Modern 2026 design system
Migrated from Bootstrap to a best-practice Tailwind / CSS system. Ultra-fast loading, beautiful by default, perfect Lighthouse scores.
Up to 3× faster page loads
Welcome back, Wowchemy usersSame team since 2016
Wowchemy is now HugoBlox
Same trusted platform. Better name. Everything you loved about Wowchemy — now faster, more modern, and easier to use.
MIT licensed · No credit card · Free forever
Powering research at
NVIDIA Research · MIT · Stanford · King's College London · Meta · Imperial College
Not a Wowchemy user yet? See the modern academic theme
- 2016
- Trusted since
- 150K+
- Researchers
- 4.9/5
- User rating
- 9.4K+
- GitHub stars
You asked, we listened
A name change you requested.
HugoBlox honors the Hugo foundation while emphasising our modular, block-based approach. Same project, clearer name.
Same foundation
Built on Hugo — the world's fastest static site generator. Your existing repo structure still applies.
Same team
The maintainers you already trust. Continuous releases since 2016, no acquisition, no pivot.
Same mission
Help researchers and builders share their work — without vendor lock-in or maintenance tax.
What's improved
More than just a name change.
A complete modernisation for 2026 and beyond — the same Wowchemy DNA in faster, friendlier clothing.
Ownable CMS for VS Code
Visual editing right in your editor. Drag-and-drop blocks, point-and-click configuration, and live preview. No YAML wrestling required.
5★ rated on the VS Code Marketplace
CLI & automatic upgrader
Keep your site current with the HugoBlox CLI and a GitHub Action that opens upgrade PRs for you — no manual migration work.
HugoBlox AI assistantNew
Ask any HugoBlox question and get an answer grounded in our docs. Built into Ownable CMS, ideal for migrations and customisation.
Migrating from Wowchemy
The fastest path forward.
For old Wowchemy sites we recommend starting fresh — you get the most value, fastest, and your old repo keeps working in the background.
- 01
Start fresh
Pick a modern template that matches your needs. One-click deploy to your own GitHub repo in 30 seconds.
- 02
Configure in Ownable CMS
Use the visual editor to customise colours, fonts, and sections. No YAML, no code — point and click.
- 03
Import your content
Move publications, projects, and posts gradually. The HugoBlox AI assistant can migrate Markdown for you.
Hugo vs JavaScript
Why researchers pick Hugo over Next.js, Gatsby, or Astro.
Your time is too valuable for dependency hell and constant breaking changes. Stable, fast, future-proof.
~70%
Fewer breaking changes
Hugo is stable and mature. No surprise package updates breaking your site overnight.
0
npm dependency hell
No JavaScript bundler conflicts. No node_modules nightmares. No lockfile rebases.
100
Lighthouse scores
Static output by default. Ultra-fast loads, perfect SEO, accessibility built in.
∞
Portability
Markdown content works anywhere — Hugo today, anything tomorrow. No vendor lock-in, ever.
Frequently asked
The Wowchemy → HugoBlox handover, plainly answered.
Ready to experience the new HugoBlox?
Everything you loved about Wowchemy, now better than ever. Start fresh with a modern template — or install Ownable CMS and upgrade your existing site.
Need help migrating? Join the HugoBlox Discord