Pick your static site generator, 40+ options, the take from someone who has shipped on six of these in production
Your next site needs an SSG. The directory has 38+ in one place, filter by language, category, or license. Every entry gives you a one-line summary, a concrete "best for", an honest "skip this if", and a paragraph of opinion. Star counts refreshed each quarter; the takes kept current.
12 SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISONS → TOP-5 DECISION HUB →Filter the list
Showing 38 of 38
Next.js
React framework. SSG via export, but the App Router is the default story.
Read the takeHugo
The fastest SSG, full stop. Go binary, single-file install, builds 10k pages in seconds.
Read the takeDocusaurus
Meta's React-based docs framework. Leading for software documentation.
Read the takeNuxt
Vue's answer to Next.js. Static generation with `nuxi generate`, fully featured.
Read the takeGatsby
decliningReact + GraphQL SSG. Pioneered the Jamstack movement; declining since 2023.
Read the takeAstro
Multi-framework, content-first, ships zero JS by default. The default for SEO-heavy sites.
Read the takeJekyll
matureThe original SSG. Liquid templates, Ruby, Markdown. GitHub Pages' backbone.
Read the takeHexo
matureNode-based blog SSG, popular in Asia. Mature, themed, blog-first.
Read the takeSlate
matureAPI documentation SSG. Single-page, three-column layout, Stripe-style docs.
Read the takeVuePress
decliningThe original Vue docs SSG. Maintained, but VitePress is the modern path.
Read the takeSvelteKit
Svelte's flagship framework. Static export via adapter-static, smaller bundle than Next.js.
Read the takeMkDocs
Python docs-first SSG, Material for MkDocs is the killer theme.
Read the takeEleventy (11ty)
Zero-config JS-based SSG. Templates only, no client-side JS framework.
Read the takeReflex / Static Studio
Modern Python web app builder; can output static. Niche.
Read the takeZola
Rust binary, single file, Tera templates. Hugo's closest competitor.
Read the takeVitePress
Vue / Vite-based static docs framework. Fast, minimal, the default for Vue docs.
Read the takePelican
maturePython-based SSG, blog-first, mature. The Pythonic Jekyll.
Read the takeFresh
Deno's flagship full-stack web framework. Islands architecture by default.
Read the takeTinaCMS
Git-backed CMS layered over Astro / Next.js / Hugo. SSG-adjacent, not strictly an SSG.
Read the takeMetalsmith
maturePlugin-based JS SSG. Treat everything as a transformation pipeline.
Read the takeStarlight
Astro's documentation theme. Framework-agnostic docs, with Astro's flexibility.
Read the takeMiddleman
matureRuby SSG with Sprockets-style asset pipeline. Mature, niche.
Read the takePublii
Desktop-app SSG. Non-technical content authors, GUI-first.
Read the takeSolidStart
SolidJS's meta-framework. Fine-grained reactivity, fast, small ecosystem.
Read the takeSphinx
reStructuredText-first docs system. The official Python documentation tool.
Read the takeQuarto
Scientific publishing SSG. Markdown + Pandoc + Jupyter / R / Observable. Posit's tool.
Read the takeFastpages (deprecated)
archivedJupyter notebook → Jekyll blog. fast.ai's tool. Deprecated, replaced by Quarto / Nikola.
Read the takeWintersmith
decliningOld-school Node SSG. Mature, low-maintenance, niche.
Read the takeHakyll
Haskell SSG. Pandoc-powered, programmable rules engine, niche.
Read the takeJigsaw
PHP / Laravel-flavoured SSG. Blade templates, niche for Laravel teams.
Read the takeLume
Deno-native SSG by Óscar Otero. Multi-template, lean, modern Deno ecosystem.
Read the takeSilverwind / Wyam
.NET-based SSG. Niche for .NET teams.
Read the takeBridgetown
Ruby-based, Jekyll's ambitious successor with modern frontend integration.
Read the takeAntora
AsciiDoc-based docs SSG, leading for multi-repo technical documentation.
Read the takeCobalt
Rust SSG, Liquid-compatible. Niche, well-engineered.
Read the takeSoupault
Static site processor with HTML-rewriting plugins. Unique angle.
Read the takeRocket
Modern SSG by Modern Web. Web Components-first, lit-html.
Read the takeMintlify
Hosted developer docs platform. Closed-source, polished, expensive at scale.
Read the takeNo SSGs match the current filters.
How this directory is curated
This is not a scraped list of every static site generator on GitHub. It is a curated directory of the SSGs worth knowing about in 2026, with one filter rule: would I either recommend it to a client or argue against it for a specific reason. Tools that nobody uses and nobody asks about are not listed.
Each entry has the same shape: a one-liner, a "best for" list, a "skip this if" paragraph, and a paragraph of honest opinion. Star counts are refreshed each quarter from each project's GitHub page. Status flags (declining, mature, archived) are updated when the trajectory changes. If you spot a project that should be here and is not, the email is on the homepage.
The companion comparison hub at /hub/static-site-generators/ picks the top 5 with editorial argument. The pillar comparison post is at /blog/static-site-generators-2026/.
The SSG choice is the easy half, your build is the hard one
Picking the framework is the easy half. The hard half is your build and your SEO transport. If you are migrating from WordPress or another CMS to a static stack, the 30-min call is the right starting place, describe your site and we will pick the SSG, the host, and the delivery window together.