Vercel vs Netlify vs Cloudflare Pages: Which to Choose in 2026

You've built your modern static site. Now where do you deploy it?

Vercel, Netlify, and Cloudflare Pages are the top three platforms. This guide compares them so you can make the right choice.

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Quick Comparison

Feature

Vercel

Netlify

Cloudflare Pages

Best for

Next.js

JAMstack general

Global speed

Free tier

Generous

Generous

Very generous

Build minutes

6000/mo free

300/mo free

Unlimited

Bandwidth

100GB free

100GB free

Unlimited free

Edge functions

✅

✅

✅ Workers

Framework support

Excellent

Excellent

Good

Deploy previews

✅

✅

✅

Analytics

Built-in

Paid add-on

Free WAF insights

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Vercel

Created by the Next.js team. The framework-first platform.

Strengths

Next.js Integration

Vercel created Next.js, so integration is perfect. Features like ISR, middleware, and API routes work flawlessly.

Developer Experience

• One-click deploys from Git

• Automatic preview deployments

• Instant rollbacks

• Excellent CLI

Performance

• Edge Network (global CDN)

• Edge Functions

• Image optimization built-in

• Smart caching

Modern Features

• Serverless functions

• Edge middleware

• Cron jobs

• Feature flags (beta)

Weaknesses

• Next.js focus: Other frameworks work but aren't prioritized

• Pricing concerns: Can get expensive at scale

• Limited build minutes on free: 6000/month sounds like a lot until you're building often

Pricing

Plan

Price

Key Limits

Hobby

Free

100GB bandwidth, personal use only

Pro

$20/user/mo

1TB bandwidth, commercial use

Enterprise

Custom

Unlimited, SLA

Gotcha: Free tier is personal, non-commercial only. Businesses need Pro.

Best For

• Next.js projects

• React-based sites

• Teams wanting best DX

• Performance-critical applications

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Netlify

The original JAMstack platform. Framework-agnostic.

Strengths

Framework Agnostic

Works equally well with any static site generator: Next.js, Astro, Hugo, 11ty, Gatsby, etc.

All-in-One Platform

• Netlify Forms (no backend needed)

• Netlify Identity (auth)

• Netlify CMS (now Decap)

• Split testing

• Analytics (paid)

Excellent DX

• Drag and drop deploys

• Branch deploys

• Deploy previews

• Rollbacks

Netlify Edge Functions

Built on Deno, run at the edge globally.

Weaknesses

• Build minutes limited: 300/month free is tight

• Bandwidth overages: Can get expensive

• Some features paid: Forms, Identity have limits

• Slower than Cloudflare: Good, but not the fastest

Pricing

Plan

Price

Key Limits

Free

$0

300 build min, 100GB bandwidth

Pro

$19/user/mo

25K build min, 1TB bandwidth

Business

$99/user/mo

Priority support, higher limits

Enterprise

Custom

Everything

Build minute struggles: Active projects can burn through 300 minutes quickly.

Best For

• Framework-agnostic projects

• Teams wanting all-in-one platform

• Projects needing forms/auth without backend

• Non-Next.js static sites

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Cloudflare Pages

Built on Cloudflare's network. Speed and value champion.

Strengths

Unbeatable Free Tier

• Unlimited bandwidth (really unlimited)

• Unlimited build minutes (500 builds/month)

• No "personal use only" restriction

Global Performance

Cloudflare's network is one of the fastest. Sites load quickly everywhere.

Cloudflare Workers

Full serverless platform for backend logic, edge functions, KV storage, etc.

Integrated Security

• Free SSL

• DDoS protection

• WAF rules

• Bot protection

Full Stack Capable

With Workers, D1 (database), R2 (storage), you can build complete applications.

Weaknesses

• Newer platform: Less mature than Vercel/Netlify

• Framework support: Works but less polished

• Build UX: Not as smooth as competitors

• Documentation gaps: Some features less documented

Pricing

Plan

Price

Key Limits

Free

$0

Unlimited bandwidth, 500 builds/mo

Pro

$20/mo

More workers, analytics

Business

$200/mo

WAF rules, support

Enterprise

Custom

SLA, advanced features

Value champion: Free tier is incredibly generous. Most sites never need to pay.

Best For

• Budget-conscious projects

• High-traffic sites

• Global audiences

• Projects needing Cloudflare ecosystem (Workers, KV, R2)

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Deep Dive: Key Comparisons

Build Minutes

Platform

Free

Pro

Vercel

6000/mo

Unlimited

Netlify

300/mo

25,000/mo

Cloudflare

∞ (500 builds)

∞

Winner: Cloudflare Pages (unlimited build minutes, limit is per build count)

Bandwidth

Platform

Free

Pro

Vercel

100GB

1TB

Netlify

100GB

1TB

Cloudflare

Unlimited

Unlimited

Winner: Cloudflare Pages (unlimited, always)

Serverless Functions

Platform

Technology

Cold Start

Vercel

Node.js, Edge

Fast

Netlify

Node.js, Deno (Edge)

Moderate

Cloudflare

Workers (V8)

Fastest (0ms)

Winner: Cloudflare Workers (V8 isolates have no cold starts)

Deploy Previews

All three offer automatic preview deployments for PRs:

• Vercel: Automatic, comments on PRs

• Netlify: Automatic, comments on PRs

• Cloudflare: Automatic, comments available

Winner: Tie—all excellent

Framework Support

Framework

Vercel

Netlify

Cloudflare

Next.js

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

Astro

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hugo

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

11ty

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

SvelteKit

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Remix

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Vercel for Next.js, Netlify for everything else

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Real-World Performance

Global load times (median, based on various benchmarks):

Region

Vercel

Netlify

Cloudflare

US East

45ms

52ms

28ms

US West

51ms

60ms

31ms

Europe

75ms

85ms

35ms

Asia

120ms

140ms

55ms

Australia

110ms

125ms

48ms

Winner: Cloudflare Pages consistently fastest globally

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Feature Comparison

Forms

Platform

Native Forms

Free Limit

Vercel

❌ (use third party)

N/A

Netlify

✅

100/mo free

Cloudflare

❌ (use Workers)

N/A

Winner: Netlify (if you want built-in forms)

Analytics

Platform

Built-in

Cost

Vercel

✅ Web Vitals

Pro plans

Netlify

✅

$9/site/mo

Cloudflare

✅ Basic

Free

Auth

Platform

Built-in Auth

Vercel

❌

Netlify

✅ Identity

Cloudflare

❌ (use Access)

Winner: Netlify (if you want simple auth)

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Migration Considerations

Moving from WordPress

All three platforms work great for hosting your migrated static site:

1. Export WordPress content → Our tool

2. Build with Next.js/Astro/etc.

3. Connect Git repo to platform

4. Auto-deploys on push

Switching Between Platforms

Moving between these platforms is easy:

• All support Git-based deploys

• Build commands are similar

• Environment variables transfer

• Just reconnect repo to new platform

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Decision Framework

Choose Vercel If:

• ✅ Using Next.js

• ✅ Want best developer experience

• ✅ Building serious commercial project

• ✅ Need ISR, middleware, advanced Next.js features

Choose Netlify If:

• ✅ Using non-Next.js frameworks

• ✅ Need built-in forms and auth

• ✅ Want all-in-one platform

• ✅ Prefer mature, established platform

Choose Cloudflare If:

• ✅ Budget is a concern

• ✅ Need maximum performance

• ✅ Have global audience

• ✅ Want to use Workers ecosystem

• ✅ High traffic expected

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My Recommendations

For Next.js Projects

Vercel → Best integration, features work perfectly

For Most JAMstack Sites

Cloudflare Pages → Unbeatable value, excellent performance

For Feature-Rich Deployments

Netlify → Forms, auth, analytics in one place

For Hobby/Side Projects

Cloudflare Pages → Generous free tier, no commercial restrictions

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FAQ

Q: Can I use more than one platform?

Yes! Some teams use Vercel for main app and Cloudflare for landing pages.

Q: What about GitHub Pages?

GitHub Pages is free and works well for simple static sites. These platforms offer more features (functions, forms, previews).

Q: Will my WordPress site work on these platforms?

Not directly. You need to convert to static first using our WordPress to Next.js migration guide. Then any of these platforms work great.

Q: Which is fastest?

Cloudflare Pages, especially for global audiences. For a deep dive into performance, see our WordPress speed optimization guide.

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Conclusion

All three platforms are excellent. Your choice depends on priorities:

Priority

Choose

Next.js DX

Vercel

All-in-one features

Netlify

Value + Speed

Cloudflare Pages

For most WordPress migrants building static sites, Cloudflare Pages offers the best combination of performance, features, and pricing.

Related guides:

• WordPress to Next.js Complete Migration Guide

• Deploy to Vercel Step-by-Step Guide

• Best WordPress Alternatives for 2026

Start your migration →