2025 Blog Framework Guide: Hugo vs Astro vs Hexo - Which Should You Choose?

Introduction

It’s 2025, and you want to start a blog. You’ve been agonizing over Hugo, Hexo, and Astro for a week, but still can’t decide which one to pick?

I totally get it. Last year, I was going back and forth between these frameworks too. I read countless comparison articles, only to find most were outdated content from 2022-2023. Performance benchmarks changed, frameworks updated, ecosystems evolved. Every article I read just made me more confused. Who should I trust?

What’s worse is staying up late tweaking blog configs when you have work the next morning. Spending three months researching frameworks without writing a single article. Sound familiar?

This guide is based on the latest 2024-2025 data, featuring real build time tests and actual user experience, to help you make the right choice in 5 minutes. I’m not here to tell you “which is best” - I’m here to help you find “which is best for you.”

I’ll walk you through performance comparisons of 9 major frameworks and a 3-minute decision matrix to help you avoid 90% of the pitfalls beginners face. Honestly, if I’d seen something like this earlier, I could have saved weeks of my time.

Why Are We Still Talking About Blog Frameworks in 2025?

Do Static Blogs Still Make Sense?

To be honest, I initially thought building a blog was an outdated idea. But after using one for over a year - no regrets.

The fundamental difference between static blogs and dynamic platforms like WordPress is like “pre-made” versus “made-to-order.” Static Site Generators (SSG) generate all your pages after you finish writing, like batch printing. When visitors arrive, they see the finished product instantly - blazing fast. WordPress and similar dynamic blogs fetch data from databases and assemble pages on every visit - like cooking each dish from scratch.

Why Have Static Blogs Become the Mainstream Trend?

Simply put: fast, cheap, and zero server headaches.

WordPress requires a server - at least a few bucks per month minimum. Static blogs? GitHub Pages, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages - all free hosting. My blog costs $0 per year; I even bought the domain ages ago.

Performance is no contest either. Static pages easily score 95+ on Lighthouse, while WordPress struggles to hit 90. Users open a page and it loads in the blink of an eye - that kind of experience makes you fall in love with blogging.

When Should You Choose a Dynamic Blog?

That said, static blogs aren’t unbeatable. If you need complex features like:

• Multi-author publishing (requires backend management)
• E-commerce integration (payment processing, orders)
• Complex user systems (comments, permissions)

For these scenarios, WordPress or Ghost are indeed better fits. But let’s be real - most personal blogs and tech blogs don’t need any of that.

Bottom line: For personal blogs, technical documentation, or portfolios - static blog frameworks are the way to go. Only consider dynamic blogs when you need complex features or multi-user collaboration.

Performance Showdown - Who’s the Speed King?

Performance is honestly what I care about most. When I was using Gatsby, waiting 10+ minutes for a rebuild after every small change made me want to throw my computer out the window.

Build Speed: The Gap Is Shocking

Let me cut to the chase: Hugo is the undisputed speed king.

Check out these 2024 benchmark results:

When I first saw Hugo’s build speed, I was genuinely shocked. 10,000 articles in under 3 seconds! What does that mean? Change a title, fix a typo, hit save, refresh - done. That instant feedback is absolutely satisfying.

Hexo performs quite well for medium-sized blogs (100-1,000 articles). My previous blog with 300 articles built in 15 seconds - totally usable.

Gatsby… let’s not even go there. I used it for a project with 200+ articles, and every build took at least 5 minutes. When the article count grew, I abandoned ship.

Page Load Speed: Astro’s Rise

2024 saw Astro emerge as the biggest dark horse. According to HTTP Archive data:

• Astro: Median transfer size 889KB (lightest)
• Hugo: 1,174KB (good balance)
• Next.js: 1,659KB (feature-rich, but heavy)

Astro’s “zero JavaScript by default” approach is brilliant. Pages only load necessary JS, unlike other frameworks that ship the entire React/Vue library to users. The result? Lightning-fast page loads and excellent user experience.

Real-World Performance: Don’t Just Look at Numbers

Honestly, if your blog has fewer than 100 articles, any framework will feel about the same. The difference between a few seconds and 15 seconds? You won’t notice.

But if you’re planning to write long-term and your article count will keep growing, choosing a performant framework upfront saves a lot of headaches. I’ve seen too many people start with Gatsby, reach 500 articles, hit unbearable build times, and migrate frameworks - the pain…

Recommended combos:

• Small blog (<100 articles): Pick anything, they all work
• Medium blog (100-1,000 articles): Hugo, Hexo, Astro
• Large site (1,000+ articles): Hugo, no contest

Developer Experience - Which Is Easiest to Use?

Great performance means nothing if it’s a pain to work with.

Learning Curve: Beginners, Watch Out

To be frank, Hugo’s Go template syntax took me forever to learn. All those {{ range }} and {{ with }} patterns - completely confusing at first. Despite its unbeatable performance, beginners jumping straight into Hugo might get discouraged.

Beginner-Friendliness Ranking:

1. Hexo (Most Friendly): Node.js ecosystem, tons of Chinese documentation. Configuration is just one _config.yml file - tweak a few parameters and you’re running. I set up my first blog in 30 minutes.

2. Jekyll (Friendly): Ruby ecosystem, exceptionally clear official docs - follow the steps and you can’t go wrong. GitHub Pages native support means just push and it auto-deploys.

3. VuePress (Requires Frontend Skills): If you know Vue, you’ll pick it up quickly. If not, you need to learn Vue first - higher barrier.

4. Gatsby/Next.js (Steep): Requires React, GraphQL knowledge, complex configuration. I get a headache just looking at the config files.

My advice: If you’re a Node.js developer like me, Hexo just feels natural. Install an npm package, tweak some config, done in 30 minutes. If your stack is React, Astro or Next.js makes more sense. Stop overthinking - beginners should just pick Hexo. You won’t regret it.

Configuration and Customization: The Art of Balance

Hexo and Jekyll configs are simple and direct - one YAML file handles everything. The downside: complex customizations require diving into source code, not very flexible.

Gatsby’s flexibility is indeed powerful - the GraphQL data layer can connect to any data source. But honestly, personal blogs don’t need that level of complexity. It’s like buying a sports car to drive around the city - overkill.

Astro takes the middle path: flexible without being complicated. Supports multiple frameworks (React, Vue, Svelte - mix and match), but configuration isn’t intimidating. I really appreciate that balance.

Development Tools and Debugging

Modern frameworks absolutely outclass older ones in developer experience.

Vite-powered Astro and VuePress have lightning-fast hot reload. Make a change, page updates in under a second. That old Webpack architecture? The wait time makes you zone out.

Hugo may be a traditional framework, but it’s so fast that saves and refreshes feel instant. That experience is actually quite nice.

Ecosystem - Themes and Plugins: Who Has More?

A great framework means nothing without themes. Who wants to write CSS from scratch?

Theme Ecosystem: Hexo Rules the Chinese World

Hexo is truly the chosen one for Chinese blogs. 200+ Chinese themes with various styles - there’s something for everyone. The theme I use has documentation so detailed it even explains how to change font colors.

Hugo has 300+ themes, but quality varies wildly. Some are stunning, others are demo-level at best. Many theme docs are in English only - you’re on your own figuring out the pitfalls.

Jekyll, as the veteran framework, has the most themes, but many use design aesthetics from years ago and look dated.

Gatsby and Astro themes lean modern with strong design aesthetics. Great choices if you prioritize visual appeal.

Plugins and Extensibility

Jekyll has the largest plugin ecosystem - it’s been around the longest after all. Whatever feature you want, there’s probably a plugin for it.

Gatsby leverages the npm ecosystem, so plugins are super abundant. But many are designed for commercial projects - overkill for personal blogs.

Hexo’s plugin ecosystem is mature within the Node.js circle. Common needs like comments, search, SEO optimization all have ready-made plugins. I’ve installed seven or eight plugins without a single compatibility issue.

Community Activity: Let the Data Speak

The 2024-2025 data is quite interesting:

• Astro: Fastest growth, npm downloads hit 3 million in September 2024. Netlify’s survey shows it’s the framework with the highest developer interest in 2024.
• Hugo: 60k+ GitHub stars, steady growth, a proven champion.
• Hexo: Most active Chinese community - tutorials everywhere on Zhihu, Juejin, CSDN.

Honestly, community activity matters a lot for beginners. Being able to find Chinese solutions when you hit problems saves so much time.

Deployment and SEO - Going Live Is What Matters

What’s the point of building a blog if you don’t publish it?

Deployment Platforms: All Free, All Awesome

Deploying static blogs nowadays is ridiculously easy.

GitHub Pages: Native Jekyll support - push code and it auto-deploys. Other frameworks need a GitHub Actions config - just a few lines, done in 5 minutes.

Vercel/Netlify: These are my top recommendations. Drop in a repository, auto-detects framework, auto-builds and deploys. Free tiers for personal blogs are more than enough. I’ve been on Vercel for a year without spending a cent.

Cloudflare Pages: Excellent performance, global CDN distribution. Generous free tier, noticeably faster than GitHub Pages.

Honestly, in 2025, deploying a static blog has zero technical barrier. Really, it’s simpler than you think.

SEO: Static Blogs Have Natural Advantages

All static blog frameworks are SEO-friendly. Why? They generate pure HTML - search engines love that.

The differences are in the details:

• Hugo and Jekyll: Mature and stable, auto-generate sitemaps and RSS, complete SEO basics.
• Astro and Next.js: More advanced in modern SEO practices, support finer metadata management, easier structured data.
• Hexo: Implements SEO features through plugins, quite comprehensive, lots of Chinese SEO tutorials.

Bottom line: as long as you write quality content, optimize keywords, and structure pages properly, SEO will be fine with any framework. Don’t overthink this.

Long-term Maintenance: Avoid Obscure Frameworks

I’ve learned this the hard way. I once used a niche framework - seemed great at first, then six months later the author stopped updating. When dependencies upgraded, the blog broke completely. Migrating frameworks took an entire week.

Low-maintenance frameworks: Hugo, Jekyll. Mature and stable, rarely cause trouble. My Hugo blog ran for over a year without a single issue.

Requires attention to updates: Gatsby, Next.js. Many dependencies, frequent updates, occasional breaking changes. If you don’t want to tinker constantly, choose carefully.

Balanced options: Astro, Hexo. Measured updates, good compatibility.

Decision Framework - How to Choose What’s Right for You?

Alright, after all that data and comparisons, how do you actually decide?

3-Minute Quick Decision Matrix

Don’t overthink it. Answer three questions:

Question 1: What’s your tech stack?

• Familiar with Node.js → Hexo (beginners) / Astro (modern approach)
• React developer → Gatsby (heavy-duty) / Astro (lightweight) / Next.js (full-stack)
• Vue developer → VuePress (blog + docs) / Gridsome
• Tech stack agnostic → Hugo (performance first) / Jekyll (stability)

If you’re a Node.js developer like me, Hexo just feels right. Install an npm package, tweak config, done in 30 minutes.

Question 2: What’s your project scale?

• <100 articles → Pick anything, you won’t feel the performance difference
• 100-1,000 articles → Hugo (fast) / Hexo (adequate) / Astro (modern)
• 1,000+ articles or large doc sites → Hugo (in a league of its own)

I currently have 500+ articles using Hexo, 45-second builds, totally fine. If article count grows past 1,000, I might switch to Hugo.

Question 3: What’s your experience level?

• Beginner → Hexo (abundant Chinese resources) / Jekyll (friendly docs)
• Frontend developer → Astro (modern experience) / VuePress (Vue stack)
• Performance geek → Hugo (unbeatable speed, worth learning Go templates)
• Stability seeker → Jekyll (GitHub native support, most hassle-free)

Specific Recommendations by Scenario

Personal Tech Blog:

• Chinese users: Hexo (strong ecosystem, many themes)
• International: Hugo (great performance, rich English resources)
• Modern approach: Astro (great experience, solid performance)

Technical Documentation Site:

• Docusaurus (Facebook’s creation, designed for docs)
• VuePress (Vue ecosystem, good Chinese support)

Large Content Site:

• Hugo (1,000+ pages, only option that can handle it)

Modern Project Website:

• Astro (best balance of flexibility + performance)
• Next.js (when you need dynamic features)

My Honest Advice

Here’s the truth: stop overthinking. I’ve seen too many people spend three months researching frameworks without writing a single article. Frameworks are just tools - content is what matters.

Selection tips:

• 90% of people: Hexo or Hugo is enough
• Frontend developers: Astro is worth trying, very modern experience
• Beginners worried about wrong choices: Hexo - endless Chinese tutorials, every problem has an answer
• Performance anxiety sufferers: Hugo, no question - the speed is unmatched

Remember: frameworks can be migrated (content is all Markdown, moving costs are low), but wasted time never comes back. Pick one and start - optimize as you go. That’s the right approach.

Pitfall Guide and Best Practices

Finally, let me share the major pitfalls - I’ve stepped on them so you don’t have to.

5 Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Chasing the perfect framework, never starting

This is the trap I fell into deepest. I compared frameworks for two months, read dozens of articles, still wasn’t sure. Then a mentor told me: “Just pick one and start. You can switch frameworks, but wasted time never comes back.”

Simply put, content is the core of a blog, frameworks are just tools. There’s no perfect framework - only the best choice for right now.

Mistake 2: Choosing based on theme appearance, ignoring framework fundamentals

Saw a stunning Hugo theme, picked Hugo. Then discovered Go template syntax was impossible to learn, customizing themes was a nightmare. After six months, switched back to Hexo.

Themes can be customized or changed, but framework fundamentals like performance, ecosystem, and maintainability - these are what affect you long-term.

Mistake 3: Beginners jumping into Gatsby/Next.js and getting discouraged

A friend of mine, just learning frontend, heard Gatsby was amazing and dove in. Result: didn’t know GraphQL, wasn’t familiar with React, couldn’t understand the config. Two weeks of struggle, gave up completely.

Honestly, Gatsby and Next.js really aren’t for beginners. They’re tools for experienced developers. Beginners wanting to quickly launch a blog should choose Hexo or Jekyll.

Mistake 4: Ignoring long-term maintenance costs

Picked an obscure framework, seemed great at first, author stopped updating after six months. Dependencies upgraded, blog broke. Migrating was painful.

Three indicators for framework selection:

• GitHub update frequency (at least monthly commits)
• Community size (can find help when stuck)
• Chinese resources (essential for Chinese users, saves 80% of time)

Mistake 5: Spending 80% of time on framework, 20% on content

I’ve seen too many people fall into the “perfectionism trap.” Endlessly tweaking CSS, installing and uninstalling plugins, just not writing articles.

Remember the 80/20 rule: 80% effort on content, 20% on framework. Good enough is good enough - don’t chase perfection.

Framework Migration Tips

What if you really picked wrong and want to switch?

It’s not as scary as you think. All static blog frameworks use Markdown for content - migration costs are low. Migrating from Hexo to Hugo, content migration took just 1 hour. The main work is redoing config and themes - half a day at most.

Migration principles:

• Done beats perfect: Launch quickly > perfect setup
• Content first: Write 50 articles before considering migration - otherwise not worth it
• Protect SEO: Set up 301 redirects, keep URL structure consistent if possible

2025 Trend Outlook

Based on 2024-2025 data and community trends, my predictions:

• Astro will keep growing: Islands architecture is the future, zero JavaScript by default is too good
• Hugo maintains performance crown: No alternative for large sites
• Hexo’s Chinese ecosystem stays stable: Will remain the top choice for Chinese blogs
• Traditional frameworks gradually replaced: Jekyll is stable but new projects will decline

But honestly, trends are just reference points. Choose your framework based on your needs and tech stack.

Conclusion

Back to the original question: How do you choose a blog framework in 2025?

One-line summary:

• Beginner’s choice: Hexo (rich Chinese resources, many themes, quick start)
• Frontend developer: Astro (best balance of performance + flexibility, modern experience)
• Performance geek: Hugo (unmatched speed, ideal for large sites)
• Documentation site: Docusaurus/VuePress (purpose-built for docs)
• Stability seeker: Jekyll (GitHub native support, most hassle-free)

But honestly, choosing a framework takes 5 minutes, writing great content takes a lifetime.

Stop overthinking. Pick one that feels right and take action. Writing your first article is a hundred times more important than researching frameworks.

I agonized for two months back then. Looking back, that time was completely wasted. If I’d started sooner, I’d probably have 200 articles by now.

Action plan:

1. Use the decision matrix above, spend 5 minutes picking a framework
2. Find a theme, set up your environment in 1 hour
3. Write your first article, even if it’s just 500 words
4. Publish, enjoy the sense of accomplishment

Remember: The framework doesn’t matter, content does. Good enough is good enough - focus on writing.

What did you choose and why? I’m curious what everyone decided. Drop a comment - I’ll try to respond to questions.

Published on: Nov 23, 2025 · Modified on: Dec 4, 2025

Easton

Technology