Astro
Static Site Generator
Eleventy
Static Site GeneratorAstro vs Eleventy (2026): Which Is Better?
Astro and Eleventy are both popular choices, but they serve different needs. Astro is a Static Site Generator with a traditional, manual approach to building, while Eleventy is a Static Site Generator that prioritises developer or designer control.
Below you'll find a side-by-side breakdown of detection signals, AI scores, and technical fingerprints — plus our honest take on which builder wins for different use cases.
How we detect Astro vs Eleventy — see our methodology: AI Influence Score calculation, evidence tiers, and fingerprint signal types.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Static Site Generator | Static Site Generator |
| AI Score | 35/100 — No-Code / Visual Builder | 35/100 — No-Code / Visual Builder |
| Detection Signals | 7 patterns | 1 patterns |
| Script Detection | 2 patterns | — |
| CDN Detection | — | — |
| Header Detection | 1 headers | — |
| Sites Detected | 2,956 scans | No data yet |
| Best For | Professional websitesTry Astro → | Professional websitesTry Eleventy → |
| Official Website | Visit | Visit |
Example Websites
Astro
Static Site Generator
Astro is a static site generator with an AI Score of 35/100 (No-Code / Visual Builder). Our detection engine uses 7 signal patterns to identify Astro-built sites.
Eleventy
Static Site Generator
Eleventy is a static site generator with an AI Score of 35/100 (No-Code / Visual Builder). Our detection engine uses 1 signal patterns to identify Eleventy-built sites.
Platform Overviews
Astro
Astro is a modern static site generator and web framework designed for content-focused websites, widely adopted by developers building blogs, documentation platforms, marketing sites, and portfolios who prioritize performance through minimal JavaScript delivery. AIWebsiteDetector.com identifies Astro-powered sites using a combination of 2 distinct script patterns, 3 HTML patterns, and 1 HTTP header signal — a precise fingerprint that reflects how Astro renders its component island architecture into the DOM. The HTML patterns typically surface in the markup structure and custom attributes Astro injects during its build process, while the script patterns correspond to Astro's client-side hydration modules that accompany interactive components on the page. The HTTP header signal further corroborates detection, often appearing in server or CDN response metadata associated with Astro's deployment targets such as Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages. Astro is open-source and free to use, with hosting costs determined entirely by the chosen deployment platform, making it a common choice across a wide spectrum of project scales — from personal sites to enterprise documentation. This multi-signal detection approach gives AIWebsiteDetector.com high confidence when classifying Astro sites, as the combination of build-output HTML markers and runtime script patterns is difficult to mask without fundamentally altering Astro's default output behavior.
Eleventy
Eleventy (also styled as 11ty) is a flexible, JavaScript-based static site generator favored by developers, technical bloggers, and performance-focused teams who want full control over their output without the overhead of a heavyweight framework. Unlike opinionated generators, Eleventy imposes minimal structure, making it a popular choice for personal sites, documentation portals, and design systems where clean, fast HTML is the priority. AIWebsiteDetector.com identifies Eleventy-powered sites through meta tag pattern analysis — specifically, the generator meta tag embedded in the document head, which Eleventy injects by default and serves as the primary fingerprint our detection engine relies on. With 1 confirmed meta tag pattern in our detection database, the engine achieves reliable identification even when developers have customized themes or stripped other build artifacts. Eleventy sites are typically self-hosted or deployed via JAMstack platforms such as Netlify, Vercel, or GitHub Pages, and because the framework produces purely static output with no mandatory client-side runtime, the generator meta tag often remains the sole detectable signal — making it a uniquely minimalist target for automated detection compared to more footprint-heavy builders.
Key Differences
- Both Astro and Eleventy are classified as Static Site Generator tools, making them the most direct competitors in this comparison.
- Astro scores higher on AI involvement (35/100 vs 35/100 for Eleventy), meaning it relies more heavily on AI for site generation and content creation.
- Our detection engine identifies Astro using 7 fingerprint patterns and Eleventy using 1 pattern — more signals generally means more reliable detection.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Astro if…
- You prefer a static site generator solution
- You want more manual control over the final output
- Astro's detection fingerprint of 7 signals means your site is reliably identifiable
Choose Eleventy if…
- You need a static site generator approach
- You prefer traditional building tools with predictable output
- Eleventy's ecosystem and community better match your team's existing workflow
Our Pick — Based on 2,956+ detections
Astro
The most frequently detected static site generator in our scan database.
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