Hugo
Hugo is a free, open-source static site generator written in Go and distributed under the Apache 2.0 License.
What Hugo is
Hugo is a free, open-source static site generator written in Go and distributed under the Apache 2.0 License. It builds sites from Markdown and supports multilingual content. Its taxonomy system helps organize site material, and its asset tools cover image processing, JavaScript bundling, and Sass processing. Hugo also supports TailwindCSS and includes an embedded web server for development previews. The project lists documentation, corporate, government, nonprofit, education, news, event, and project sites among the types built with Hugo. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux; the listed supported languages are Go, Ruby, and Python. Hugo often renders large sites in seconds, and the project describes it as actively maintained with a fast release cycle. Its listed pricing page returns a page-not-found response, although the software is described as open source and free to use. No price is listed for the Hugo Open Source plan.
Good
- Free and open source under Apache 2.0.
- Supports multilingual sites and Markdown content.
- Includes image, JavaScript, and Sass processing.
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Watch out
- The listed pricing page returns a 404 page.
- No price is listed for the Hugo Open Source plan.
Who it suits
Hugo suits people building static sites from Markdown, including documentation, corporate, nonprofit, education, and news sites. Its multilingual support and development preview server may help site creators working across languages or iterating locally.
Verdict
Hugo combines static site generation with content organization, asset processing, and local previews. It is described as free and open source, though the listed pricing page is unavailable.
Plans and prices
From Hugo's own pricing page, checked 27 Sep 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Hugo Open Source | Free | Open source and free to use |
The facts
Each one read from Hugo's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Active community
- Hugo has a large and active community.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Asset processing
- Hugo supports image processing, JavaScript bundling, and Sass processing.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Content sources
- markdownchecked 20 Sep 2001
- Copyright holder
- The Hugo logos are copyrighted by Steve Francia from 2013 to 2026.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Embedded web server
- Hugo includes an embedded web server for development previews.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Generator type
- Hugo is an open-source static site generator.checked 27 Sep 2001
- GitHub stars
- Hugo had 89,969 GitHub stars as of September 27, 2026.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Implementation language
- Hugo is written in Go.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Local preview server
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2001
- Multilingual support
- Hugo supports multilingual websites.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Open source
- Hugo is open source and free to use.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Pricing page status
- The listed pricing page returns a 404 page not found.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Release cycle
- Hugo has a fast release cycle and is actively maintained.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Rendering speed
- Hugo often renders large sites in seconds.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Software license
- Hugo is distributed under the Apache 2.0 License.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Supported languages
- Go,Ruby,Pythonchecked 20 Sep 2001
- Supported site types
- Hugo is used for documentation, corporate, government, nonprofit, education, news, event, and project sites.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Tailwind support
- Hugo provides TailwindCSS support.checked 27 Sep 2001
- Taxonomy system
- Hugo includes a powerful taxonomy system.checked 27 Sep 2001
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2001
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