When a client asks us to recommend a framework, our answer is almost always: it depends. But that answer is more useful than it sounds.
When we pick Astro
Astro shines for content-heavy sites, marketing pages, blogs, documentation, and landing pages. Its islands architecture means JavaScript is shipped only where it’s needed, which translates to exceptional performance scores out of the box.
If your site is mostly read, not interacted with, Astro is almost always the right call.
When we pick Next.js
Next.js is our default for applications, dashboards, e-commerce platforms, SaaS products. The full React ecosystem, mature data-fetching patterns, and first-class API routes make it the better choice when your users are doing things, not just reading things.
The hybrid case
Increasingly, we see clients who need both: a blazing-fast marketing site and a rich web application. In those cases, we’ll often use Astro for the public-facing pages and Next.js for the authenticated app, served from the same domain with smart routing.
Bottom line
Don’t pick a framework because it’s trending. Pick it because it matches the shape of your problem.