Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GatsbyJS VS Harp

Compare GatsbyJS VS Harp and see what are their differences

GatsbyJS logo GatsbyJS

Blazing-fast static site generator for React

Harp logo Harp

The static web server with built-in preprocessing.
  • GatsbyJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • Harp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10

GatsbyJS features and specs

  • Performance
    GatsbyJS pre-builds your site into static files for fast load times and instantaneous page loads thanks to features like code splitting, PRPL pattern, and Asset Optimization.
  • SEO-Friendly
    GatsbyJS generates static HTML, which helps search engines to index your site more effectively. Additionally, you have fine-grained control over metadata and other SEO optimizations.
  • Rich Plugin Ecosystem
    GatsbyJS boasts an extensive plugin ecosystem that covers a wide array of functionalities such as sourcing data from CMSs, adding analytics, integrating with various APIs, and much more.
  • Strong Community Support
    Gatsby has a robust and active community that provides ample documentation, tutorials, and support to help you get started and troubleshoot issues.
  • Secure and Scalable
    Since Gatsby sites are static, they are inherently more secure against traditional web-based vulnerabilities and can be scaled easily by deploying to a CDN.

Possible disadvantages of GatsbyJS

  • Build Time
    For larger sites, build times can become noticeably long as Gatsby rebuilds the entire site. This can be a bottleneck for frequent updates.
  • Less Suitable for Dynamic Content
    Since Gatsby generates static pages, it's less suited for applications that require real-time data updates or dynamic content unless they are integrated with client-side JS or third-party services.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Getting started with Gatsby can be complex for beginners unfamiliar with React and GraphQL, as it requires knowledge of these technologies.
  • GraphQL Learning Curve
    A significant part of customizing and extending Gatsby sites involves GraphQL queries, which can be a barrier for developers who are not yet familiar with GraphQL.
  • Plugin Quality Variability
    While Gatsby has a rich plugin ecosystem, the quality and maintenance of plugins can vary, requiring developers to vet the plugins they choose to integrate into their projects.

Harp features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Harp is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers. It provides a straightforward environment to set up and manage static sites quickly.
  • Built-in Preprocessing
    Harp automatically preprocesses files like Markdown, LESS, and EJS, reducing the need for additional build tools. This streamlines development by allowing developers to use these languages without manual configuration.
  • Rapid Development with Live Reload
    Harp offers live reloading, enabling developers to see changes in real-time without refreshing the browser manually, which speeds up the development process.
  • Focused on Static Content
    Harp is specifically designed for creating and managing static websites, providing features tailored to this use case and avoiding unnecessary complexity found in more comprehensive frameworks.
  • Minimal Configuration
    The platform requires minimal configuration to get started, which reduces the learning curve and accelerates setup, allowing developers to focus on coding rather than setup issues.

Possible disadvantages of Harp

  • Limited Flexibility
    Being a static site generator, Harp lacks the flexibility and features of dynamic web applications or CMSs, which may not meet the needs of more robust or interactive projects.
  • Community and Support
    Harp has a smaller community compared to other static site generators or frameworks, which can lead to challenges in finding help, resources, or plugins when needed.
  • No Built-in Deployment
    Harp does not provide a built-in method for deploying sites to hosting platforms, requiring developers to configure deployment separately using tools like Rsync, FTP, or third-party services.
  • Feature Limitations
    Due to its focus on simplicity, Harp lacks some advanced features that other static site generators might offer, which could be limiting for complex site requirements.
  • Stagnation Concerns
    As of the latest updates, Harp does not receive frequent updates compared to more actively developed projects, raising concerns about future feature developments and maintenance.

GatsbyJS videos

The Great Gatsby - Movie Review by Chris Stuckmann

More videos:

  • Review - The Great Gatsby movie review
  • Review - The Ultimate Gatsby Moving Rubber Review!

Harp videos

Harp Review - 10 harps from 50$ to 15.000$ - comparison guide

More videos:

  • Review - Westside Discs Harp Review and Giveaway! | Danny Lindahl
  • Review - Dusty Strings Harp Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GatsbyJS and Harp)
CMS
94 94%
6% 6
Blogging
90 90%
10% 10
JavaScript Framework
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GatsbyJS and Harp

GatsbyJS Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks in 2025
Gatsby JS is a free, open-source, React-based framework that is used to create static websites. It has a great ecosystem of plugins that serve various needs like sourcing data from CMSs, integrating tools, managing images using lazy loading, and more.
Source: solguruz.com
Top 10 Next.js Alternatives You Can Try
Gatsby allows you to add plugins with versatile functions and customization to increase your efficiency when developing websites. Here, you can use multiple styling approaches like Sass and CSS-in-JS library solutions to build web pages more smoothly. Moreover, using Gatsby as an alternative to Next.Js provides you with a complete learning guide to enhance your developing...
20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
A React-based maestro, Gatsby transforms the way sites come to life by hooking into a rich set of data sources. Picture this: a web that’s blazing fast, where your creations go live almost before you hit ‘publish’. That’s Gatsby for you. Inside its engine, it’s got GraphQL superpowers, making data dancing across your pages a breeze.
10 Best Next.js Alternatives to Consider Today
A React-based framework, Gatsby excels in crafting static websites renowned for their exceptional performance. Leveraging GraphQL, Gatsby efficiently pulls data from diverse sources, empowering developers to build dynamic, data-driven websites effortlessly. Its expansive plugin ecosystem allows seamless integration with various data providers, content management systems...
20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
Gatsby lets users pull data from any data source imaginable – CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Netlify, Contentful, etc., or APIs, databases, or simple markdown. Unlike Next.js, which we discussed above, Gatsby does not perform server-side rendering. Instead, it generates HTML content on the client side during build time. As a result, Gatsby delivers blazing-fast performance,...

Harp Reviews

We have no reviews of Harp yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GatsbyJS seems to be a lot more popular than Harp. While we know about 16 links to GatsbyJS, we've tracked only 1 mention of Harp. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GatsbyJS mentions (16)

  • React SEO: How to Build Search-Friendly Pages in React
    The most famous frameworks for developing SSR applications are Gatsby and Next.js. Although there are differences between them, their main goal is similar: to allow next-generation web applications to remain blazing-fast. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • External content for GatsbyJS
    If you enjoy React and want a standard-compliant and high performance web, you should look at GatsbyJS. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Replatforming from Gatsby to Zola!
    Since around 2019 I have used Gatsby as my static site generator. Its plugin system makes it super feature extensible. It uses React under the hood which makes components easy to write and has tons of community support. Once I had a Gatsby site styled and running, publishing blog posts is fairly trivial:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Build a Documentation Website with Gatsby in 10 Mins
    Smooth DOC is a ready-to-use Gatsby theme to create a documentation website. Creating a pro-quality website like this one takes weeks. Smooth DOC saves you time and lets you focus on the content. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Where to begin?
    I'd start with learning HTML and CSS first, then Javascript after those. There are a lot of free online resources for learning those. For websites, I use jekyll which is a great way to start off because there are a lot of community website templates that you can customize, which is great for beginners and learning. Then I'd recommend learning/moving to React. The Gatsby website generator would be good for React... Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Harp mentions (1)

  • Is there a technology for reusing HTML components?
    Sounds like what you want is a static site generator. I've used Harp for a long time but I'm not sure it's really maintained these days, so you might also look at 11ty. Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GatsbyJS and Harp, you can also consider the following products

Jekyll - Jekyll is a simple, blog aware, static site generator.

Metalsmith - An extremely simple, pluggable static site generator.

Hugo - Hugo is a general-purpose website framework for generating static web pages.

GitHub Pages - A free, static web host for open-source projects on GitHub

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

AngularJS - AngularJS lets you extend HTML vocabulary for your application. The resulting environment is extraordinarily expressive, readable, and quick to develop.