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WP2Static VS Jekyll

Compare WP2Static VS Jekyll and see what are their differences

WP2Static logo WP2Static

Static site generator for WordPress

Jekyll logo Jekyll

Jekyll is a simple, blog aware, static site generator.
  • WP2Static Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-23
  • Jekyll Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-17

WP2Static features and specs

  • Performance
    By converting a dynamic WordPress site into a static one, WP2Static eliminates the need to query the database or execute PHP code, resulting in faster page load times.
  • Security
    Static sites have a reduced attack surface as they do not rely on server-side code execution. This significantly decreases the risk of vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and other attacks common to dynamic sites.
  • Scalability
    Static sites can handle a large volume of traffic without additional infrastructure because they serve pre-rendered files, greatly reducing the demand on the server.
  • Cost Reduction
    Without the need for a high-performance server or a database, hosting static sites can be much cheaper compared to dynamic sites.
  • Ease of Deployment
    Static files can be easily deployed to any web hosting platform, CDN, or file storage service, making it flexible in terms of hosting options.

Possible disadvantages of WP2Static

  • Limited Interactivity
    Static sites lack dynamic features such as user authentication and content management, which are inherent to WordPress by default.
  • Complex Updates
    Updating content on a static site requires regenerating and redeploying the static files, which is less straightforward compared to updating a dynamic WordPress site.
  • Plugin Compatibility
    Some WordPress plugins rely on dynamic content generation or server-side execution, which may not work as expected with static site generators.
  • Learning Curve
    Users may need to adapt to a different workflow for deploying updates and managing their site, especially if they are accustomed to a traditional WordPress setup.
  • SEO Concerns
    Certain SEO features, like dynamic XML sitemaps or real-time meta tags updates, require special handling or additional tools to implement in static sites.

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.

WP2Static videos

Simply Static Vs WP2Static - Creating Static Sites with Wordpress

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to create a Static version of your Wordpress Website (DEPRECATED) PLEASE USE wp2static

Jekyll videos

Getting Started With Jekyll, The Static Site Generator

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WP2Static and Jekyll)
Blogging
7 7%
93% 93
CMS
6 6%
94% 94
Blogging Platform
9 9%
91% 91
Static Site Generators

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare WP2Static and Jekyll

WP2Static Reviews

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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:
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, Jekyll seems to be a lot more popular than WP2Static. While we know about 195 links to Jekyll, we've tracked only 12 mentions of WP2Static. 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.

WP2Static mentions (12)

  • WordPress plugin hole puts '2M websites' at risk
    > It is not actually that hard to run Wordpress securely. Stick to supported plugins and themes, and install security patches quickly when they are released. Depending on your site's functionality, it may also be possible to run a static WP site: * https://wordpress.org/plugins/simply-static/ * https://wp2static.com You do all your regular updates via the CMS, but, instead of putting the dynamic site on the... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Wordpress.org website creation and hosting
    The closest "free" option I can think of is Oracle Cloud, but /r/oraclecloud shows plenty of horror stories in registration and maintaining an instance. If you don't actually need interactive features, WP2Static on your local instance to be deployed to Cloudflare Pages might work. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Wp-SQLite: WordPress running on an SQLite database
    > Most WP sites should be static sites. https://wordpress.org/plugins/simply-static/ https://wp2static.com. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • WordPress sites getting hacked ‘within seconds’ of TLS certificates being issued
    Depending on the site, ask yourself "How dynamic does it actually have to be?". Perhaps using the GUI to update the content, and then creating static files and serving those may be an option: * https://wp2static.com. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Building a blog from scratch in 2022 using Hugo, Docker and a bit of Python
    What is wrong with using Wordpress? I believe now one can get Wordpress to have 'static site' capabilities these days [0] [0] https://wp2static.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
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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 / 22 days 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 WP2Static and Jekyll, you can also consider the following products

Simply Static - Never worry about WordPress hacks again.

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

GatsbyJS - Blazing-fast static site generator for React

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.

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

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.