Gatsby vs Jekyll

Gatsby is an open-source, React-based framework for building websites such as eCommerce and marketing sites, blogs, and documentation. It supports JavaScript and Node.js, and pages can be rendered with Static Site Generation, Deferred Static Generation, or Server-Side Rendering. Its GraphQL data layer gives page components a consistent way to request content, API, and service data. Gatsby also provides code-splitting, image optimization, lazy loading, and webpack. Its plugin library covers areas including CMS, styling, analytics, e-commerce, payments, authentication, and search; official integrations include hosting providers and content management systems. Gatsby 5 requires Node 18 and React 18. The open-source framework is free. A separate Free plan costs nothing and includes a 300-credit monthly limit, unlimited deploy previews, and custom domains with SSL. Personal costs $9 a month and Pro costs $20 a month; Enterprise pricing is custom. Projects pause when monthly usage limits are reached.

Jekyll is a free, open-source tool that turns plain text into static websites and blogs. It combines Markdown, Liquid, HTML, and CSS with layouts, producing static files ready for deployment. Blog features include permalinks, categories, pages, posts, and custom layouts. A plugin system with hooks can generate content and extend builds without changing Jekyll itself. Community-maintained themes provide templates and styles, and site content can override theme files. Generated sites may be deployed manually, through automation, or with third-party services. GitHub Pages is powered by Jekyll and offers free hosting with custom domain support. Jekyll supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use. Installation requires Ruby 2.7.0 or higher, RubyGems, GCC, and Make. Safe mode requires explicit plugin permission through a whitelist. A volunteer core team maintains the project.