plugins like gatsby-plugin-intl or gatsby-plugin-i18n |
| AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | Via plugin Would require custom plugin implementation | Via plugin Available through gatsby-plugin-amp or custom implementation |
| PWA (Progressive Web App) | Via integration Requires manual implementation in theme | Yes First-class PWA support through gatsby-plugin-manifest and gatsby-plugin-offline |
| Specialized Content | ||
| PlantUML | Via plugin Can be added via custom plugin or Markdown extension | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom components or markdown remark plugins |
| Mermaid | Via plugin Through custom plugin or Markdown extension | Via plugin Can be used with gatsby-remark-mermaid plugin |
| KaTeX (math) | Via plugin Math support through pelican-render-math or similar plugins | Via plugin Supported through gatsby-remark-katex or other math rendering plugins |
| GitHub Gists integration | Via plugin Can be integrated through custom plugins or theme modifications | Via plugin Can be implemented with gatsby-remark-embed-gist |