Astro vs Next.js.
Two free, MIT-licensed frameworks we build with: one made for content sites, the other for React apps.
Astro
Next.jsFeature by feature.
Rendering & Performance
| Feature | Astro | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Default output | Static HTML, prerendered | Prerendered or streamed Server Components |
| JavaScript in the browser | None unless you opt in | Sent for Client Components |
| Interactive parts | Islands you opt into | Client Components |
| Image optimisation | Both Built in | |
| Updating without a rebuild | On-demand rendering with an adapter | Incremental static regeneration |
Content & Editing
| Feature | Astro | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Content-driven websites | Full-stack web applications |
| Content model | Typed content collections | Fetched from APIs or databases |
| UI frameworks | React, Vue, Svelte, Solid and more | React only |
| Headless CMS | Loaders for any CMS | Fetched in Server Components |
SEO & Marketing
| Feature | Astro | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| HTML for search engines | Prerendered by default | Rendered on the server |
| Sitemap | Official integration | Built-in file convention |
| Multilingual routing | Built in | Sub-path or domain routing |
Hosting & Cost
| Feature | Astro | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Both MIT | |
| Where it runs | Node, Netlify, Vercel or Cloudflare | Node, Docker, static export or adapters |
| Static hosting | The default output | Static export, some features off |
| Backed by | Cloudflare, since January 2026 | Vercel |
| Current version | Astro 7 | Next.js 16 |
Plans & pricing.
| Plan | Astro | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Free (MIT) | Free (MIT) |
| Hosting on Vercel | Hobby $0 (personal use), Pro $20/month | Hobby $0 (personal use), Pro $20/month |
As of November 2026. The frameworks cost nothing; you pay for hosting and for the people who build the site. Vercel prices from vercel.com/pricing.
Our conclusion.
Pick Astro for a marketing site, blog or content-led store, because it sends no JavaScript to the browser unless a component needs it. Pick Next.js when the site is really a React app, with logins, dashboards or server logic on most pages.
Both are free under the MIT licence and both can render pages on the server, so the choice comes down to what the site does. Astro calls itself a framework for content-driven websites. Next.js calls itself a React framework for full-stack web applications.
We build on both. When your site is mostly pages, posts and forms, Astro is usually the simpler choice and ships less code. When the product is the website, Next.js gives your developers more of what they need.
Other comparisons.
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See Astro vs WordPressAstro vs Gatsby
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See Astro vs GatsbyWebflow vs Next.js
Compare Webflow and Next.js on editing, SEO, hosting, cost and code ownership.
Compare With Next.jsNext.js vs WordPress
Compare Next.js and WordPress on editing, plugins, security, hosting and cost.
See Next.js vs WordPressNext.js vs Remix
Compare Next.js and Remix, now React Router, on rendering, data, hosting and backing.
See Next.js vs RemixShopify vs Next.js
Compare a Shopify theme store and a Next.js storefront on cost, checkout, launch time and control.
See Shopify vs Next.js
Webflow
WordPress
Gatsby
Remix
ShopifyFAQ
Questions,
answered.
No neutral benchmark settles it for every site. By default Astro sends HTML and CSS with no JavaScript, and adds JavaScript only to the parts you mark as interactive, while Next.js sends JavaScript for its Client Components. For a content site, less JavaScript usually means a lighter page.
Yes. Astro's official React integration renders React components and makes them interactive where you choose. Astro also supports Vue, Svelte, Solid and Preact.
No. Astro prerenders pages by default, and with an adapter (Node, Netlify, Vercel or Cloudflare) it renders pages on demand. Server islands let slow parts of a page load after the rest.
No. Next.js runs as a Node.js server or in a Docker container with every feature, or as a static export with some features off.
Yes. It renders HTML on the server and has a Metadata API, plus file conventions for sitemap.xml, robots.txt and Open Graph images.
The team behind Astro joined Cloudflare in January 2026. Astro stays MIT licensed and still deploys to hosts other than Cloudflare.
