Why We Chose Astro over Next.js for Marketing Sites
Explore why Astro is a better fit than Next.js for marketing sites, including performance, bundle size, SEO, and developer experience.
Why We Chose Astro over Next.js for Marketing Sites
Last Updated: January 2026 Scope: Web Development, Frontend, Static Sites
The Context
When building marketing sites, speed, SEO, and maintainability are non-negotiable. While Next.js is a solid framework for dynamic apps, Astro offers unique advantages for content-heavy, mostly static marketing websites.
Key Considerations
1. Performance and Bundle Size
Marketing sites rarely need heavy JavaScript. Astro’s partial hydration ensures:
- Only the interactive components load JavaScript
- Most content is served as static HTML
- Smaller bundle sizes → faster load times
Comparison:
| Feature | Next.js | Astro |
|---|---|---|
| JS sent by default | Yes, often large | Minimal, only interactive components |
| Page load speed | Good | Excellent (SSG-first) |
| Lighthouse score | ~85–90 | ~95–100 |
2. SEO and Static Site Generation (SSG)
Astro generates pure HTML by default, making:
- Page content instantly crawlable
- No need to rely heavily on client-side rendering
- SEO optimization simpler and more predictable
Next.js requires extra configuration for full static export, often complicating marketing site deployment.
3. Framework Agnostic Components
Astro supports React, Svelte, Vue, Solid, and more in the same project. This allows:
- Migrating or reusing existing components without rewriting
- Choosing the right tool per component
- Building faster without framework lock-in
---
// Astro page example
import Hero from '../components/Hero.jsx';
import Form from '../components/Form.astro';
---
<Hero title="Build Smarter, Faster" />
<Form />4. Developer Experience
Astro offers a simple, Markdown-friendly workflow:
- Content in
.mdor.mdxfiles directly renders pages - Component-first approach without unnecessary boilerplate
- Built-in image optimization and SEO defaults
Next.js can achieve similar results but often needs additional packages or setup.
5. Reduced Complexity
Marketing sites typically have:
- Landing pages
- Blog pages
- Forms for lead capture
Astro lets you:
- Keep routing simple (
/about,/pricing) - Ship fast without worrying about client-side hydration everywhere
- Avoid complex state management for static content
6. Deployment Flexibility
Astro outputs static HTML/CSS/JS, making it deployable almost anywhere:
- Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages
- Minimal server overhead
- Lower hosting costs
Real-World Example
---
// src/pages/index.astro
import Hero from '../components/Hero.jsx';
import Features from '../components/Features.astro';
import CTA from '../components/CTA.astro';
---
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Our Marketing Site</title>
</head>
<body>
<Hero />
<Features />
<CTA />
</body>
</html>- Hero: interactive slider (hydrated only when needed)
- Features: static content, no JS shipped
- CTA: form with minimal JS for validation
Result: Page loads almost instantly with zero client JS unless necessary.
When Next.js Still Makes Sense
- Complex dynamic dashboards or apps
- Heavy API integrations and server-side rendering
- Features requiring React-only ecosystem or middleware
For marketing sites, however, Astro’s speed, simplicity, and flexibility win every time.
The Bottom Line
Astro is a performance-first, static-first framework designed for sites where content matters more than app-like interactivity. For marketing sites:
- Faster load times
- Better SEO
- Smaller bundles
- Simpler development workflow
Next.js remains great for dynamic apps, but for marketing sites, Astro is the smarter choice.
🚀 Quick Checklist Before Choosing Astro
- Mostly static content pages?
- Minimal JS required for interactions?
- SEO-critical content?
- Need multi-framework support?
- Fast deployment & low hosting cost desired?
If yes → Astro is perfect.
Let's Build Something Scalable
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