Vercel

What it is

Vercel invented the "git push to deploy" category for frontend frameworks, and they're still the best at it. First-class Next.js support (they make Next.js), fast global CDN, preview deployments for every PR, and the slickest dashboard in the business.

Who it's for

• Next.js projects (first-party support, fastest builds, best integration)
• Teams that ship frontend code frequently and want zero ops overhead
• Projects where DX velocity matters more than infrastructure cost

The good

DX is a 10/10. Zero config for Next.js. Preview URLs on every branch. Edge functions with minimal cold starts. The dev experience from commit to live is the gold standard.

The free tier is genuinely useful. For hobby projects and this site (techflak), the Hobby plan handles serious traffic. SSG pages hit the CDN, no functions spinning up for no reason.

Preview deployments are transformative. Every PR gets a unique URL. Stakeholders can review on real infrastructure. This alone justifies the tooling for teams with any QA process.

The bad

Pricing at scale is non-obvious. Bandwidth overages, function execution time, and seat costs stack up. A real production app with significant traffic can hit $200–$500/mo before you expect it.

Vendor lock-in is real. Edge middleware, image optimization, OG image generation, and ISR are all Vercel-specific. Migrating to another host means rewriting infrastructure code.

Support on free/hobby is community-only. Response times on paid plans are acceptable but not exceptional.

Pricing reality

Free: real for side projects. Pro at $20/user/mo: fine for small teams. Beyond that, do the math on bandwidth and function invocations for your specific traffic pattern before you commit.

Verdict

Vercel is the right default choice for Next.js projects. Just plan your exit ramp if you hit pricing limits, and don't build so many Vercel-specific primitives that you can't leave.