Eleventy
Eleventy, now rebranded as Build Awesome, is an open-source Node.js static site generator serving web developers and enterprise documentation teams. Acquired by Font Awesome in 2024, it supports 15+ template languages and is used by NASA, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Eleventy does
Eleventy (rebranded to Build Awesome in March 2026) is an open-source static site generator built on Node.js, founded in December 2017 by Zach Leatherman. It compiles template files into static HTML output and distinguishes itself through build performance (benchmarked at 1.93 seconds for 4,000 Markdown files, roughly 12x faster than Astro and 36x faster than Next.js), framework-agnostic architecture with zero client-side JavaScript by default, support for 15+ independent template languages (Markdown, WebC, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, JSX, MDX, TypeScript, etc.), and a documented track record of stability with only 3 breaking changes across 226 releases since 2017. The platform is used by individual web developers as well as enterprise organizations including NASA, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, W3C, CERN, TC39, Apache, and freeCodeCamp, and is distributed as a free tool via npm and GitHub under a community-supported open-source model.
The project operates with a small core team (1-10 employees, primarily a single lead maintainer) under a community-led go-to-market motion that depends on developer relations, meetups (8 in 2025), an annual conference, newsletters, and social channels rather than direct sales. In September 2024, Font Awesome acquired Eleventy and integrated it into its "Awesomeverse" alongside Web Awesome, with the same playbook of pairing a free OSS engine with a paid Pro tier. In March 2026 the project rebranded to Build Awesome, and in April 2026 the company launched Build Awesome Pro via Kickstarter, introducing a commercial subscription tier with collaborative editing, infrastructure-level progressive enhancement, and git-versioned static output. Revenue today is generated indirectly through Open Collective sponsorships (1,035+ supporters) and the Kickstarter campaign (833 backers); specific pricing and ARR for Build Awesome Pro have not been publicly disclosed.
There are no documented AI/ML capabilities, no public REST/GraphQL API for partners, and no patents on file; the company's defensibility is concentrated in community size, ecosystem lock-in, brand credibility with blue-chip users, and the engineering track record on speed and stability.
Eleventy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Eleventy
- Legal name
- Eleventy
- Website
- https://www.11ty.dev
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Eleventy, now rebranded as Build Awesome, is an open-source Node.js static site generator serving web developers and enterprise documentation teams. Acquired by Font Awesome in 2024, it supports 15+ template languages and is used by NASA, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Eleventy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Static Site Generator
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Low-Code/No-Code Integration Builders (BPAMAOAL)
Keywords
Eleventy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Open Source Distribution: Eleventy core is distributed free of charge via npm and GitHub. The open source project is maintained by Zach Leatherman with funding from Open Collective supporters and community contributions.
- Build Awesome Pro (Upcoming): Commercial tier planned for launch via Kickstarter. Will offer collaborative editing features, infrastructure-level progressive enhancement for content management, and additional premium services while maintaining free open source version compatibility.
- Open Collective Sponsorships: Individual and company sponsors support via Open Collective. Tiered supporter recognition on the website with 1035+ supporters documented. Expenses covered include website costs, Zoom subscriptions for meetups, conference honorariums, and dependency donations.
- Kickstarter Campaigns: Build Awesome Pro launched via Kickstarter (April 2026) with sponsorship tiers offering brand icon placement in Font Awesome library, sponsor logo visibility across Awesomeverse websites.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free open source Eleventy |
| Subscription | Annual | Build Awesome Pro (Planned) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
Eleventy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Eleventy (rebranded as Build Awesome under the Font Awesome umbrella) is an open-source static site generator built on Node.js that compiles template files into static HTML output. It supports 15+ independent template languages, runs zero client-side JavaScript by default, and emphasizes fast build times, framework agnosticism, and long-term backward compatibility. Build Awesome Pro is a paid commercial tier launched via Kickstarter in April 2026 that adds collaborative editing and managed infrastructure.
Product overview
Eleventy (now rebranded as Build Awesome under the Font Awesome umbrella) is an open-source static site generator at its core. The portfolio consists of the open-source Eleventy/Build Awesome engine as the foundational platform, supplemented by a suite of official plugins (Image, Fetch, , Render, RSS, Navigation, Syntax Highlighting, Vite, Font Awesome) and the commercial Build Awesome Pro product. Build Awesome Pro, launched via Kickstarter in 2026, extends the open-source engine with collaborative editing features, hosting infrastructure, and a no-lock-in commercial model — analogous to how Font Awesome Pro and Web Awesome Pro operate alongside their free counterparts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Build Awesome Pro: A commercial offering that provides collaborative editing features for static websites, built on top of the open source Build Awesome (Eleventy) engine.
Products and services
- Eleventy (Build Awesome) Core
- Build Awesome Pro
Quantifiable outcome
- Builds 4000 Markdown files in 1.93 seconds vs Astro (22.90s), Gatsby (29.05s), Next.js (70.65s)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Eleventy
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Eleventy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Eleventy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Font AwesomeflagshipFont Awesome acquired Eleventy (11ty) in September 2024, bringing it into the Awesomeverse alongside Web Awesome and the flagship Font Awesome icon library. The project continues under the Build Awesome brand with Zach Leatherman remaining as lead maintainer. The acquisition provides additional resources for development while maintaining open source commitment. Build Awesome Pro will follow the same business model as Font Awesome Pro and Web Awesome Pro.
- KickstartercoreBuild Awesome Pro launched via Kickstarter campaign in April 2026. The campaign offers sponsorship tiers with brand icon placement in Font Awesome library, sponsor logos across Awesomeverse websites, and early access to Pro features. Late pricing tiers available after initial launch.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Eleventy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gatsby: Gatsby is a React-based static site generator owned by Netlify that directly competes with Eleventy for content sites and documentation builds. Eleventy's benchmark data includes Gatsby as a primary performance comparison.
- Next.js: Next.js is a React-based framework with strong SSG and SSR capabilities that competes with Eleventy for documentation sites, marketing sites, and content-heavy web properties. Eleventy's benchmark data positions itself against Next.js as a faster, lighter alternative.
- Astro: Astro is a modern web framework that competes directly with Eleventy in the static site generator space, using an islands architecture for partial hydration. It is the closest direct competitor and is explicitly named in Eleventy's benchmark comparisons.
- Docusaurus: Docusaurus is a React-based static site generator specifically optimized for documentation sites, used by many of the same open-source projects (including some of Eleventy's named customers like TC39-adjacent projects). It overlaps heavily with Eleventy in the documentation use case.
- Jekyll: Jekyll is the Ruby-based static site generator that pioneered the category and remains a comparable option for blogs and documentation sites. Eleventy is often positioned as a modern, language-agnostic successor to Jekyll.
- Hugo: Hugo is a Go-based static site generator widely used for documentation and content sites, competing with Eleventy on speed and developer ergonomics. It represents the same SSG category with a different architectural philosophy.
- SvelteKit: SvelteKit is a Svelte-based meta-framework supporting SSG, SSR, and SPA modes. It competes with Eleventy for content and documentation sites built by teams preferring a full application framework over a pure static generator.
Broad incumbents
- Vercel: Vercel is the parent company of Next.js and a major web hosting and deployment platform. As a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities (hosting + framework), Vercel competes for the same developer mindshare and deployment budgets that Eleventy targets.
- Cloudflare Pages: Cloudflare Pages is a static site and front-end hosting platform with global edge deployment. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same hosting and CI/CD workflows that Eleventy users depend on, increasingly overlapping with SSG use cases.
- Netlify: Netlify is a web hosting and Jamstack platform that owns Gatsby and offers built-in SSG deployment workflows. It competes broadly with the Eleventy ecosystem by bundling hosting, serverless functions, and framework tooling into a single platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Eleventy social profiles
Digital presenceEleventy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Eleventy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Eleventy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Eleventy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Eleventy
What does Eleventy do?
Eleventy (rebranded as Build Awesome under the Font Awesome umbrella) is an open-source static site generator built on Node.js that compiles template files into static HTML output. It supports 15+ independent template languages, runs zero client-side JavaScript by default, and emphasizes fast build times, framework agnosticism, and long-term backward compatibility. Build Awesome Pro is a paid commercial tier launched via Kickstarter in April 2026 that adds collaborative editing and managed infrastructure.
Is Eleventy a public or private company?
Eleventy is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Eleventy founded?
Eleventy was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Eleventy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Open Source Distribution is the primary driver. The others are build Awesome Pro (Upcoming), open Collective Sponsorships and kickstarter Campaigns.
Who are Eleventy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gatsby, Next.js, Astro, Docusaurus, Jekyll, Hugo and SvelteKit. Broad incumbents are Vercel, Cloudflare Pages and Netlify.
Does Eleventy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Eleventy.
What industry is Eleventy in?
Eleventy's product category is Static Site Generator. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAOAL, Low-Code/No-Code Integration Builders. Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7372.