Pelican vs Eleventy

Eleventy and Pelican are both static site generators used for creating websites. Eleventy is known for its flexibility and simplicity, while Pelican is praised for its speed and ease of use.

General information

Pelican
Eleventy
Introduction :
Pelican is a static site generator that is open source and was first released in 2010. It is popular for its simplicity, speed, and flexibility, making it a preferred choice for developers who want to create fast and secure websites. Pelican allows users to write content in Markdown or reStructuredText and offers a range of plugins and themes for customization.
Introduction :
Eleventy is a modern static site generator that is gaining popularity for its simplicity and flexibility. Launched in 2018, Eleventy is open source and allows users to build websites using various templating languages. It is known for its fast build times and ease of use, making it a popular choice for developers looking for a lightweight and customizable platform for their projects.
Advantages :
  • Easy to use and beginner-friendly interface
  • Fast loading times for websites
  • Strong security features to protect content
  • Customizable themes and plugins for flexibility
  • Good for small to medium-sized websites
Advantages :
  • Simple setup and configuration process
  • Fast performance and build times
  • Flexible and customizable templating system
  • Built-in support for various template languages
  • Strong community support and active development
Disadvantages :
  • Limited customization options
  • Steeper learning curve compared to others
  • Lack of built-in SEO features
  • Limited plugin and theme options
  • Less user-friendly interface compared to competitors
Disadvantages :
  • Limited built-in features compared to others
  • Steeper learning curve for beginners
  • Smaller community for support and resources
  • Less flexibility for customization and design
  • Limited third-party integrations and plugins
Website users : Thousands
Pelican is used by thousands of websites, making it a popular choice among content management systems for website creation and management.
Website users : Thousands
Eleventy is used by thousands of websites as a flexible and simple static site generator, popular among developers for its ease of use.
๐ŸŸก Difficulty : Average.
Getting started with Pelican requires some technical knowledge and familiarity with static site generators, but resources are available for support.
๐ŸŸก Difficulty : Average.
Getting started with Eleventy requires basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Some learning curve involved for beginners.
Year launched : 2002
Pelican was launched in 2002, making it one of the earlier content management systems available for users to create and manage websites.
Year launched : 2013
Eleventy was launched in 2013, positioning it as a relatively newer option compared to more established content management systems.
Official website : https://www.pelicanweb.org/
Official website : https://www.11ty.dev/


Commercial details

Pelican
Eleventy
๐ŸŸก Open source : Partially.
Pelican is partially open source, with the core codebase being fully open source, but some plugins and themes may have different licenses.
๐ŸŸก Open source : Partially.
Eleventy is partially open source, with the core functionality being open but some features requiring a paid license for full access.
๐ŸŸข Free option : Yes.
Pelican offers a free self-hosted option with no limitations on features, making it a cost-effective choice for users looking to manage their own content.
๐ŸŸข Free option : Yes.
Eleventy is a free and open-source static site generator, making it a cost-effective option for users looking to build websites without ongoing fees.
๐ŸŸข Paid option : Yes.
Pelican offers a paid option for users looking for additional features and support, providing a more comprehensive experience for those willing to invest.
๐ŸŸข Paid option : Yes.
Eleventy offers a paid option for users looking for additional features, support, or hosted solutions, providing more flexibility and customization.


Platform details

Pelican
Eleventy
๐ŸŸข Hosted : Yes.
Pelican offers a hosted option for users looking for a convenient and managed solution for their website hosting needs.
โšช Hosted : Unknown.
Eleventy does not offer a clear hosted option, but users may find third-party vendors providing hosting services for the platform.
๐ŸŸข Self host : Yes.
Pelican can be self-hosted on various 3rd party vendors, giving users more control over their hosting environment.
๐ŸŸข Self host : Yes.
Eleventy can be self-hosted on various platforms, offering flexibility and control over hosting options for users.
๐ŸŸก Headless CMS : Supported via plugin.
Pelican does not natively support headless features but can be integrated with plugins or APIs for headless functionality.
๐ŸŸก Headless CMS : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy does not natively support headless systems but can be used with plugins or APIs to enable headless features.
๐ŸŸข Static content generation : Support natively.
Pelican natively supports static content generation, making it efficient and reliable for creating static websites without the need for additional plugins.
๐ŸŸข Static content generation : Support natively.
Eleventy natively supports static content generation, making it efficient and easy to use for creating static websites.


Key features

Pelican
Eleventy
๐ŸŸข Content management : Support natively.
Pelican is a good platform for managing content as it offers native features specifically designed for content management tasks.
๐ŸŸก Content management : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy offers some content management capabilities through plugins, but may require additional setup compared to platforms with native content management features.
๐ŸŸก Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Pelican can be enhanced by third-party plugins for blogging functionality, offering flexibility and customization options for bloggers.
๐ŸŸก Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy is a versatile static site generator suitable for blogging, but lacks some native features commonly found in dedicated blogging platforms.
๐ŸŸก E-commerce : Supported via plugin.
Pelican can be used for e-commerce with plugins like Pelican-Commerce, but it may require additional setup compared to dedicated e-commerce platforms.
๐Ÿ”ด E-commerce : Not supported.
Eleventy is not specifically designed for e-commerce, lacking native features for online stores. However, it can be enhanced with third-party plugins/extensions.
๐ŸŸก Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Pelican can support a community/forum with plugins like Disqus, but lacks native features for robust community engagement compared to other platforms.
๐ŸŸก Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy does not natively support community/forum features but can be enhanced by integrating third-party plugins/extensions for this functionality.
๐ŸŸก Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Pelican does not natively support content subscriptions/paywalls but can be enhanced with third-party plugins for this functionality.
๐ŸŸก Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy does not natively support content subscriptions/paywalls but can be enhanced by third-party plugins for this functionality.


Other features

Pelican
Eleventy
๐ŸŸก Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Support for multi-site in Pelican is typically achieved through third-party plugins, offering enhanced functionality for managing multiple sites within the platform.
๐ŸŸก Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy does not support multi-site natively but can be achieved through third-party plugins or configurations for managing multiple sites.
๐ŸŸก Multi-language : Supported via plugin.
Pelican does not natively support multi-language but can be enhanced with plugins like Pelican-i18n for multi-language functionality.
๐ŸŸก Multi-language : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy does not natively support multi-language but can be enhanced with popular plugins/extensions for multi-language functionality.
๐ŸŸก XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
Support for XML sitemaps can be enhanced by popular third-party plugins/extensions in the Pelican ecosystem.
๐ŸŸก XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
Eleventy does not natively support XML sitemaps but can be enhanced by third-party plugins like eleventy-plugin-sitemap for this functionality.


Ultimately, the choice between Eleventy and Pelican depends on the specific needs of the user. If you value flexibility and customization, Eleventy may be the better option. On the other hand, if speed and simplicity are your top priorities, Pelican could be the right choice for you.