Netlify vs Vercel

by Gralio Feb 27, 2025

Netlify and Vercel are both powerful platforms for web development, but they cater to different needs. Netlify is a great choice for static sites and simpler projects, while Vercel is better suited for complex web applications requiring dynamic rendering and advanced performance features.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 133 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 hour, 14 minutes of reading.

Netlify

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Vercel

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About

Netlify is a platform that helps businesses build and run fast and dynamic websites. It brings together a range of web development tools and technologies into a single system, making it easier for teams to work together. Netlify is known for its focus on performance and scalability, ensuring websites can handle traffic and deliver a good user experience. Many large companies use it to simplify their web operations and streamline website development.

Vercel is a cloud platform designed to help developers build and launch websites and web applications quickly. It provides tools and infrastructure for a streamlined development process, enabling teams to go from code to a live website with minimal effort. Vercel focuses on performance and scalability, ensuring websites can handle large amounts of traffic and load quickly for users worldwide. It boasts a user-friendly interface and integrations with popular development tools, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes looking to improve their online presence.

Summary

Main difference

Netlify excels in static site generation and serverless functions, offering a robust free tier and seamless Git integration. Vercel shines with its focus on dynamic rendering, server components, and edge caching, providing a superior developer experience for complex web applications.

Relative strengths of Netlify (compared to Vercel)

Stronger free tier for static sites and serverless functions.
Excellent for simple deployments and rapid prototyping.
Simpler learning curve for beginners and those familiar with static site generators.

Relative weaknesses of Netlify (compared to Vercel)

Less performant for dynamic content and complex web apps.
Limited server-side rendering and edge caching capabilities.
Can be less cost-effective for scaling dynamic applications.

What companies are using Netlify and Vercel?

No data

Zapier

Runway

Leonardo.Ai

Who should use Netlify VS. Vercel

Netlify is a versatile platform ideal for businesses of all sizes aiming to streamline their web development process. Users praise its seamless deployment and generous free tier, while some find the new UI less intuitive and bandwidth limits restrictive. Its automated deployment through GitHub and focus on static websites make it a powerful tool for modern web development.

Vercel is a cloud platform that simplifies building and deploying websites and web apps. It's known for its speed, performance, and seamless GitHub integration, making it easy to go from code to live site quickly. Users love its ease of use and free tier, but some find the pricing for pro features high. Vercel is ideal for businesses of all sizes, particularly those in e-commerce or software development, looking to streamline their web development process.

Ideal for small to large businesses seeking enhanced web development workflows.
Particularly well-suited for E-commerce, IT, and Marketing.

Best for small businesses (1-100 employees) and medium businesses (101-1000 employees), but also suitable for large enterprises (1001+ employees).
An excellent fit for E-commerce and Software/IT/Telecommunications companies.

Netlify and Vercel features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Previews

Supported

Netlify generates preview URLs for every code change via Deploy Previews.

Supported

Vercel generates preview URLs for every code change, enabling quicker feedback.
Development Lifecycle Tracing

Partially supported

Netlify supports development lifecycle partially, mainly via continuous deployment and integrations.

Partially supported

Vercel partially supports development lifecycle tracing through features like conformance and OpenTelemetry integration.
Dynamic UI Rendering

Partially supported

Netlify supports dynamic UI rendering via Astro integration and edge functions.

Supported

Vercel supports dynamic UI rendering with server components, pre-rendering, and edge caching.
Visual Studio Code IDE

Partially supported

Netlify supports building and debugging in VS Code via Netlify CLI. Deployment requires a GitHub integration.

Supported

Vercel supports building, debugging, deploying, and managing projects within VS Code via its extension and CLI.
Continuous delivery support

Supported

Netlify fully supports continuous delivery via continuous deployment.

Supported

Vercel fully automates deployments to production after CI.
CDN hosting

Supported

Netlify hosts minified and bundled files on a CDN by default.

Supported

Vercel hosts minified and bundled files on their CDN.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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Netlify and Vercel Pricing

No data

See full Pricing page

Vercel offers a platform for frontend development and deployment, with a tiered pricing model based on usage and features. The platform includes features such as edge network, compute, edge data, build & iterate, observability, security, and a marketplace for add-ons.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Netlify and Vercel review insights

Users love

Seamless and rapid deployment, often automated through GitHub integration.
User-friendly platform with a relatively easy learning curve.
Generous free tier suitable for personal projects and basic websites.
Robust performance and scalability, ensuring fast loading times.
Strong focus on static websites with features like free SSL and custom domains.

Ease of use. Many users praise Vercel for its user-friendly interface and simple deployment process.
Speed and performance. Users consistently highlight Vercel's fast deployment times and excellent website performance.
Seamless integration with GitHub. The integration with GitHub is widely appreciated for its automation and ease of continuous deployment.
Free tier availability. The free tier is generous, making Vercel accessible for personal projects and experimentation.

Users dislike

Occasional issues with plugin stability can increase build times.
Bandwidth limits can be restrictive for some users.
New UI is considered less intuitive and visually appealing by some users.
Limited support for dynamic websites and applications.
Pricing can be prohibitive for advanced features and larger projects.

High pricing for pro features. Some users feel pricing is too high, especially for the value provided.
Limited customization and control. Some users desire more customization options.
Occasional issues with inaccurate usage reporting, leading to unexpected overage charges.
Customer support, while generally responsive, has room for improvement in terms of resolving complex issues.

Netlify and Vercel Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(50)
Glassdoor

3.2/5

(30)

G2

4.7/5

(42)
Capterra

4.6/5

(35)
TrustPilot

2.8/5

(10)

Company health

Employee growth

19% decrease in the last year

26% increase in the last year

Web traffic

4% increase in the last quarter

4% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

August 2021 - $212M

February 2024 - $563M

How important is native Visual Studio Code integration?

Native Visual Studio Code integration is important for developers who prefer working within the VS Code environment. Vercel offers this integration, streamlining workflows for building, debugging, deploying, and managing projects directly within VS Code. While Netlify integrates with various cloud platforms and tools, it doesn't offer this specific native VS Code integration, potentially requiring developers to switch between tools or use alternative methods. Therefore, for teams heavily reliant on VS Code, Vercel's native integration could be a significant advantage.

Which platform best supports dynamic UI rendering needs?

Vercel best supports dynamic UI rendering. Its features explicitly mention support for dynamic UI rendering using server components, pre-rendering, and edge caching. Netlify, while supporting dynamic websites, focuses more on static site generation and faces some criticism for limitations in dynamic rendering capabilities.

What are the advantages of Netlify?

Netlify offers a generous free tier suitable for personal projects and basic websites, while Vercel's free tier, while available, is less comprehensive. Netlify is praised for its seamless and rapid deployment process, often automated through GitHub integration, which can be a significant advantage for development workflows. Netlify has a strong focus on static websites, providing features like free SSL and custom domains, which may be beneficial for certain types of projects.

What are the disadvantages of Netlify?

Netlify users have reported occasional plugin stability issues leading to increased build times, restrictive bandwidth limits, a less intuitive new UI, limited support for dynamic websites and applications, and potentially prohibitive pricing for advanced features or larger projects.

Alternatives to Netlify and Vercel

Plesk

Plesk is a platform that simplifies website and server management for web professionals and businesses. It provides a single dashboard to manage websites, email accounts, security, and resources. Plesk offers automated tools, easy integration of popular web applications, and compatibility with major cloud providers. It's designed to streamline web hosting operations, freeing up time for users to focus on their core business.

Orb

Orb is a cloud-based billing software designed for modern businesses with complex pricing models like subscriptions or usage-based billing. It helps companies automate their billing processes, from invoicing to revenue recognition. Orb stands out with its flexibility, allowing you to easily change pricing strategies and experiment with different models without heavy technical lifting. It also provides a centralized system for finance and engineering teams to track usage data and gain insights into revenue.

Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate more effectively. Using boards, lists, and cards, teams can easily track progress on projects, from simple to-do lists to complex workflows. Trello offers a high level of customization with features like templates, integrations with other popular apps, and no-code automation. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to use, regardless of technical skill. Trello offers various pricing plans to suit different team sizes and needs, including a free plan for small teams.

Knock

Knock is a notification platform designed for developers to build and manage notification systems for their products. It allows businesses to send notifications across various channels, including email, in-app, push, SMS, and Slack. Knock focuses on providing a scalable and reliable infrastructure, handling everything from sending transactional emails to powering complex cross-channel workflows. It features tools for template management, workflow automation, preference settings, and detailed performance tracking. Knock aims to simplify the notification process, allowing developers to focus on their core product rather than building and maintaining notification infrastructure.

Platform.sh

Platform.sh is a cloud-based platform designed to make building, launching, and managing websites and applications easier for developers. It handles the technical complexities of cloud infrastructure, security, and updates, letting developers focus on creating and improving their software. It offers support for popular programming languages and frameworks, making it versatile for various projects. Platform.sh is committed to providing a secure, reliable, and scalable solution for businesses of all sizes.

Wix

Wix is a website building platform focused on providing businesses with user-friendly tools to create an online presence. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, customizable templates, and features like e-commerce tools, scheduling, and marketing integrations. With Wix, businesses can build a website, manage sales, and engage in digital marketing activities, all from a single platform. The platform caters to a wide range of users, from small businesses to larger enterprises seeking an all-in-one solution.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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