What is the best open source alternative to Vercel?

Appwrite Sites is a strong open source alternative to Vercel. Unlike most static site hosts, it combines static and server-side rendering with built-in backend services such as authentication, databases, and serverless functions. This makes it ideal for developers who want more control without vendor lock-in.

Can I host a static website with a secure custom domain using Appwrite?

Yes. Appwrite Sites supports custom domains with free SSL certificates. You can deploy your static or SSR site and serve it securely over HTTPS, all managed through the Appwrite dashboard.

Does Appwrite offer enterprise support plans?

Yes. Appwrite provides enterprise-grade support, including SLAs, security compliance, and dedicated assistance for larger teams and organizations building critical applications.

What makes Appwrite different from Firebase or Netlify?

While Firebase and Netlify focus either on backend services or frontend hosting, Appwrite combines both. You get static site hosting, server-side rendering, databases, authentication, storage, and functions in one open source platform.

Can I deploy a React app with backend services in Appwrite?

Absolutely. You can deploy your React frontend with Appwrite Sites and connect it directly to Appwrite's backend services, such as database, authentication, and storage. This gives you a full-stack setup without relying on multiple providers.

How does Appwrite compare to Render, Netlify, and Vercel?

Render and Netlify provide solid free static site hosting, while Vercel is optimized for frontend frameworks like Next.js. Appwrite Sites goes further by combining hosting with backend services, making it more versatile for teams building full-stack applications.

Can I use GitHub Actions to deploy to Appwrite Sites?

Not directly. While Appwrite integrates with GitHub repositories for automatic deployments, GitHub Actions do not work with Sites out of the box today. Instead, you can connect your GitHub repo directly in the Appwrite console, and every push will trigger a deployment automatically. This gives you the benefits of continuous deployment without having to manually configure GitHub Actions.

Does Appwrite Sites support preview deployments like Vercel and Netlify?

Yes. Appwrite Sites offers preview deployments for every pull request or branch. This means that whenever you push a new feature or bug fix, Appwrite automatically creates a live preview URL. Your team can test the changes in a production-like environment before merging, making collaboration faster and safer.

6 best free static website hosting services compared_

See how Vercel, Render, Netlify, GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages and Appwrite Sites compare on features, pricing, and ease of use.

Veeresh Mulge

Growth Marketer

Oct 4, 202510 min read

If you’ve ever built a static website, you know the feeling of getting it ready to go live and then asking yourself, “Where do I host this… without paying a dime?” The good news is that there are plenty of platforms today that let you publish static websites for free. Whether it’s a personal portfolio, a side project, or an MVP you’re testing, free static site hosting has become the default way to get started fast.

But with so many hosting services available, choosing the right one can get confusing. So instead of leaving you to dig through multiple docs and pricing pages, we put together this simple comparison of the 6 best free static hosting providers.

Here’s a quick table to give you the overview before we dive into each service:

Hosting Service	Free Plan	Deployments	Rendering support	Custom Domains	Auth, DB, storage integration	Best feature
Vercel	Hobby (free)	Auto from Git, instant previews	Static + SSR	Yes	No (external required)	Optimized for modern frameworks (Next.js)
Render	Free static sites	Git-based	Static only	Yes	No (external required)	Simple, reliable global CDN
Netlify	Starter (free forever)	Git deploys, preview builds	Static (SSR via edge functions)	Yes	No (external required)	Built-in serverless functions + extras
GitHub Pages	Free for public repos	Push to repo, auto-build with Jekyll	Static only	Yes	No (external required)	Zero-cost hosting tied to GitHub
Clouflare Pages	Yes	Git-based auto-deploys, CLI	Static + SSR	Yes	No (external required)	Deep integration with Cloudflare’s global edge network
Appwrite Sites	Free	Git-based auto-deploys, CLI, manual upload	Static + SSR	Yes	Yes	All-in-one: hosting + backend services

Appwrite Sites

Appwrite Sites is designed to go beyond traditional free static site hosting. Alongside static and server-side rendering, it integrates backend services such as databases, authentication, storage, and serverless functions. This makes it more than just an HTML hosting service, it’s an all-in-one developer platform that allows you to build, deploy, and scale full-stack applications without juggling multiple providers.

Key features of Appwrite Sites

Supports static and server-side rendering (Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, Remix, etc.)
Git-based deployments with previews
Global CDN with SSL and DDoS protection
Built-in backend services: auth, database, functions, storage

Pricing of Appwrite Sites

Open source and self-hostable
Cloud option: Free tier available, with paid Pro plan starting at $25/month.

Pros and cons of Appwrite Sites

Pros	Cons
All-in-one: frontend + backend in one ecosystem	Ecosystem still newer compared to incumbents
Flexible support for static and SSR	Pricing model for scaling still maturing
Open source foundation with no vendor lock-in	Fewer third-party integrations so far

Vercel

Vercel is a favourite among frontend developers because it makes it simple to host a static website connected to your Git workflow. Every push triggers an instant deploy, and every pull request gets its own preview URL.

Key features of Vercel

Git integration with auto-deploys and preview URLs
Global CDN and edge network
Serverless functions support
Edge and Node runtime support
Framework-optimized especially for Next.js.

Pricing of Vercel

Hobby (Free): 1M requests/month, 100 GB bandwidth, limited serverless usage
Pro: starts at $20 per user/month with higher limits

Pros and cons of Vercel

Pros	Cons
Excellent developer experience	Quite costly when compared to other competitors
Great for modern frontend frameworks	Limited backend support
Instant previews and rollbacks	Overages can get costly

Render

Render is often overlooked, but it’s a clean option for static site hosting, free of complexity. You connect your repo, and every commit deploys automatically to a global CDN.

Key features of Render

Git-based deployments with auto-builds
Global CDN with caching and HTTPS
Custom domains with automatic SSL
Preview builds for pull requests

Pricing of Render

Free static sites: 100 GB/month bandwidth, 750 build minutes/month
Paid plans scale with bandwidth and build usage

Pros and cons of Render

Pros	Cons
Straightforward and reliable for static hosting	Bandwidth and build limits on free plan
Easy Git workflow	No guarantees of “always-on” behaviour for dynamic/web services on the free tier
Custom domains included even on free plan	Lacks advanced serverless features

Netlify

Netlify set the standard for modern free hosting static website platforms. It goes beyond simple HTML hosting with useful extras like form handling, functions, and identity.

Key features of Netlify

Git-based continuous deployment
Serverless functions and edge functions
Previews, rollbacks, and global CDN
Built-in extras: form handling, identity, analytics

Pricing of Netlify

Starter (Free forever): 100 GB bandwidth, 300 build minutes, 125k serverless function calls
Pro: $19 per user/month with larger limits and team features

Pros and cons of Netlify

Pros	Cons
Very generous free tier	Build minutes and bandwidth can run out fast
Built-in extras reduce need for third-party tools	Sites may pause when limits are exceeded
One of the most popular and battle-tested platforms	Pricing can get complex at scale

GitHub Pages

If all you need is free static webpage hosting, GitHub Pages is the simplest choice. You push your site to a repository and it’s live. It’s great for documentation, blogs, and personal projects.

Key features of GitHub Pages

Free hosting directly from GitHub repos
Built-in Jekyll support for static site builds
Free HTTPS and custom domains
Simple workflow tied to commits

Pricing of GitHub Pages

Free for public repositories
Requires a paid GitHub plan for private repos

Pros and cons of GitHub Pages

Pros	Cons
Truly free and reliable	Static-only, no backend support
Easy to use for docs and portfolios	Public repo requirement on free plan
Integrated into GitHub’s workflow	No request logging, analytics, rollbacks, or deployment management.

Cloudflare Pages

Cloudflare Pages is a relatively newer option, but has grown fast thanks to Cloudflare’s global infrastructure. It provides free, globally distributed static hosting with Git integration and the ability to run dynamic code through Cloudflare Workers.

Key features of Cloudflare Pages

Git-based deployments with preview builds
Global CDN with Cloudflare’s edge network
Custom domains with free SSL
Integration with Cloudflare Workers for SSR and dynamic functionality
Edge Functions for APIs and personalization

Pricing of Cloudflare Pages

Free: 500 builds/month, unlimited requests, 100 custom domains
Paid Pro plan: $20/month for 5k builds/month, higher concurrency, and Workers KV/Durable Objects access

Pros and cons of Cloudflare Pages

Pros	Cons
Global edge network ensures fast performance worldwide	Build concurrency and Workers limits on free plan
Deep integration with Cloudflare services (DNS, Workers, KV, R2, etc.)	Requires familiarity with Cloudflare ecosystem
Generous free tier with unlimited requests	More setup needed compared to plug-and-play hosts like Netlify