Stack
Netlify
A hosting platform for static and Jamstack sites, billed through a monthly pool of credits.
What it actually does
Netlify builds and deploys sites from git with deploy previews, form handling, redirects, and serverless functions included. It targets static and Jamstack sites more than long-running backends.
In 2026 all plans are credit-based: bandwidth, deploys, compute, and web requests all draw from one monthly credit pool. The free plan gives 300 credits (roughly 15 GB of bandwidth or about 20 production deploys). Personal is $9/mo for 1,000 credits, and Pro is $20/mo for 3,000 credits with unlimited team seats.
The credit model makes real limits harder to read: a deploy-often workflow competes with your traffic budget in the same pool, and the free tier's 300 credits are a hard cap, so the site pauses when they run out until the next cycle unless you upgrade.
Netlify vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Netlify: Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, Render. Same criteria for every column, including where Netlify loses.
| Netlify |  Vercel |  Cloudflare Pages |  Render | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | ||||
| Free tier | Yes300 credits/mo | YesHobby (non-comm.) | YesUnlimited static | YesYes (spins down) |
| Starting price | $9/mo | $20/user/mo | $5/mo | $7/mo |
| Commercial use on free tier | YesYes | NoNo | YesYes | YesYes |
Platform & runtime | ||||
| Git-push deploy | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes |
| Managed database | NoNo | NoVia partners | YesD1 | YesPostgres |
| Regions / edge | Global CDN | Global edge | 330+ cities | Global CDN |
Scaling & limits | ||||
| Included bandwidth | Credit-based | 1 TB | Unlimited | 5 GB (Hobby) |
| Bandwidth overage | ~$0.13/GB | $0.15/GB | $0 | $0.15/GB |
| Scale to zero | YesFunctions | YesFunctions | YesYes | YesFree tier |
Developer & API | ||||
| REST API | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| CLI | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Team & support | ||||
| Unlimited team seats | YesPro | NoNo (per-seat) | YesFlat | YesYes |
- Personal at $9/mo is the cheapest paid serverless tier among the big platforms
- Pro at $20/mo includes unlimited team seats, no per-seat math
- Credit packs ($5 for 500) let you top up without jumping a whole tier
- Credit system obscures real limits: bandwidth at ~$0.13/GB can burn the free 300 credits in 15 GB of traffic
- Every production deploy burns 15 credits, so deploying often competes with your traffic budget
- No open-source self-host option, and the free tier pauses when its 300 credits run out until the next billing cycle
Pay less for it
4 ways foundEnough for a low-traffic marketing site if you deploy sparingly.
Prepaying annually gives roughly two months free versus monthly.
$5 for 500 extra credits on Personal avoids being pushed up a whole tier.
Cloudflare Pages — Unlimited static hosting is free and functions are $5/mo flat with no bandwidth meter to watch.
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Netlify and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- You run a mostly-static marketing site or docs
- You want the cheapest paid tier ($9) among big serverless platforms
- You need forms, redirects, and deploy previews out of the box
- You deploy many times a day and the credit pool competes with traffic → use Cloudflare Pages
- You need an always-on backend plus a managed database → use Render
Track what Netlify and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.