Netlify vs Vercel

Both give you git deploys, preview URLs and a global CDN. The real differences are framework fit and how each bills you.

Netlify pricing and review Vercel pricing and review

Netlify vs Vercel: the short answer

Pick Vercel if you build with Next.js: ISR, image optimization and middleware arrive there first. Pick Netlify if you want framework-neutral hosting, bundled forms, identity and a Postgres database, or a free plan that can't bill you. Both give you git deploys, preview URLs and a global CDN, so framework fit and billing decide it.

What is Netlify?

Netlify is a hosting platform built around git-connected deploys, a global CDN and serverless functions. It made push to git, get a preview URL the default workflow. It has grown into a fuller platform with edge functions, forms, identity, blob storage and Netlify Database, a built-in Postgres product.

What is Vercel?

Vercel is a hosting platform built by the creators of Next.js and optimized around it, though it hosts other frameworks too. Every push builds and deploys automatically, with a unique preview URL for each branch or pull request.

Netlify vs Vercel pricing

Netlify (credit-based plans):

Free ($0): 300 credits per month, unlimited deploy previews, custom domains with SSL, functions, Netlify Database (Basic), blob storage, one member. Hard limits that can't incur costs.
Personal ($9/month): 1,000 credits per month, one member.
Pro ($20/month, unlimited members): 3,000 to 20,000 credits per month, private organization repos, shared env variables.
Usage burns credits: a production deploy is 15 credits, bandwidth is 20 credits per GB. When a free project hits its limit, all projects on the account pause until the next cycle.

Vercel:

Hobby ($0): for personal, non-commercial use, with caps such as 1M CDN requests, 100 GB Fast Data Transfer and 1M function invocations per month. It can't buy additional usage.
Pro ($20/month): includes $20 of usage credit, then pay as you go, uncapped. New teams get a default on-demand budget of $200. Extra developer seats are $20/month.
Enterprise is custom.

Pricing checked November 2026. For a solo builder, Netlify's Free plan is the safer one because it pauses instead of billing, and it allows commercial use. Vercel Hobby is non-commercial, so a paid project needs Pro at $20/month. That flips if your traffic grows: Vercel Pro's included credit goes further than Netlify's credit pool for some apps, so model your usage.

Key differences

Framework fit. Vercel gets new Next.js features first. Netlify supports Next.js and other SSR frameworks but stays framework-neutral.
Bundled services. Netlify ships forms, identity, blob storage and a Postgres database in one dashboard. Vercel focuses on hosting, functions and observability, with data through Marketplace integrations.
Free plan behavior. Netlify's Free plan is hard-capped and pauses all projects at the limit. Vercel Hobby is capped too, but restricted to non-commercial use.
Billing model. Netlify bills in credits across deploys, bandwidth and compute. Vercel Pro bills metered usage beyond an included credit, such as $0.60 per 1M function invocations.
Spend control. Vercel Pro is uncapped by default, with spend management and an optional hard pause. Netlify's Free plan simply stops.
Preview workflow. Both create previews per branch. Vercel adds a toolbar for preview comments.

When to pick Netlify

You're shipping a static site, marketing page or frontend-heavy app.
You want a free plan that can't surprise you with a bill.
You use a framework other than Next.js.
You want forms, identity or a small Postgres database without another vendor.

When to pick Vercel

Your app is Next.js and you want first-party features.
You want a flat Pro plan with included usage credit.
Preview environments and team review matter.
You're fine moving heavy backend work elsewhere.

Other options

For full backends with workers and Postgres, look at Render or Railway. To self-host the same git-push flow on your own VPS, there's Coolify.

Verdict

Use Vercel for Next.js. Use Netlify for everything else frontend, especially if you want a free plan that can't bill you. Neither is a good home for long-running backend work.