Best Static Site Generators in 2026
Updated
In short: Gatsby is ranked #1 of 35 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Bridgetown and Hugo. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Metalsmith. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Gatsby at $9/mo.
Static site generators turn site content into published pages, with different options for sourcing material, authoring and building. Gatsby, Bridgetown and Hugo open the ranking, followed by Metalsmith and Cecil. Compare content sources and supported languages, then consider CMS integration and multilingual support in light of how you manage content. Incremental builds and a local preview server are other listed criteria that may fit particular development workflows. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help you weigh the stated cost details alongside those capabilities. The ranking gives you an order in which to explore the entries; your stack and publishing process can guide which comparison points deserve closer attention.
35 static site generators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Content sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gatsby | 9.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $9/mo | Yes | $9/mo | api | View |
| 2 | Bridgetown | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 3 | Hugo | 8.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 4 |  Metalsmith | 8.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 5 | Cecil | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 6 | Eleventy | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 7 | Publii | 7.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 8 |  Nanoc | 7.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | database | View |
| 9 | Nikola | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 10 |  Lume | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 11 |  Zola | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 12 | Astro Starlight | 6.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 13 | VuePress | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 14 |  Pelican | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 15 |  Hakyll | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 16 |  Cobalt | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 17 |  Stapy | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 18 |  Roq | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 19 |  Franklin.jl | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 20 |  Middleman | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 21 |  Jigsaw | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 22 |  JungleJS | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
| 23 |  Jekyll | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 24 |  Nitro | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 25 |  Statue | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | markdown | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which static site generator is ranked first on Inferse?
Gatsby is ranked #1 of 35 with a score of 9.0. Bridgetown is second and Hugo third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Gatsby has the lowest first paid tier we found: $9/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.