Overview
Compare GitHub Pages and Netlify for free static site hosting — features, limitations, custom domain support, CI/CD pipelines, and which projects suit each platform.
Key Differences
GitHub Pages and Netlify take different approaches to hosting, each with unique strengths. Below is a detailed feature comparison.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GitHub Pages | Netlify |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier Limits | 1 GB storage, 100 GB bandwidth/month | 100 GB bandwidth, 300 build min/month |
| Custom Domain | ✅ Supported with CNAME | ✅ Supported with CNAME |
| SSL Certificate | ✅ Auto-provisioned (Let's Encrypt) | ✅ Auto-provisioned (Let's Encrypt) |
| CI/CD Pipeline | ✅ From GitHub pushes only | ✅ From Git pushes + auto-deploy |
| Serverless Functions | ❌ Not available | ✅ 125K requests/month |
| Build Framework Support | Jekyll only (auto); others need manual config | 100+ frameworks auto-detected |
| Form Handling | ❌ Not available | ✅ 100 submissions/month (free) |
| Preview Deployments | ❌ Not available | ✅ Deploy previews for every PR |
| Deploy from Private Repos | ✅ Free (unlimited private repos) | ✅ Free (unlimited private repos) |
When to Choose Each
Choose GitHub Pages if Choose GitHub Pages if your project is a simple static site or Jekyll blog hosted on GitHub and you do not need server-side processing. It is the simplest option with zero build configuration for compatible sites.
Choose Netlify if Choose Netlify if you need serverless functions, form handling, deploy previews, or support for any static site generator. Netlify's richer feature set makes it better for dynamic-static hybrid sites.
Conclusion
Both GitHub Pages and Netlify are excellent choices for hosting projects on is-pro.dev subdomains. The right choice depends on your specific needs — review the table above and pick the platform that aligns best with your project requirements and skill set.