← Back to all toolsWeb Hosting
Vercel
Deploy frontend apps with global CDN, serverless functions, edge functions, and automatic SSL.
Use Cases
Deploy a Next.js e-commerce site with ISR for product pages
Build an edge-rendered blog with serverless API routes for comments
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