- Netlify alternatives side by side
- Eleven Netlify alternatives to consider
- The free hosting rule that catches businesses
- Static host or full app platform?
- Questions to ask before you move off Netlify
- How to move a site without downtime
- Signs your hosting platform no longer fits
- My plain advice on choosing a Netlify alternative
- Frequently asked questions
The best Netlify alternatives host your website or front end from Git, add a global network and handle SSL for you. Some are simple static hosts for a single page or a hand-coded site, while others run full apps, APIs and databases in the cloud. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
Netlify made deploying a website as easy as pushing code, and plenty of platforms now offer something similar. The right one depends on whether you're hosting a brochure site, a documentation site or a web app with a database behind it.
The eleven platforms below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the platform's own website, read this week. If you only need a simple page for a campaign, my article on whether you need hosting for a landing page might save you a setup.
Netlify alternatives side by side
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free account or open source software. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start for free.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Amplify Hosting | Static and server-rendered app deploys on AWS | Teams already on AWS | Not stated |
| Azure Static Web Apps | Static web app hosting on Microsoft Azure | Microsoft and Azure shops | Not stated |
| Cloudflare Pages | Serverless full-stack hosting platform | Fast static and full-stack sites | Not stated |
| Firebase Hosting | Static website hosting from Google | Static sites tied to a Firebase app | Yes |
| GitHub Pages | Websites hosted from a GitHub repository | Project sites and documentation | Not stated |
| Koyeb | Infrastructure for APIs, inference and databases | APIs and AI inference workloads | Not stated |
| Neocities | Free website hosting community | Hand-made personal websites | Yes |
| Railway | All-in-one cloud provider | Deploying a full stack quickly | Not stated |
| Render | Cloud platform for apps and agents | Moving from static sites to full apps | Not stated |
| Surge | Static web publishing from the command line | One-command static deploys | Not stated |
| Tiiny Host | Simple web hosting for sharing work online | Sharing a prototype or file in seconds | Not stated |
Eleven Netlify alternatives to consider
AWS Amplify Hosting
Best for: Teams already running on AWS who want React and server-side rendered apps deployed and hosted inside their AWS account.
Azure Static Web Apps
Best for: Developers in Microsoft-heavy organisations who want static front ends and APIs hosted on Azure with GitHub or Azure DevOps deploys.
Cloudflare Pages
Best for: Front-end developers who want Git-based deploys on a global network, with serverless functions alongside the static site.
Firebase Hosting
Best for: Mobile and web app teams already using Firebase who want a free starting allowance for hosting their site.
GitHub Pages
Best for: Open source projects and personal sites that live in a GitHub repository and only need simple static hosting.
Koyeb
Best for: Teams deploying APIs, databases and AI inference who want a managed platform without running their own servers.
Neocities
Best for: Hobbyists and creatives who want to build a free hand-coded personal website and share it with a friendly community.
Railway
Best for: Indie developers who want to deploy an app, its database and background jobs from one dashboard without writing config.
Render
Best for: Startups that have outgrown static hosting and need web services, workers and databases with autoscaling.
Surge
Best for: Front-end developers who want to publish HTML, CSS and JavaScript from the command line in seconds.
Tiiny Host
Best for: Freelancers and marketers who want to upload a single page, prototype or PDF and get a shareable link straight away.
The free hosting rule that catches businesses
Free static hosting comes with rules, and GitHub's own documentation is a good example. It says its Pages service is not intended for or allowed to be used as a free web-hosting service to run your online business, e-commerce site or software as a service.
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The same page says published sites may be no larger than 1 GB and have a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB per month. Other hosts have their own fair-use rules, so read them before you move a business site onto a free plan.
Static host or full app platform?
Static hosts serve files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images. They're fast, simple and ideal for marketing sites, portfolios and documentation. Full app platforms run code on servers, connect to databases and handle background jobs.
If your site is built with a framework that renders pages on the server, check that the platform supports it fully. A static host alone won't run that kind of app.
Questions to ask before you move off Netlify
- Does it deploy straight from my Git repository?
- Does it support the framework my site is built with?
- Can I add serverless functions or a database later?
- What are the usage limits on the free or starter plan?
- Can I add my own domain with SSL included?
- How easy is it to roll back a broken deploy?
How to move a site without downtime
Deploy to the new platform first and test it on its temporary address. Check forms, redirects, environment variables and any serverless functions, because those are the parts that quietly break in a move. When it all works, lower your DNS time-to-live a day before the switch.
Then point the domain at the new host and keep the old deploy running for a few days. If anything's wrong, you can switch back in minutes. Don't forget your redirects file, because a missing redirect can lose you search traffic you've spent years earning.
Signs your hosting platform no longer fits
- Builds keep timing out. Your site has grown.
- You need a database. Static hosting won't cover it.
- Usage limits worry you. Read the fair-use rules.
- Only one person can deploy. Give the team access too.
Do you make a website or app hosting platform? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a Netlify alternative
Match the host to the site, not to the hype. A small business brochure site doesn't need a cloud platform built for autoscaling apps, and a growing web app will quickly outgrow a free static host.
Whatever you pick, keep deploys boring and repeatable so anyone on the team can ship a fix. My round-up of developer productivity tools that work has more ideas for a calm workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Netlify?
It depends on whether you host a static site or a full app. The list above is in no particular order because each platform suits a different job.
Is there a free alternative to Netlify?
Several hosts offer free plans or free allowances. The free plan column shows what each platform's own site says.
Can I host a business website on a free static host?
GitHub says its Pages service is not intended for running an online business, e-commerce site or SaaS, so read its rules first.
Do I need a static host or an app platform?
A static host serves files. An app platform runs server code and databases. Pick based on how your site is built.
Can I keep my domain if I move host?
Yes. You point your domain's DNS records at the new host, and most platforms add SSL for you.
How hard is it to move a site?
For a static site built from Git, moving can take minutes. Apps with databases and environment settings take longer to test.
