Astro vs Gatsby for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Astro Overview

Astro is the content-focused framework that ships zero JavaScript by default. You write components, Astro renders them to static HTML. Need interactivity? Use "islands" to hydrate specific components while the rest stays static. The result is blazing-fast sites that score perfect Lighthouse scores without any effort.

I use Astro for my blog and content sites, and it's genuinely the best tool for this job. MDX support is built in. You can use React, Vue, Svelte, or Preact components within the same project. The content collections API gives you type-safe content with validation. Build times are fast, and the output is clean static HTML.

Astro also handles dynamic routes, API endpoints, and SSR if you need it. But its sweet spot is content-heavy sites where performance matters and interactivity is secondary. If that describes your project, Astro is hard to beat.

Gatsby Overview

Gatsby was once the king of static site generation in the React ecosystem. It pioneered the concept of pulling data from any source through its GraphQL data layer, processing images automatically, and generating static pages at build time. The plugin ecosystem was massive.

In 2026, Gatsby is in a tough spot. The company behind it struggled financially, development slowed dramatically, and the community has largely moved to Next.js or Astro. The GraphQL data layer that was once innovative now feels like unnecessary complexity for most projects. You don't want to write GraphQL queries just to read a markdown file.

Gatsby still works. If you have an existing Gatsby site, it's not broken. But starting a new project with Gatsby in 2026 is hard to justify when better alternatives exist. The plugin ecosystem, while large, has many abandoned or outdated packages. Build times for larger sites remain a pain point that was never fully resolved.

Key Differences

JavaScript shipped to the browser. Astro ships zero JS by default. Gatsby ships React's runtime plus your application code. For content sites and blogs, Astro's approach gives you dramatically better performance with zero effort. Your pages load instantly because there's nothing to parse and execute.

Data layer. Gatsby requires GraphQL for everything. Want to read a local file? GraphQL query. Want to pull from a CMS? GraphQL query with a source plugin. Astro lets you fetch data however you want. Import a JSON file, call a REST API, use the content collections API. No GraphQL ceremony required.

Build times. Astro builds are fast. Gatsby builds are notoriously slow for large sites. Image processing, GraphQL schema inference, and page generation add up. If you have hundreds of pages, you'll feel this difference every time you deploy.

Framework flexibility. Astro lets you use components from React, Vue, Svelte, Preact, and Solid in the same project. Gatsby locks you into React. For solo developers who work across frameworks, Astro's flexibility is a significant advantage.

Community momentum. Astro is growing rapidly with an active community and regular releases. Gatsby's community has contracted. Stack Overflow activity, GitHub contributions, and blog posts about Gatsby have all declined. When choosing a tool for a new project, community momentum matters for long-term support.

When to Choose Astro

• You're building a content-heavy site, blog, or documentation
• You want the best possible performance with zero effort
• You want to use components from any framework (React, Vue, Svelte)
• You value fast build times and simple data fetching
• You're starting a new project in 2026

When to Choose Gatsby

• You have an existing Gatsby site that works well
• You specifically need Gatsby's plugin ecosystem for your use case
• Your team has deep Gatsby expertise and migration isn't worth the cost
• You need a GraphQL data layer for complex data relationships
• You're committed to React-only static generation

The Verdict

Astro. This is one of the most clear-cut comparisons I can write. Astro does everything Gatsby does but faster, simpler, and with better performance. The 9/10 vs 5/10 solo dev rating reflects where each framework is in 2026.

Gatsby had its moment, and it pushed the static site generation space forward. But Astro learned from Gatsby's mistakes. No mandatory GraphQL. No heavy runtime. No slow builds. If you're starting a new content site, blog, marketing page, or documentation site in 2026, Astro is the answer. The only reason to stick with Gatsby is if you already have a working Gatsby project and migration isn't worth the effort.