hugo-vs-eleventy.html

Hugo vs Eleventy (11ty) — which one wins for your brief, in 2026

Two static site generators, side by side. Hugo is the fastest ssg, full stop. go binary, single-file install, builds 10k pages in seconds. Eleventy (11ty) is zero-config js-based ssg. templates only, no client-side js framework. The verdict, the criteria, and the honest take below.

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Verdict in one paragraph

Hugo wins on raw speed and single-binary simplicity. Eleventy wins on JavaScript-toolchain alignment and developer experience. For pure-content blogs and docs, Hugo is the right pick if the team is comfortable with Go templates; Eleventy is the right pick if the team prefers staying in the JavaScript ecosystem.

Score across the criteria: Hugo 3 · Eleventy (11ty) 2

Side by side

Hugo
Eleventy (11ty)
Language
Go
JavaScript
Category
Go
JS / TS plain
License
Apache-2.0
MIT
Created
2013
2018
GitHub stars
76.1k
18.2k
Status
active
active

Decision criteria

  • Which builds faster?

    Hugo

    Hugo is one of the fastest SSGs in existence. Eleventy is fast but Hugo is faster, by 5-10x at most scales.

  • Which has the better DX for JS developers?

    Eleventy (11ty)

    Eleventy is JavaScript through and through — npm packages, JS templates, JS data files. Hugo's Go template language is a real onboarding cost.

  • Which is easier to deploy?

    Hugo

    Hugo is a single Go binary. Eleventy requires Node + npm install. Marginal but real for some pipelines.

  • Which has the bigger plugin ecosystem?

    Eleventy (11ty)

    Eleventy's npm-based plugin catalogue is larger and more diverse than Hugo's.

  • Which has the bigger theme ecosystem?

    Hugo

    Hugo themes have 10+ years of inertia. Eleventy themes are growing but still smaller.

What Hugo is best for

  • Documentation sites with very large catalogues
  • Content sites where build speed matters more than UI complexity
  • Teams that explicitly want zero JavaScript in the build chain
  • Single-file deploys without a Node runtime

Read the full Hugo entry: /static-site-generators/hugo/

What Eleventy (11ty) is best for

  • Personal blogs and small content sites
  • Sites where the team explicitly does not want a UI framework
  • Replacing Jekyll while staying in the JS ecosystem
  • Speedy builds on small to medium catalogues

Read the full Eleventy (11ty) entry: /static-site-generators/eleventy/

The easy half is the SSG choice — your build is the hard one

If your project is shipping in the next 6 months, the 30-min call is where the comparison becomes a real plan — your stack, your build phases, your SEO transport, your price range. Describe your project; I tell you whether Hugo or Eleventy (11ty) (or something else) is genuinely your fit.