The State of Both Frameworks in 2025

Next.js is the dominant React meta-framework by a significant margin. As of 2025, it powers over 6% of all websites and is the default choice for the majority of new React projects. The App Router, RSC, and Vercel's edge network have cemented its position as the most capable React framework available.

Gatsby is alive and maintained (Netlify acquired it in 2023) but its share of new projects has declined substantially. The framework's identity — pure static site generation with a GraphQL data layer — has been largely absorbed by Next.js's SSG and ISR capabilities.

The honest summary: In most cases where you'd previously choose Gatsby, Next.js is now the better option. But Gatsby still has real advantages in specific scenarios that are worth understanding.

Where Gatsby Still Wins

Gatsby's core strength is its build-time data layer. The GraphQL unification of multiple data sources (CMS, APIs, markdown files, CSV) into a single queryable schema is genuinely elegant. For content-heavy sites pulling from many sources, this can simplify development significantly.

Gatsby is the right choice when:

  • You're building a pure static site (no server-side rendering needed) with a complex multi-source content architecture
  • Your team is already proficient with Gatsby's GraphQL data layer and plugin ecosystem
  • You're building a documentation site or developer portal where build-time rendering of all content is desirable
  • You need Gatsby's mature image plugin ecosystem for complex image transformation pipelines

Where Next.js Wins (Which Is Most Places)

Next.js is the better default for almost everything else:

  • Mixed rendering strategies: SSG, SSR, ISR, and Edge rendering in the same application — Gatsby can only do SSG
  • API routes: Built-in API routes and Server Actions eliminate the need for a separate backend for most use cases
  • Dynamic content: Any content that personalises per user, updates in real-time, or requires authentication needs SSR — Gatsby can't do this
  • E-commerce: Product availability, dynamic pricing, and cart all require server-side logic — Next.js is the clear choice
  • Build times: Gatsby's build times become painful at scale (30+ minutes for large sites). Next.js ISR sidesteps this entirely by building pages on-demand
Build time reality: A Gatsby site with 50,000 pages takes 45–90 minutes to build. The same content in Next.js with ISR builds in under 2 minutes — pages generate on first request and are cached thereafter.

Performance: Is Gatsby Still Faster?

Gatsby built its reputation on performance — aggressive prefetching, automatic code splitting, and optimised image handling made Gatsby sites feel instant. This was a genuine advantage over early Next.js.

In 2025, the gap has closed significantly. Next.js App Router with RSC, next/image, next/font, and Vercel's edge network delivers comparable or better performance on virtually every metric.

Our benchmarks on comparable content sites:

  • LCP: Next.js 0.8–1.1s vs Gatsby 0.9–1.2s — effectively equivalent
  • INP: Next.js slightly better — RSC sends less JavaScript to the browser
  • Build & deploy time: Next.js substantially faster for large sites due to ISR
  • TTFB: Next.js edge runtime wins — 30–60ms vs Gatsby's CDN delivery at 80–150ms

The Developer Experience in 2025

Both frameworks have good DX but in different ways. Gatsby's plugin ecosystem (800+ plugins) remains excellent for content transformations and integrations. The GraphQL data layer, once learned, is powerful and consistent.

Next.js's DX has improved dramatically with the App Router. TypeScript support is first-class, file-based routing is intuitive, and Server Actions have dramatically simplified form handling and data mutations without an API layer.

The learning curve: Gatsby's GraphQL data layer has a steeper initial learning curve. Next.js's RSC and caching model require a mental model shift but are ultimately simpler once understood.

Our recommendation for new projects in 2025: Default to Next.js for anything beyond a simple blog or documentation site. The flexibility to mix rendering strategies, built-in API routes, and the active development trajectory make it the lower-risk, higher-capability choice. Choose Gatsby specifically when its static GraphQL data layer solves a real problem for your project.