Head-to-head

Netlify vs Vercel

Two hosts, side by side. Pricing, features, and the trade-offs that actually matter.

Netlify from Free

Vercel's older sibling — broader framework support, more even-keeled pricing.

HQ US · founded 2014
Vercel from Free

The default home for Next.js, with a polished DX and a love-it-or-hate-it bill.

HQ US · founded 2015

Quick verdict

Cheapest: Vercel wins on entry price (Free vs Free).
More features: Vercel ships more first-party platform features out of the box.
Region: Netlify is HQ'd in US; Vercel in US.

Cheapest plans, side by side

NetlifyVercel
Entry planStarterHobby
PriceFreeFree
CPU
RAM0 GB0 GB
Disk— GB— GB
Bandwidth100 GB100 GB

Feature parity

NetlifyVercel
Managed Postgres×
Managed Redis×
Object storage×
One-click apps
Private network××
IPv6××
DDoS protection
Snapshots××
Public API
Terraform××

Netlify pros

  • +First-class support for many SSGs, not just Next.js
  • +Forms, identity, and Edge Functions wrapped into one bill
  • +Free tier is generous and commercial use is allowed

Netlify cons

  • Build minute overages bite for monorepos
  • Functions are AWS Lambda under the hood; cold starts apply
  • Less aggressive at frontier features than Vercel — you'll lag on cutting-edge framework support

Vercel pros

  • +Push to GitHub, get a preview URL — no other host has tightened this loop further
  • +Image optimisation, ISR, edge functions all wired in by default
  • +Generous free tier covers solo side projects

Vercel cons

  • Bandwidth and function execution beyond the free tier scale aggressively
  • Pro plan starts at $20/seat/month — expensive for a solo dev
  • Long-running functions are not the platform's strength (15-min cap, costly)