Vercel
Deploy frontend apps with global CDN, serverless functions, edge functions, and automatic SSL.
Best for Next.js apps and frontend frameworks that need edge rendering and serverless APIs.
Use Cases
Free Tier
100GB bandwidth, 6000 build minutes/month, unlimited sites
How to Maximize the Free Tier
Maximize Vercel's 6000 build minutes by enabling Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) — pages rebuild on-demand instead of on every deploy. Use Vercel Edge Functions for latency-sensitive logic (they share the bandwidth pool efficiently). Keep an eye on the 100GB bandwidth cap: compress images before deployment and use an external CDN for media files to stay within the free tier limit.
Getting Started
Sign up via GitHub → import repo → Vercel detects framework automatically → deploy → add custom domain in project settings → configure serverless functions in /api.
Pros
- Next.js native: Built for Next.js — ISR, edge functions, and Vercel Analytics work out of the box
- Build minutes: 6000 build minutes/month is generous for active development and frequent deploys
- Global CDN: Automatic SSL and global CDN with edge caching included on the free plan
Cons
- Bandwidth cap: 100GB/month bandwidth limit can be tight for sites with heavy media or API traffic
- Pro lock-in: Team features, analytics, and advanced observability require the Pro plan ($20/mo)
- Cold starts: Serverless and edge functions experience cold starts during traffic spikes after idle periods