Comparison

Eleventy vs Zola

On the evidence we track, Eleventy leads this comparison with a composite score of 60/100. 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.
★Eleventy60
Zola54
Score
vioscaleAI score
Eleventy60 / 100high · 77%
Zola54 / 100medium · 54%
Pricing
Free tier
Eleventy✓
Zola✓
Model
Eleventyopen_source
Zolafree
Price level
Eleventyfree
Zolafree
Transparent
Eleventy✓
Zola✓
Integrations
Count
Eleventy11
Zola1
Adoption
Dependent repos
Eleventy0
Zola0
Github stars
Eleventy19,963
Zola17,513
Package downloads weekly
Eleventy212,310
Zola–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Eleventy48
Zola48
Release
Cadence days
Eleventy2
Zola22
History
Eleventy20 items
License
Spdx
EleventyMIT
Language
Primary
EleventyJavaScript
ZolaRust
Market
Availability
Zola–
Content
Faq
Eleventy6 items

Capabilities

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

Capabilities
Runtime
EleventyNode
ZolaRust
Build model
EleventyFully static
ZolaFully static
Incremental builds
Eleventy✓
Zola-
Islands partial hydration
Eleventy-
Zola-
I18n
Eleventy✗
Zola✓
Image optimization
Eleventy-
Zola✓
Docs specialised
Eleventy-
Zola-
Plugin ecosystem size
Eleventy-
Zola-
Zero js by default
Eleventy✓
Zola-
Mdx component embeds
Eleventy-
Zola✓
Single binary no deps
Eleventy-
Zola✓

What each one is

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

Eleventy

Leader

A JavaScript-based command-line tool that transforms various template formats into static HTML output, offering a flexible alternative to traditional site generators.

Independently observed

Zola

Zola is a static site generator that compiles into a single self-contained executable with no external runtime dependencies. It provides native features for template component embedding, image optimization, multi-language sites, and automatic generation of page navigation aids.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Eleventy

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

Zola

FreeFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
macOS
Eleventy✓
Zola✗
Windows
Eleventy✓
Zola✗
CLI
Eleventy✓
Zola✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Eleventy✗
Zola✓
Self-hosted
Eleventy✓
Zola✓

Integrations

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

Eleventy

Leader
11 total
  • HTML
  • Markdown
  • JavaScript
  • Liquid
  • Nunjucks
  • WebC
  • Sass
  • Vue
  • Svelte
  • TypeScript
  • JSX
Independently observed

Zola

1 total
  • Cloudflare Pages
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Eleventy or Zola: 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.