Overview
Side-by-side comparison of the three most popular free static hosting platforms — covering deployment experience, custom domains, SSL, CI/CD, and when to choose each.
Key Differences
GitHub Pages and Vercel and Netlify take different approaches to hosting, each with unique strengths. Below is a detailed feature comparison.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GitHub Pages | Vercel | Netlify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier Limits | 1 GB storage, 100 GB bandwidth/month | 100 GB bandwidth, 6000 build min/month | 100 GB bandwidth, 300 build min/month |
| Custom Domain | ✅ Supported with CNAME | ✅ Supported with CNAME | ✅ Supported with CNAME |
| SSL Certificate | ✅ Auto-provisioned (Let's Encrypt) | ✅ Auto-provisioned (Let's Encrypt) | ✅ Auto-provisioned (Let's Encrypt) |
| CI/CD | ✅ From GitHub only | ✅ From Git (auto-deploy) | ✅ From Git (auto-deploy) |
| Serverless Functions | ❌ Not available | ✅ Edge + Serverless | ✅ Serverless functions |
| Build Framework Support | Jekyll only (auto) | 100+ frameworks auto-detect | 100+ frameworks auto-detect |
| Global CDN | ✅ Fastly (limited POPs) | ✅ Vercel Edge Network | ✅ Netlify Edge |
| Preview Deployments | ❌ Not available | ✅ For every PR | ✅ For every PR |
When to Choose Each
Choose GitHub Pages if Choose GitHub Pages if you are hosting a simple static site, a Jekyll blog, or a project documentation page. It is ideal if you want zero configuration and already use GitHub for version control. Avoid it if you need serverless functions, framework auto-detection beyond Jekyll, or preview deployments.
Choose Vercel if Choose Vercel if you are deploying a frontend framework like Next.js, React, or Svelte. It excels at SSR, edge functions, and preview deployments for every branch. The generous build minutes make it suitable for active development teams.
Choose Netlify if Choose Netlify if you need serverless functions, form handling, and split testing for static sites. Netlify's developer experience is excellent for SPAs and static sites that need backend-like features without managing servers.
Conclusion
All of these platforms 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.