Jekyll vs WordPress
Jekyll
jekyllrb.com
WordPress
wordpress.orgSide by side
| Figure | Jekyll | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Blog Software | 8.8 (#1) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Spec score · Blogging Platforms | 8.7 (#22) | 9.1 (#5) |
| Documentation and support | The project publishes extensive guides covering installation, commands, content, site structure, plugins, migrations, upgrades and deployment, with community help via Jekyll Talk and IRC. | The documentation hub links to overview, technical, support, and customization guides, including installation, maintenance, and security material. |
| Plugins | A plugin system with hooks lets users generate custom content and extend the build process without modifying Jekyll itself. | The WordPress.org plugin directory lists more than 76,000 free plugins. |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 9 out of 10 from 10 reviews | 8.7 out of 10 from 3,364 reviews |
| Self-hosting | Generated files can be served by Apache, Nginx or another web server, so hosting is not tied to a vendor. | The download page directs users who have their own hosting and domain to download and install WordPress themselves. |
| Themes | The theme system packages layouts, includes, stylesheets, assets and plugins, and site files can override theme defaults. | The WordPress.org theme directory lists more than 15,000 free themes. |
Plans
In their own words
Jekyll
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.
WordPress
WordPress is a free, open-source publishing platform and content management system for websites, blogs, portals, and applications. You can build pages with blocks and themes, then customize them without code. Plugins add capabilities including stores, analytics, newsletters, social integrations, forms, and spam protection. Publishing controls cover drafts, scheduled posts, revisions, public or private material, and password-protected posts and pages. WordPress also provides media uploading and editing, with roles for administrators, editors, authors, contributors, and subscribers. Developers can create plugins, themes, custom content types, and integrations through the REST API. The software is available in more than 70 languages and licensed under GPLv2-or-later, permitting use, modification, and redistribution, including commercial projects, without licensing fees. You can install it on your own hosting and domain or use a hosting provider. Recommended requirements include PHP 8.3 or later, MariaDB 10.11 or later or MySQL 8.0 or later, and HTTPS.