CraftCMS vs Jekyll
| Tagline | Content-first CMS crafted for developers and editors | Transform plain text into static websites and blogs |
| Category | Blogging & CMS | Blogging & CMS |
| Replaces | Contentful, WordPress.com, Squarespace | WordPress.com, Medium, Squarespace |
| GitHub stars | 3.6k | 52k |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| License | ⊘ Proprietary | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 2/5 Easy |
| Deploy options | Docker Manual | Manual Docker |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 6 days ago | 1 month ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
CraftCMS
- Commercial license required for multi-user and team workflows; cost can exceed SaaS alternatives
- Plugin ecosystem is strong but most premium plugins are paid
- No built-in e-commerce; requires the separate paid Craft Commerce plugin
- Headless GraphQL API is behind a Pro license paywall
Jekyll
- Ruby environment setup can be tricky on Windows
- No admin UI; all content management is via files
- Slower build times for very large sites compared to Hugo or Eleventy
Bottom line
Choose Jekyll if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Jekyll for the larger community and ecosystem. CraftCMS has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.