Astro alternatives
Five other ways to build a content site.
The main Astro alternatives for a content site are Hugo (fast builds, one program), Eleventy (many template languages), Jekyll (built into GitHub Pages), Next.js (when the site may become an app) and vagejs (checks and AI-search files built in). Astro is still a good choice for most content websites, and plenty of people should keep using it.
npm create vagejs@latest my-siteHow do the Astro alternatives compare?
Facts come from each project's own documentation, checked in October 2026. If you're still deciding what matters for your site, start with how to choose a static site generator.
| Feature | Hugo | Eleventy | Jekyll | Next.js (static export) | vagejs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written in / runs on | Go | Node.js 18+ | Ruby 2.7+ | Node.js | Node.js 22.12+ |
| Templates | Go templates | Many: Nunjucks, Liquid, JavaScript, WebC and more | Liquid | React (JSX) | TypeScript functions, or React and Vue components |
| JavaScript sent to visitors | Depends on the theme | None by default | Depends on the theme | React, to run pages in the browser | None by default (React islands opt in) |
| Sitemap | Built in | A template you write | A plugin or a template | Built-in file convention | Built in |
| robots.txt | Built in, turned on in settings | A file you add | A file you add | Built-in file convention | Built in, with AI crawler settings |
| llms.txt | Possible with a custom output format | A template you write | A template you write | Not built in | Built in |
| Checks before publishing | Not built in | Not built in | Not built in | Not built in | Built in (vage check) |
| Hosting | Any static host | Any static host | Any static host; built into GitHub Pages | Any static host | Any static host |
For a closer look at Astro itself next to vagejs, see vagejs vs Astro.
Hugo as an Astro alternative
Hugo is a static site generator written in Go. Its documentation describes it as optimized for speed, and says it renders a complete site "in seconds, often less". Because it's a Go program, you don't need a Node.js project, npm packages or a node_modules folder to build a site.
Templates use Go's own template packages, which are powerful but take some getting used to if you come from JavaScript. Hugo makes a sitemap.xml for you, and it can make robots.txt from a built-in template once you turn on enableRobotsTXT in your settings. How much JavaScript reaches visitors depends on the theme you choose.
Suits: large sites with thousands of pages where build time matters, and people who'd rather install one program than manage a JavaScript toolchain. See vagejs vs Hugo for more.
Eleventy as an Astro alternative
Eleventy (often written 11ty) turns template files into a folder of static files you can upload anywhere. It runs on Node.js 18 or newer. Its main selling point is flexibility: you can write pages in Markdown, HTML, Nunjucks, Liquid, JavaScript, WebC and several other formats, and mix them in one project. The project says it sends "zero client-side JavaScript by default", and it doesn't require a JavaScript framework.
Eleventy starts with no configuration and leaves most decisions to you. There's no built-in sitemap or robots.txt; you write them as templates, which its docs mention as a common use. That's easy for a developer, but it means every Eleventy site is set up a little differently.
Suits: developers who want full control over the output and enjoy picking their own template language, and anyone who finds Astro's component model more than their site needs.
Jekyll as an Astro alternative
Jekyll is a static site generator written in Ruby and needs Ruby 2.7 or newer. Pages are Markdown, and templates use Liquid. Its biggest advantage is GitHub Pages: GitHub's documentation calls Jekyll a static site generator "with built-in support for GitHub Pages", and it's the default there, so a Jekyll site in a GitHub repository can be published without setting up a build step.
That built-in support has limits. GitHub Pages turns on a fixed set of plugins and can't build sites that use unsupported ones, so more custom sites usually build Jekyll themselves in GitHub Actions. Sitemaps and robots.txt come from plugins or files you add.
Suits: simple blogs and project sites hosted on GitHub Pages, and people who already know Ruby or Liquid.
Next.js static export as an Astro alternative
Next.js is an application framework, but it can also build a fully static site. Set output: 'export' and next build writes an HTML file for each page into an out folder that any static host can serve. Server Components run during the build. The exported site still uses React in the browser: moving between pages happens on the client, much like a single-page app.
Static export rules out features that need a server, including redirects, rewrites and headers from the Next.js settings, image optimization with the default loader, Server Actions and Incremental Static Regeneration. Next.js does have file conventions for a sitemap and robots.txt.
Suits: teams that already build apps in React and Next.js, and sites that may grow into an application later. For a pure content site it's more machinery than you need. See vagejs vs Next.js.
vagejs as an Astro alternative
vagejs is a newer static site generator built for content sites made with an AI coding assistant. Pages are Markdown or MDX files, and layouts are TypeScript functions or React and Vue components, all turned into plain HTML at build time. It sends no JavaScript to visitors by default; React islands opt in, one component at a time (React, Vue and MDX). It runs on Node.js 22.12 or newer.
Where it differs from the others is what's included without plugins: a sitemap, robots.txt with settings for AI crawlers, llms.txt, structured data, RSS feeds and Markdown copies of pages for AI tools. vage check catches broken links, missing details and accessibility slips before you publish, and a link lock blocks links to websites you haven't approved, which stops injected spam. Every new site includes an AGENTS.md file so assistants like Claude Code, Codex and Cursor follow the same rules.
It's also young: first released in October 2026, with a much smaller community and fewer themes and integrations than any tool on this page.
Suits: company sites, docs and blogs where you want SEO and AI-search files, checks and spam protection built in, especially if an AI assistant does much of the editing.
When should you stay with Astro?
Astro describes itself as built for content-rich websites: marketing sites, publishing, documentation and blogs. It renders HTML on the server or at build time, sends little or no JavaScript unless you opt in, and lets you add interactive "islands" in React, Vue, Svelte and other frameworks where you need them. It has an official sitemap integration and a large ecosystem of themes and integrations.
Stay with Astro if:
- your site needs interactive parts written in Vue, Svelte or another framework besides React;
- you rely on Astro integrations or a theme that works well for you;
- you need on-demand server rendering for some pages;
- your team already knows it and the site isn't causing problems.
Sources for these Astro alternatives
Facts about each tool come from its own documentation, checked in October 2026. Tools change quickly. If something here is out of date, open an issue and we'll fix it.
Astro: why Astro, Astro sitemap integration, Hugo introduction, Hugo templates, Hugo sitemap, Hugo robots.txt, GitHub Pages and Jekyll, Next.js static exports. Eleventy facts are from its documentation at 11ty.dev (Get started, Collections and the home page); Jekyll's Ruby requirement is from its documentation at jekyllrb.com.
Head-to-head vagejs comparisons
vagejs vs Astro
For people choosing between two frameworks that send no JavaScript by default: Astro runs islands in more frameworks, and vagejs builds in checks and
llms.txt.See vagejs vs Astro
vagejs vs Hugo
For Markdown sites deciding between Hugo's Go templates and fast builds on very large sites, or TypeScript and React layouts with checks built in.
See vagejs vs Hugo
vagejs vs Next.js
For teams deciding whether their site is an application that needs a server, or content that can be static files with React only where it helps.
vagejs vs WordPress
For business sites weighing a browser editor and plugins against static files with no server, database or admin login to attack.
vagejs vs Webflow and Wix
For business sites weighing a hosted visual builder against files you own, host anywhere and edit with an AI assistant.
vagejs vs Lovable, Bolt and v0
For people deciding between an AI app builder that makes and hosts a whole app, and a content site their own assistant edits.
Questions about Astro alternatives
Which Astro alternative should I choose?
Switching tools is work. It's worth doing when it solves a specific problem: build times on a very large site (Hugo), a simpler setup (Eleventy), free hosting with no build step (Jekyll on GitHub Pages), a path to an app (Next.js), or built-in checks and AI-search files (vagejs).
Which Astro alternative doesn't need Node.js?
Hugo and Jekyll. Hugo is a single Go program with no Node.js, npm packages or node_modules folder, and Jekyll runs on Ruby 2.7 or newer. Eleventy, Next.js and vagejs all run on Node.js.
Which Astro alternatives send no JavaScript by default?
Eleventy and vagejs. Eleventy says it sends zero client-side JavaScript by default, and vagejs sends none unless you mark a React component interactive. With Hugo and Jekyll it depends on your theme, and a Next.js static export still runs React in the browser.
Which alternative makes llms.txt for me?
Only vagejs writes llms.txt on every build. With Hugo it's possible through a custom output format, with Eleventy and Jekyll it's a template you write, and Next.js doesn't build one in.
Start with one command.
You'll have a site running in a minute.
npm create vagejs@latest my-site