Best Jekyll Themes for a Portfolio Website (2026)
The best Jekyll portfolio themes for designers, developers, photographers, and academics — with live demos, feature breakdowns, and setup guidance.
A portfolio is one of the best use cases for Jekyll. Static files load instantly, hosting is free on GitHub Pages, and the result looks as good as any dynamic site — without the maintenance overhead. Here are the best Jekyll portfolio themes available in 2026.
What Makes a Great Jekyll Portfolio Theme?
Before picking a theme, consider what your portfolio needs:
- Image-forward layout — your work should be the hero
- Responsive design — looks great on mobile and desktop
- Fast loading — first impressions matter
- Easy content updates — adding new projects should take minutes
- GitHub Pages compatibility — for free, zero-maintenance hosting
Best Jekyll Portfolio Themes
1. al-folio — Best for Academics and Researchers
al-folio is the most popular academic portfolio theme on GitHub. It renders publications, projects, CV, and blog posts from simple Markdown and YAML files — with BibTeX citation support built in.
Best for: Researchers, PhD students, professors, academics
Stars: 10,000+
Price: Free (MIT)
Demo: academicpages.github.io
Features:
- Publication list with BibTeX auto-rendering
- Projects grid with tags
- CV page generated from YAML data
- News/updates feed
- Google Scholar integration
2. Hydejack — Best for Developer Portfolios
Hydejack is a premium-quality free Jekyll theme built specifically for developers who want a portfolio and a blog in one. The signature sidebar, smooth page transitions, and dark mode make it one of the most visually distinctive Jekyll themes.
Best for: Developers, designers, tech professionals
Stars: 8,000+
Price: Free (basic) / PRO $99
Demo: hydejack.com
Features:
- Projects showcase with case study pages
- Resume/CV page built from YAML
- Dark mode
- Offline support (PRO)
- Beautiful typography
3. Modern Resume Theme — Best Single-Page Portfolio
Modern Resume Theme is a clean, single-page portfolio and resume Jekyll theme. Everything lives on one page — your bio, skills, experience, education, and projects — making it ideal for a concise professional introduction.
Best for: Job seekers, freelancers, early-career professionals
Stars: 2,000+
Price: Free
Demo: sproogen.github.io/modern-resume-theme
4. Minimal Mistakes — Best All-Purpose Portfolio
Minimal Mistakes is the most flexible Jekyll theme available. Its portfolio layout (collection) lets you showcase projects with full case study pages, categories, and tags. The 9 available skins mean you can achieve very different looks without touching CSS.
Best for: Developers and writers who want a blog + portfolio
Stars: 12,000+
Price: Free
5. Huxpro — Best Cover Image Portfolio Blog
Huxpro brings Ghost’s Casper aesthetic to Jekyll. Each post or project has its own full-screen cover image, creating a magazine-quality portfolio-blog hybrid that stands out from typical developer sites.
Best for: Creatives, writers, developers with strong visual content
Stars: 5,400+
Price: Free
Demo: huxpro.github.io
6. Online CV — Best Minimal Resume Portfolio
Online CV is a single-page Jekyll CV theme that is clean, readable, and completely content-focused. No distractions — just your skills, experience, and contact information presented professionally.
Best for: Job seekers, consultants
Stars: 2,200+
Price: Free
How to Set Up a Jekyll Portfolio on GitHub Pages
Step 1: Fork the theme repository
Go to your chosen theme’s GitHub repository and click Fork.
Step 2: Rename the repository
Rename it to yourusername.github.io to get a free custom domain.
Step 3: Edit _config.yml
title: "Your Name"
tagline: "Designer & Developer"
description: "Portfolio and blog of Your Name"
url: "https://yourusername.github.io"
author:
name: "Your Name"
email: "you@example.com"
github: yourusername
linkedin: yourusername
Step 4: Add your projects
Most portfolio themes store projects in _projects/ or _portfolio/:
---
title: "My Project"
date: 2026-01-01
image: /assets/images/project.jpg
tags: [React, Node.js, PostgreSQL]
link: https://myproject.com
---
Description of the project and what you built.
Step 5: Deploy
Push your changes — GitHub Pages builds and deploys automatically within 2 minutes.
Tips for a High-Converting Portfolio
- Lead with your best work — put your 3 strongest projects first
- Write case studies, not just screenshots — explain the problem you solved
- Keep contact info visible — don’t make visitors search for it
- Use real screenshots — avoid mockups that don’t show actual work
- Keep it fast — compress images, avoid heavy JS libraries
Browse All Jekyll Portfolio Themes
See the full collection of Jekyll portfolio themes on JekyllHub, including both free and premium options with live demos and GitHub star counts.