Eleventy vs Hexo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Eleventy
Simpler static site generator for fast websites
VS
Hexo
Fast and simple blog framework powered by Node.js
| Feature | Eleventy | Hexo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,929 | ★ 41,774 |
| First released | 2018 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Eleventy and Hexo?
Eleventy
Eleventy is a flexible open-source static site generator written in JavaScript that works with many templating languages. It is popular for blogs and documentation due to its simplicity and speed.
- Supports many template languages
- Fast incremental builds
- Zero client-side JavaScript by default
- Flexible data cascade
Hexo
Hexo is an open-source static blog framework built with Node.js that turns Markdown into a fast static site. It is widely used by developers for personal blogs with a rich plugin ecosystem.
- Fast Markdown-based builds
- Large plugin and theme ecosystem
- One-command deployment
- Highly extensible
Eleventy vs Hexo: key differences
Eleventy is written in JavaScript, while Hexo is built with TypeScript. Hexo is the more established project (first released 2012), while Eleventy arrived in 2018. Hexo has the considerably larger community, at 41,774 GitHub stars versus 19,929.
Why pick each one
Choose Eleventy if…
- Very flexible templating
- Lean output
Watch out for
- No built-in admin
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Hexo if…
- Popular with developers
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Node toolchain required
Frequently asked questions
Is Eleventy or Hexo better?
Neither is universally better. Hexo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Eleventy and Hexo free and open-source?
Yes. Eleventy is licensed under MIT and Hexo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Eleventy and Hexo with Docker?
Eleventy: check the project docs for container support. Hexo: check the project docs for container support.