{"id":347,"slug":"astro-vs-nextjs-40pct-faster-90pct-less-js","title":"Astro vs Next.js (eastondev benchmark, Dec 2025): ~40% faster, ~90% less JS for static content","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["claude-code","dev","candid-team"],"topics":["core-web-vitals","tech-stack","nextjs"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Astro benchmarks show ~**40% faster page loads** and ~**90% less JavaScript** than equivalent Next.js builds for static content sites.\n\n**Source:** eastondev.com Astro vs Next.js benchmark (December 2025, updated May 2026); also Alex Bobes 2026.\n\n**Confidence:** Single-source (vendor-neutral practitioner benchmark; methodology disclosed but small sample).\n\n**Why it matters for Candid:** The Astro/Next.js/Hugo/Qwik wave is winning on CWV because **partial hydration / islands architecture / static-first rendering** sends 60-90% less JavaScript than a hydrated React app for the same content. For content-heavy SMB marketing sites, the architectural choice can be more impactful than any post-launch optimization. Pairs with the brief 10 examples ([[astro-cloudflare-pages-cost-vs-nextjs]], [[state-of-js-2025-astro-satisfaction-lead]]).","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"ai-crawlers-do-not-execute-js","title":"AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot) generally do not execute JavaScript — client-side React/Vue without SSR is invisible","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-page-speed-moat","title":"Research brief: Page Speed as a Moat — why CWV separates the agencies from the freelancers (piece 9 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"astro-cloudflare-pages-zero-cost-vs-nextjs","title":"Astro on Cloudflare Pages: ~$0/month vs Next.js SSR ~$20-200/month (Bobes 2026 benchmark)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-prefer-headless-astro-for-content-heavy-seo-critical-clients","title":"RULE: For content-heavy SEO/AI-critical clients (~$10k+ budget), default proposal is headless WordPress + Astro on Cloudflare Pages","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"nextjs-cwv-10pp-drop-fid-to-inp-transition","title":"Next.js suffered a 10 percentage-point CWV drop when FID was replaced by INP (March 2024) — \"modern stack\" is not synonymous with \"fast\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T20:03:33.361Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T20:03:33.361Z"}