Eleventy vs Jekyll
| Tagline | A simpler static site generator with zero client-side JavaScript | Transform plain text into static websites and blogs |
| Category | Blogging & CMS | Blogging & CMS |
| Replaces | WordPress.com, Squarespace, Medium | WordPress.com, Medium, Squarespace |
| GitHub stars | 17k | 49k |
| Language | JavaScript | Ruby |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 2/5 Easy |
| Deploy options | Manual Docker | Manual Docker |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 1 month 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.
Eleventy
- No built-in CMS or admin interface
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than Hugo or Jekyll
- Requires Node.js knowledge to configure advanced features
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
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose Jekyll for the larger community and ecosystem. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.