Netlify
Vercel
| Feature | Netlify | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $19/mo | Free / from $20/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, agencies, small-teams, jamstack-developers | frontend-developers, startups, agencies, jamstack-teams |
| Founded | 2014 | 2015 |
| Git Deploy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Serverless Functions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Identity | ✓ | ✗ |
| Split Testing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edge Functions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cdn | ✗ | ✓ |
| Preview Deployments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Edge Middleware | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cron Jobs | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Netlify Pros
- Extremely generous free tier (100GB bandwidth)
- Built-in forms without backend code
- Split testing (A/B) built-in
- Framework-agnostic — works with anything
✗ Netlify Cons
- Build times can be slow for large sites
- Serverless functions less powerful than Vercel's
- UI can be confusing for complex setups
✓ Vercel Pros
- Zero-config deployments from Git
- Instant global CDN
- Preview deployments for every PR
- Created and maintains Next.js
✗ Vercel Cons
- Serverless limitations for long-running tasks
- Can get expensive with high traffic
- Best suited for Next.js — others less optimized
The Verdict
Netlify is built for developers and agencies, with a focus on git-deploy and serverless-functions. Vercel targets frontend developers and startups and leads with git-deploy and cdn.
Pricing is close: Netlify starts at $19/mo versus $20/mo for Vercel — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for agencies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.