Jekyll has been the default static site generator for over a decade. But its Ruby dependency has become a pain point for developers who've moved on to Python.

Pycora Pro is a Python-native alternative. Same Markdown + YAML workflow, same layout inheritance, but zero Ruby.

Here's how they compare.

The Core Difference

	Jekyll	Pycora Pro
Language	Ruby	Python
Runtime	Ruby + Bundler	Python 3.8+
Template engine	Liquid	Jinja2 + PAX
Build speed	Seconds	Milliseconds
Dependencies	Gems, Bundler	pip (4 packages)
Deploy	Any static host	Any static host
License	MIT	MIT

Dependencies

Jekyll

Jekyll requires Ruby, then gems, then Bundler. On a fresh machine:

# Install Ruby (varies by OS)
brew install ruby

# Install Jekyll
gem install jekyll bundler

# Install project gems
bundle install

Every time Ruby updates, gems break. Every time a gem updates, Bundler complains. This is dependency hell.

Pycora Pro

pip install jinja2 markdown pyyaml watchdog

Four packages. That's it. Python 3.8+ is already on most machines.

Build Speed

We built a test site with 40 Markdown files, 10 layouts, and 5 partials.

	Jekyll	Pycora Pro
Cold build	4.2s	0.87s
Incremental	1.8s	0.4s
Memory	180 MB	65 MB

Pycora Pro is 4–5x faster on the same content.

Templating

Jekyll — Liquid

{% for post in site.posts limit:3 %}
  <a href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a>
{% endfor %}

Pycora Pro — Jinja2 + PAX

{% for post in posts | limit(3) %}
  <a href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a>
{% endfor %}

PAX auto-converts old Liquid-style slices:

{{ posts[:3] }}      →  {{ posts | limit(3) }}

So if you're migrating from Jekyll, most Liquid templates work with minor tweaks.

Content Format

Both use Markdown + YAML frontmatter.

Jekyll

---
layout: post
title: "My Post"
date: 2024-01-20
tags: [python, ssg]
---

Pycora Pro

---
layout: layouts/post
title: "My Post"
date: 2024-01-20
tags: [python, ssg]
---

Almost identical. The only difference: Pycora uses layouts/post instead of post.

Deployment

Both output static HTML. Both deploy anywhere.

Provider	Jekyll	Pycora Pro
Cloudflare Pages	✅	✅
Vercel	✅	✅
Netlify	✅	✅
GitHub Pages	✅	✅

Pycora Pro advantage: no Ruby version manager needed on the build server. Python is already there.

Developer Experience

Jekyll

• Plugin ecosystem is mature
• Liquid is limited for complex logic
• Ruby debugging required for theme development
• Slow feedback loop on large sites

Pycora Pro

• Python native — use any Python library
• Jinja2 is more powerful than Liquid
• Built-in Decap CMS admin
• Live reload via python dev.py

When to Use Jekyll

• You already know Ruby
• You need a specific Jekyll plugin
• You're maintaining an existing Jekyll site

When to Use Pycora Pro

• You prefer Python
• You want faster builds
• You want zero Ruby dependencies
• You want a built-in CMS
• You want a premium bento design out of the box

Migrating from Jekyll

Migration is straightforward:

1. Rename _posts/ → content/posts/
2. Convert Liquid templates to Jinja2 (PAX handles most of it)
3. Move _config.yml → _data/site.yaml
4. Run python ssg.py

See our Jekyll migration guide for details.

Get Pycora Pro

Pycora Pro is $145, one payment, own forever.

• Unlimited projects
• No license key
• No renewal
• White-label resale allowed

Get Pycora Pro on Gumroad →