Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Simply Static VS GatsbyJS

Compare Simply Static VS GatsbyJS and see what are their differences

Simply Static logo Simply Static

Never worry about WordPress hacks again.

GatsbyJS logo GatsbyJS

Blazing-fast static site generator for React
  • Simply Static Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-02
  • GatsbyJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

Simply Static features and specs

  • Security
    Since Simply Static generates static HTML files, there are significantly fewer vulnerabilities compared to dynamic websites that rely on databases and server-side scripts.
  • Performance
    Static sites load faster because they serve pre-generated HTML files directly from the server, minimizing processing time and server load.
  • Cost-Effective
    With fewer server-side resources required, hosting static sites tends to be more affordable compared to dynamic sites.
  • Scalability
    Static sites can easily handle high traffic volumes since they don’t require database queries or dynamic content generation for each request.
  • Simplified Backup
    Backing up a static site is straightforward as it involves simply copying the HTML, CSS, and asset files.

Possible disadvantages of Simply Static

  • Lack of Dynamic Content
    Static sites cannot change or load new content dynamically without regenerating the static files, which can limit functionality for interactive elements.
  • Time-Consuming Updates
    Updating content can be cumbersome, requiring a full regeneration of the site to reflect content changes.
  • Limited Plugin Support
    Many WordPress plugins, particularly those relying on backend processing, are not compatible with static site setups.
  • SEO Management Challenges
    Static sites might need extra effort to manage SEO elements dynamically, especially for large websites with frequent content changes.
  • Complex Integration
    Integrating third-party services or APIs might require additional setups or modifications since traditional methods expecting server-side processing may not work.

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.

Simply Static videos

Simply Static Vs WP2Static - Creating Static Sites with Wordpress

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Convert a WordPress site into Static HTML using Simply Static WordPress Plugin

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!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Simply Static and GatsbyJS)
CMS
15 15%
85% 85
Blogging
15 15%
85% 85
Blogging Platform
18 18%
82% 82
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Simply Static Reviews

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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,...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GatsbyJS seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 16 times since March 2021. 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.

Simply Static mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Simply Static yet. Tracking of Simply Static recommendations started around Mar 2021.

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 / 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
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What are some alternatives?

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

WP2Static - Static site generator for WordPress

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

Staatic - Staatic is a platform to create an extremely fast and highly secure static version of your WordPress site without effort.

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

Pelican - A static site generator, written in Python, that requires no database or server-side logic

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.