Comparison

Astro vs Pelican

On the evidence we track, Astro leads this comparison with a composite score of 72/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Astro72
Pelican48
Score
vioscaleAI score
Astro72 / 100medium · 57%
Pelican48 / 100low · 42%
Pricing
Free tier
Astro✓
Pelican✓
Model
Price level
Astrofree
Pelicanfree
Integrations
Count
Astro18
Pelican–
Adoption
Dependent repos
Astro18,705
Pelican3,322
Github stars
Astro63,201
Pelican13,354
Package downloads weekly
Pelican–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Astro100
Pelican12
Release
Cadence days
Astro–
Pelican60
History
Pelican20 items
License
Spdx
AstroMIT
PelicanAGPL-3.0
Language
Primary
PelicanPython
Content
Faq
Astro7 items
Pelican5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for static site generators. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Runtime
AstroNode
PelicanPython
Build model
AstroStatic with islands
PelicanFully static
Incremental builds
Astro✓
Pelican✓
Islands partial hydration
Astro✓
Pelican-
I18n
Astro-
Pelican-
Image optimization
Astro✓
Pelican-
Docs specialised
Astro✓
Pelican-
Plugin ecosystem size
AstroLarge
Pelican-
Zero js by default
Astro✓
Pelican-
Mdx component embeds
Astro✓
Pelican-
Single binary no deps
Astro-
Pelican-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Astro

Leader

Astro is a web framework that prioritizes performance through server-side rendering and sends minimal JavaScript to browsers. It features an island architecture for selective interactivity, supports all major UI frameworks, and produces zero unnecessary JavaScript by default.

Independently observed

Pelican

A static site generator built with Python that converts text files in Markdown, reStructuredText, and HTML formats into complete websites, featuring fast rebuild times through content caching and plugin extensibility.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Astro

Leader
Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Pelican

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Astro✓
Pelican✗
CLI
Astro✗
Pelican✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Astro✓
Pelican✓
Self-hosted
Astro✗
Pelican✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Astro

Leader
21 total
  • React
  • Vue
  • Svelte
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Vercel
  • Cloudflare Workers
  • Node.js
  • Prism
  • MDX
  • Sitemap
  • Starlight
  • Sentry
  • UnoCSS
  • Expressive Code
  • astro-icon
  • astro-seo
  • Fathom Analytics
  • Feedback Fish
  • Cloudflare
  • Sonda
  • Solid
Independently observed

Pelican

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

Astro or Pelican: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.