Astro
Astro stands out by shipping zero JavaScript by default, making it a strong alternative to Next.js when most pages are content-first and only a few areas need interactivity. Its islands architecture lets teams hydrate just the components that need it, avoiding the “everything is a React app” feel and the runtime overhead that can come with heavier hybrid setups.
It also brings a content-centric workflow that works well for documentation, marketing sites, and multilingual hubs. Typed Content Collections add structure to authoring and help teams catch content mistakes earlier, which is especially useful when lots of pages and locales are involved.
Astro’s multi-framework approach is a practical differentiator: React, Svelte, Solid, and others can be dropped in where needed without committing the entire site to one UI runtime. The trade-off versus Next.js is that highly stateful, app-like experiences can require more architectural discipline across islands, but for performance-sensitive public sites it’s often a simpler, faster path.
Best for
Best for teams building content-heavy sites that want minimal JavaScript and fast performance by default.
Standout features
- ✓Zero-JS by default rendering
- ✓Islands-based partial hydration
- ✓Typed Content Collections
- ✓Multi-framework component support
- ✓Starlight docs framework
