cmaven

Worknotes

:bulb: You often hear “Netlify has limits for personal users and Vercel doesn’t.” Up front: it’s half right and half wrong. Let’s fix the terminology and lay out the real boundaries of the free tiers (build minutes, bandwidth, commercial use) and how to use each service.

[01] At a glance (2026, free plans)

Item Netlify (Free) Vercel (Hobby) Cloudflare Pages (Free) GitHub Pages
Bandwidth 100 GB/mo 100 GB/mo Unlimited 100 GB/mo (soft)
Build 300 min/mo 6,000 min/mo 500 builds/mo 10 builds/hr (soft)
Serverless functions ✅ (125K calls) ✅ (10s timeout) ✅ (Workers) ❌ (static only)
Commercial use ✅ Allowed ❌ Prohibited (non-commercial only) ✅ Allowed ✅ Allowed
Billing model Credit-based (since 2025-09) Credit-based (since 2025-09) Flat (paid above limits) Free (soft limits)
Key strength Integrated features, commercial OK Generous builds, Next.js-optimized Unlimited bandwidth, fast GitHub integration, fully free

:bulb: One-line summary — Vercel’s build minutes (6,000) are 20× Netlify’s (300), but Vercel prohibits revenue-generating sites (non-commercial only) — a bigger trap. If bandwidth is your concern, Cloudflare Pages is the only one with no cap.

[02] “Personal token limit” — the truth behind the rumor

Let’s tackle the heart of the question head-on.

2-1. First, there is no “token” limit

Neither Netlify nor Vercel has an official term called a “token limit.” It probably refers to one of these:

What you heard What it actually is
“token limit” build minutes or credits
“Netlify is tight” Free build time is just 300 min/month
“Vercel has no limit” Free build time is a generous 6,000 min/month (≠ unlimited)

:warning: Since September 2025, both Netlify and Vercel moved to “credit-based” billing — builds, bandwidth, function calls, etc. are converted into credits and deducted. “token” is most likely a mishearing of these credits.

2-2. Half true — Vercel’s build minutes are far more generous

  Netlify Free Vercel Hobby
Monthly build minutes 300 6,000 (~20×)

→ For a personal project you deploy often, Netlify’s 300 minutes can run out quickly. On this point, the impression that “Vercel is freer” is correct.

2-3. Half wrong — Vercel isn’t unlimited, and has a bigger restriction



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"Vercel has no limits" ❌

  ① A 6,000-minute build cap exists (generous, but not unlimited)
  ② Bandwidth is 100GB/mo — identical to Netlify
  ③ ★The decisive one★ Vercel Hobby = non-commercial only
     → Ads, monetization, paid-service deploys are prohibited. Violations force Pro ($20/mo).

:warning: The most important difference isn’t build minutes — it’s whether commercial use is allowed. Vercel Hobby permits personal, non-commercial use only (any revenue-generating deployment is prohibited). In contrast, Netlify’s free plan allows commercial use — you can even run a money-making site for free. For a portfolio or blog, Vercel is convenient, but for a revenue site you need Netlify (or a paid plan).

In short: “Netlify is limited and Vercel isn’t” is more accurately stated as → “Vercel has far more generous build minutes, but Vercel prohibits commercial use.”

[03] Quick usage guide

All three support ① Git-integrated auto-deploy (recommended) and ② CLI deploy. The examples assume static sites (React/Vue build output, Jekyll, Hugo, etc.).

3-1. Netlify

Option A — Git integration (recommended):

  1. Log in at app.netlify.com → Add new site → Import an existing project
  2. Connect a GitHub/GitLab repository
  3. Enter build settings:
    • Build command: npm run build (for Jekyll, jekyll build)
    • Publish directory: dist (or _site, build)
  4. Deploy → re-deploys automatically on every git push

Option B — CLI:



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npm install -g netlify-cli
netlify login
netlify deploy            # draft (preview) deploy
netlify deploy --prod     # production deploy

3-2. Vercel

Option A — Git integration (recommended):

  1. Log in at vercel.com → Add New → Project
  2. Import the repo → framework auto-detected (Next.js, Vite, Astro, etc.)
  3. Keep most settings as-is and Deploy → auto-deploys on every git push + a preview URL per PR

Option B — CLI:



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npm install -g vercel
vercel login
vercel            # preview deploy
vercel --prod     # production deploy

3-3. Cloudflare Pages

  1. Cloudflare dashboard → Workers & Pages → Create → Pages
  2. Connect a Git repo → set build command / output directory → deploy
  3. Strengths: unlimited bandwidth, global CDN by default, extend with Workers for dynamic features

3-4. GitHub Pages

The simplest and fully free option. This blog itself runs on GitHub Pages.

  1. Repo Settings → Pages
  2. Set the source to the main branch (or GitHub Actions)
  3. Published at https://<username>.github.io/<repo>
  4. Static files only (no serverless functions). GitHub builds Jekyll for you automatically.

:bulb: The core flow is the same for all three — connect the repo → set the build command/output folder → auto-deploy on push. Once connected, all you do afterward is git push.

[04] So which should you pick?

Situation Recommendation
Next.js/frontend + frequent deploys, non-commercial personal project Vercel (6,000 build min, Next.js-optimized)
Revenue site (ads/paid/SaaS) but want to start free Netlify (free commercial use allowed)
High traffic (bandwidth) and worried about cost Cloudflare Pages (unlimited bandwidth)
Blog/docs/portfolio, just want fully free GitHub Pages

:warning: “Vercel has generous build minutes, so just use Vercel” is a trap. For a money-making site, Vercel Hobby is a terms violation. If you have a revenue model, it’s safer to start on Netlify free or a paid plan from the beginning.

[05] Key takeaways

# Takeaway
1 There’s no official “token limit” — it’s really about build minutes / credits
2 Since September 2025, both Netlify and Vercel switched to credit-based billing
3 Build minutes: Netlify 300 vs Vercel 6,000 → on this point Vercel is 20× more generous (true)
4 But Vercel isn’t unlimited either (same 100GB bandwidth) + Vercel Hobby is non-commercial only (the wrong part)
5 Revenue sites are fine on Netlify free, prohibited on Vercel Hobby — the most important practical difference
6 Unlimited bandwidth → Cloudflare Pages; simplest and fully free → GitHub Pages

:bulb: One-line conclusion — personal non-commercial → Vercel (generous builds), revenue site → Netlify (commercial OK), traffic-heavy → Cloudflare Pages (unlimited bandwidth), blog → GitHub Pages.

Sources: Netlify Pricing · Vercel Pricing · Vercel Hobby Plan · Cloudflare Pages Limits · GitHub Pages limits

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