Eleventy is a free static site generator that compiles templates into HTML. It starts without configuration, while allowing more flexible configuration as a project develops. Content can come from Markdown, and templates can use formats including HTML, JavaScript, Liquid, Nunjucks, TypeScript, JSX, MDX, and Sass. Eleventy does not require a JavaScript framework and produces zero client-side JavaScript by default. It can work with an existing directory structure, so teams can convert selected templates rather than changing everything at once. The product supports a local preview server, CMS integrations, and multilingual content. Eleventy requires JavaScript and recommends Node.js version 18 or newer. Its documentation provides setup commands for macOS, Linux, Windows, npm, pnpm, and Yarn. The project says it is probably not right for single-page applications, given its default approach and full-page navigation. Eleventy is available for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use under an MIT license.
Who it is for
Eleventy suits developers building static sites with templates and who want to use an existing directory structure. Its documented defaults may not suit projects that need a single-page application.
What is good
- Starts with zero configuration
- Supports many template languages
- Includes a local preview server
- Produces zero client-side JavaScript by default
What to know first
- Requires JavaScript
- Recommends Node.js version 18 or newer
- Documentation says it is probably unsuitable for single-page applications
Verdict
Eleventy offers a flexible template-based approach to generating static HTML, with multilingual support and CMS integrations. Consider its JavaScript runtime requirement and its stated limits for single-page applications before choosing it.
Eleventy plans and pricing
All plansCompared on static site generators
- Free plan
- Yes
- Content sources
- markdown
- CMS integration
- Yes
- Multilingual support
- Yes
- Local preview server
- Yes
- Supported languages
- HTML, Markdown, WebC, JavaScript, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, Mustache, EJS, Haml, Pug, TypeScript, JSX, MDX, Sass



