Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

WordPress VS Jekyll

Compare WordPress VS Jekyll and see what are their differences

Limey
Limey: Connect smarter with QR codes, links, sites, and digital business cards in one place. featured
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

WordPress logo WordPress

WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Jekyll logo Jekyll

Jekyll is a simple, blog aware, static site generator.
  • WordPress Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-09
  • Jekyll Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-17

WordPress features and specs

  • User-Friendly
    WordPress is very intuitive and easy to use, which makes it accessible to users with minimal technical expertise.
  • Customization
    It offers a vast array of themes and plugins, allowing users to customize their websites extensively without any coding knowledge.
  • SEO-Friendly
    WordPress has numerous SEO features and plugins that can help websites rank higher in search engine results pages.
  • Community Support
    There is a large and active WordPress community that provides extensive documentation, forums, and third-party resources.
  • Scalability
    WordPress can grow with your business, as it supports both small blogs and large corporate websites.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source platform, WordPress is free to use, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.
  • Large Ecosystem
    WordPress offers one of the largest ecosystems of developers, themes, and plugins, providing a lot of options for site building.

Possible disadvantages of WordPress

  • Security Vulnerabilities
    WordPress is a popular target for hackers, which makes it susceptible to security issues if not properly maintained.
  • Maintenance
    Regular updates to the core software, themes, and plugins are necessary to keep the site secure and functioning correctly.
  • Performance
    Websites with many plugins or poorly optimized themes can suffer from slow loading times, impacting user experience.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic use is straightforward, leveraging WordPress's full capabilities can require more advanced knowledge and learning.
  • Potential for Plugin Conflicts
    Installing multiple plugins from different developers can sometimes cause conflicts, leading to site instability or performance problems.
  • Customization Complexity
    Extensive customization may require coding knowledge in languages like PHP, HTML, and CSS, which can be a barrier for beginners.
  • Hosting Dependency
    Users need to purchase their own hosting services and manage that aspect, which may be complicated for non-technical users.

Jekyll features and specs

  • Speed and Performance
    Jekyll generates static websites, which means they load faster compared to dynamic websites. No database queries are required, reducing server overhead and improving performance.
  • Security
    Static sites have a smaller attack surface compared to dynamic sites because they don't rely on databases or server-side code. This means fewer vectors for potential compromises.
  • Simplicity
    Jekyll setups are relatively straightforward, especially if you are comfortable writing in Markdown and HTML. This can make it easier to manage and maintain your website.
  • Integration with GitHub Pages
    Jekyll is designed to work seamlessly with GitHub Pages, allowing you to host your website for free with automatic deployment directly from your GitHub repository.
  • Customizability
    Jekyll allows for extensive customization through its support for plugins, themes, and templates. This can be helpful to create a unique look and functionality for your website.

Possible disadvantages of Jekyll

  • Learning Curve
    While Jekyll is simpler than some other static site generators, it does require some familiarity with the command line, version control (Git), and YAML configuration.
  • Build Time
    For large websites, the build times can become lengthy, which can slow down the development process, especially if you are making frequent updates.
  • Lack of Real-time Content Updates
    Since Jekyll generates static sites, real-time content updates (e.g., comments, dynamic forms) aren't natively supported and require third-party services or additional tooling.
  • Dependence on Ruby
    Jekyll is built with Ruby, so you will need to have Ruby installed and occasionally deal with Ruby-specific issues. This might be a drawback for developers who are not familiar with the Ruby ecosystem.
  • Limited Built-in Functionality
    While Jekyll is very flexible, it doesn’t have built-in support for many features out of the box, which might require you to manually implement or rely on plugins.

Analysis of Jekyll

Overall verdict

  • Jekyll is a good choice for individuals and organizations looking for a straightforward, reliable, and efficient way to build static websites. Its strengths include simplicity, flexibility, and strong community support, which contribute to a smooth development experience.

Why this product is good

  • Jekyll is a popular static site generator that is widely appreciated for its simplicity, speed, and ease of use. It is particularly suited for creating blogs and simple websites, leveraging Markdown and Liquid templates to generate static HTML content. Its integration with GitHub Pages also makes it a convenient choice for developers and non-developers alike who want to host their sites directly from their GitHub repositories without additional setup or cost.

Recommended for

  • Bloggers and content creators looking for a simple way to publish content online.
  • Developers who prefer writing in Markdown and managing content with a version control system.
  • Users who want to host their sites for free using GitHub Pages.
  • Anyone in need of a static site generator that is easy to set up, customize, and maintain with minimal resources.

WordPress videos

+ Add

Users, beware.. avoid WordPress!* | WordPress Review

More videos:

  • Review - Wix vs Wordpress: Which platform is best in 2019?
  • Review - Wordpress.com Review: Good For Users Familiar with Wordpress

Jekyll videos

+ Add

Getting Started With Jekyll, The Static Site Generator

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WordPress and Jekyll)

WordPress

Jekyll

CMS
84 84%
CMS
16% 16
Website Builder
100 100%
Website Builder
0% 0
Blogging
73 73%
Blogging
27% 27
Static Site Generators
0 0%
Static Site Generators
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using WordPress and Jekyll. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

WordPress Reviews

  1. pat0rick
    Old legend

    There are many new platforms for creating websites nowadays. But I still use WP and it works well. A lot of plugins and templates. Easy to find a developer to customise theme. No monthly fees. So, I like it.

WordPress vs. Proprietary Site Builders: What to Know Before Starting a Website Development Project
WordPress: WordPress.org (not to be confused with WordPress.com) is an open-source content management system (CMS). When you build a website on WordPress, you own the code, the design, and the data. This means you can fully customize your site, transfer it to any hosting provider, and have complete control over all aspects of the website. The site can be hosted on any...
Source: blog.radwebhosting.com
Comparing 9 WordPress alternatives & competitors in 2024
WordPress is a popular website-building platform, but if you’re looking for different features and security, check out these nine WordPress alternatives.
Source: webflow.com
19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
While WordPress is undeniably popular, it might not be the perfect fit for everyone. Here are the key differences between WordPress.com (hosted platform) and WordPress.org (self-hosted software) to help you understand more about WordPress and why you should look for an alternative website builder:
Source: www.pixpa.com
The 17 Best Wix Alternatives (2024) Who Else Can You Build Your Website With?
WordPress is the undisputed king of CMS or Content Management Systems. From blogs to online stores, there isn’t much you can’t do with this powerful website building solution. Keep in mind that WordPress comes in two versions: WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
Source: www.tooltester.com
Top 10 Web Content Management Systems
There is no doubt that when the conversation shifts to talking about the best CMS options WordPress is always going to be first. According to WordPress itself, nearly 35% of the entire web manages its content via its service, and that’s why it’s number 1 here. WordPress is open-source, which also makes it one of the best free CMS options as well. With a massive legion of...
Source: cloudzy.com

Jekyll Reviews

Best Gitbook Alternatives You Need to Try in 2023
Jekyll is a static site generator often used to create blogs and websites, similar to Gitbook in its ability to generate documentation from markdown files. Jekyll is built in Ruby and is known for its flexibility and ease of use. It also has a large community and a wide variety of plugins and themes available. Jekyll's main advantage is that it is highly customizable,...
Source: www.archbee.com
11 Popular Free And Open Source WordPress CMS alternatives in 2021
Unlike some listed alternatives, Jekyll is also a static site generator so it lays in the same category. It uses Ruby and we would say it's simpler, free, and open-source CMS software.
Source: medevel.com
10 static site generators to watch in 2021
Perhaps most conveniently described as Jekyll implemented with JavaScript rather than Ruby, Eleventy has now moved beyond that while retaining a clear and simple on-ramp, and only shipping to the browser what you tell it too. As with Jekyll and Hugo, no JavaScript frameworks are auto-baked in.
Source: www.netlify.com
Hugo vs Jekyll: an Epic Battle of Static Site Generator Themes
Jekyll isn’t strict with its content location. It expects pages in the root of your site, and will build whatever’s there. Here’s how you might organize these pages in your Jekyll site root:
Source: www.freecodecamp.org
9 Reasons I Think Craft is the Best CMS on the Market Today
Craft CMS is simple, minimalistic, agile and has every capability a modern CMS framework needs. Over the past ten years we have worked with every CMS you could think of (Wordpress, Drupal, Rails+ActiveAdmin, Ghost, Weebly, DjangoCMS, Jekyll, Joomla, Tumblr, Squarespace, Expression Engine, Statamic, Blogger)… here are the reasons why we’ve landed firmly with Craft as our №1...
Source: hackernoon.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WordPress should be more popular than Jekyll. It has been mentiond 782 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.

WordPress mentions (782)

  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers
    Open source software is built on the democratic idea that everyone should be able to inspect and contribute to the source code. Major projects like Linux, WordPress, and the Apache HTTP Server have shown how collaborative efforts can produce robust, scalable solutions. Indie hackers, often working with limited budgets, gain access to highly dependable tools such as Python and MySQL, which were originally developed... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    Another case involves a duo launching an eco-friendly e-commerce website. Using WordPress paired with WooCommerce, they built a fully featured site with a sustainable operational model. Enhanced analytics from Matomo brought data-driven insights and growth strategies to life. This project highlights the benefits of cost-effective, community-driven solutions in the competitive e-commerce landscape. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers – Unleashing Creativity and Collaboration
    Open source software, defined by its openly accessible source code, has democratized software development like never before. Platforms and projects such as Linux Foundation supported Linux, WordPress, and the Apache HTTP Server have paved the way for innovation rooted in transparency and collaboration. Indie hackers, known for doing more with less, have found a goldmine in these community-supported projects. Not... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    Platforms like WordPress combined with WooCommerce allow for seamless website and e-commerce management. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Indie Hacking Success Stories with Open Source Licenses
    WordPress: The powerhouse behind over 40% of the web, WordPress’s success is deeply intertwined with the open source ethos. Licensed under GPL, WordPress has fostered a rich ecosystem filled with plugins and themes. This robust community engagement, underpinned by open source principles, underlines the importance of continuous user feedback and development. For developers looking to monetize their projects,... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

Jekyll mentions (195)

  • Building PicoSSG: 'Just Enough Code'
    The static site generator (SSG) landscape is crowded with feature-rich but increasingly complex solutions. As I looked at and used tools like lume, 11ty, lektor, or jekyll, I found myself drowning in configuration options, plugins, and middleware. What started as a simple desire to convert Markdown content into HTML had evolved into learning complex frameworks with steep learning curves. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • How to create a blog with Quartz, GitHub, and Cloudflare
    If you don't want to use Jekyll as your static site generator for GitHub Pages and you want to have a custom domain for your GitHub Pages. This post is for you! - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Blogging with Obsidian and Jekyll
    Jekyll is a static site generator that transforms Markdown files into a fully functional website. Everything is generated into plain HTML, which makes it simple to deploy on platforms like GitHub Pages. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Create a Blogging Platform With No Backend (Zero Hosting Fee)
    Obviously, there are a dozen choices for generating static websites (efficiently and quickly), from the classic Jekyll to the new Next.js. And you are good to go with any of them as long as your confident with it. I choose 11ty because:. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • It's easy to dev blog
    In your repository settings you need to turn on GitHub Pages to make it pull Jekyll content (that's the magic✨ default GitHub Pages build tool) from your GitHub repository. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WordPress and Jekyll, you can also consider the following products

WiX - Create a free website with Wix.com. Customize with Wix' website builder, no coding skills needed. Choose a design, begin customizing and be online today

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

SquareSpace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included.

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.

WordPress.com - Create a free website or build a blog with ease on WordPress.com. Dozens of free, customizable, mobile-ready designs and themes. Free hosting and support.

GatsbyJS - Blazing-fast static site generator for React

Loading...