Complete guide to migrating your DatoCMS website to Jekyll. Leave DatoCMS's graphql-only can be a barrier for teams unfamiliar with it behind and get native github pages integration. Free migration tool included.
You can migrate from DatoCMS to Jekyll for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Jekyll as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Medium. Estimated time: 20-40 minutes.
GraphQL headless CMS with image optimization built in. JAMstack teams wanting a GraphQL CMS with best-in-class image handling, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.
GraphQL-only can be a barrier for teams unfamiliar with it
This is the most common reason teams migrate away from DatoCMS. Jekyll eliminates this issue entirely.
Free tier is limited; mid-tier pricing is expensive
With Jekyll, native github pages integration — deploy by pushing to a repo.
Smaller community compared to Contentful or Strapi
Modern architectures like Jekyll are designed to avoid this from the ground up.
Content migration to/from DatoCMS requires custom tooling
After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — Jekyll takes a fundamentally different approach.
Ruby-based SSG that powers GitHub Pages. Built with Ruby (Liquid templates), it's developer blogs hosted on github pages with minimal setup.
Native GitHub Pages integration — deploy by pushing to a repo
Mature and battle-tested for blogs and documentation
Large library of themes and plugins
Simple mental model — content in Markdown, layouts in Liquid
Jekyll is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports Ruby, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.
Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics
| Metric | DatoCMS | Jekyll |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 |
| Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 |
| Flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 |
| Cost | ⭐⭐ 2/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Scalability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 | ⭐⭐ 2/5 |
| Ecosystem | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 |
| Language | API-based (GraphQL-first) | Ruby (Liquid templates) |
| Pricing | Free / $99+/month | Free (open-source) |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.
A detailed breakdown of how your DatoCMS content maps to Jekyll
What may need manual attention
Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in Jekyll. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.
Migrate your content in three simple steps
Enter your DatoCMS site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.
Select Jekyll as destination and choose content options.
Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.
Migrating from DatoCMS to Jekyll makes the most sense if you're experiencing graphql-only can be a barrier for teams unfamiliar with it or outgrowing DatoCMS's architecture. Jekyll is best for developer blogs hosted on github pages with minimal setup.
You should migrate if: your DatoCMS site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.
You might want to stay if: your DatoCMS site benefits from built-in image optimization and responsive image api and you don't have Ruby developers on your team. DatoCMS is genuinely easy to use, and that simplicity has value.
The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your DatoCMS URL, select Jekyll, and download your content. The more important question is whether Jekyll's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.
Explore more migration paths from DatoCMS or to Jekyll
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