Vercel is outstanding for Next.js apps, server rendering and preview deployments. If what you have is a finished HTML site, perhaps for a client or a business, its free plan's non-commercial rule and its add-on prices matter more than its framework features. Here's how htmlhost compares as a Vercel alternative for static HTML.
Last updated · Facts checked against Vercel's official pricing and documentation. Sources
Vercel: "Hobby teams are restricted to non-commercial personal use only."
On Vercel: the $20/month Pro platform fee plus $20/month per protected project.
Vercel has no form product; its docs point static sites to Formspree, or you write a function.
Choose Vercel if you're building a Next.js or framework app that needs server rendering, functions and preview deployments. Choose htmlhost for static HTML sites, especially business and client sites: Vercel's free Hobby plan is restricted to non-commercial personal use, forms need code or an integration, and password protection is a $20/month-per-project add-on on top of Pro. On htmlhost, pro is a $12/month or $120/year pass with no auto-renewal: unlimited sites, 10 GB, unlimited custom domains, password protection, 5,000 form messages a month and 3,000 AI edits a month.
The steps a typical person follows on each platform, from a finished HTML file to a live page.
Highlighted cells mark the stronger option for publishing and editing HTML sites. Ties are left plain.
| Feature | htmlhost | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free: 3 sites, 500 MB of storage, 50 form messages a month, 10 AI edits a day, sites that never expire by default. | Hobby: free, non-commercial personal use only. 100 GB Fast Data Transfer a month; extra usage can't be bought. |
| Commercial use | Allowed on every plan. | Requires Pro or Enterprise, including sites built by a paid developer or consultant. |
| Paid plan | Pro is a $12/month or $120/year pass with no auto-renewal: unlimited sites, 10 GB, unlimited custom domains, password protection, 5,000 form messages a month and 3,000 AI edits a month. | Pro: $20/month platform fee with 1 deploying seat and $20 of usage credit; extra deploying seats $20/month each. |
| Drag-and-drop publishing | Paste HTML or drop files; publish and keep updating the same site. | Vercel Drop takes a file, folder or ZIP. Accountless drops expire after an hour unless claimed. |
| Editing a live page | Visual editor, code editor and AI Edit in the browser. | No page editor; change files and redeploy. |
| Frameworks and functions | Static files only. | First-class Next.js and other frameworks, server rendering, functions and middleware. |
| Preview deployments | Preview before publishing in the editor. | A preview URL for every Git branch and pull request. |
| Forms | Forms deliver to a dashboard inbox and email with a built-in spam trap: 50 form messages a month on Free, 5,000 form messages a month on Pro with file attachments, Google Sheets and webhooks. | None built in. Use an integration such as Formspree, or write a function. |
| Password protection | Included in Pro ($12/month). | Pro add-on at $20/month per protected project. Not available on Hobby (Vercel login protection is). |
| Custom domains | $5/yr each on Free; unlimited and included on Pro. | Included on Hobby (up to 50 per project). |
| Analytics | Built in: 7 days on Free, up to 90 on Pro. | Web Analytics available, with limits by plan. |
| AI assistants | Official Claude connector, MCP server and CLI. | CLI, API and v0 for generating apps. |
Vercel details as published on its official pages, checked ; plans change, so check the linked sources before you buy. htmlhost figures are read from the plan limits and pricing the app enforces.
Vercel's fair use guidelines say Hobby teams "are restricted to non-commercial personal use only. All commercial usage of the platform requires either a Pro or Enterprise plan." Commercial use is defined broadly: any deployment used for the financial gain of anyone involved in any part of its production, including a paid employee or consultant writing the code.
Vercel's examples include advertising the sale of a product or service, receiving payment to create, update or host the site, affiliate-led sites and ads such as AdSense. Asking for donations doesn't count.
So a freelancer's client site, a café's menu page or a startup's landing page belongs on Pro. htmlhost puts no such condition on its free plan.
Since June 2026 Vercel Drop lets you drag a file, folder or ZIP into the browser to deploy, and since October 2026 static sites can be dropped without an account. Those accountless deployments expire after an hour unless you sign in and claim the project, and are limited to 100 MB per file and 1 GB in total.
That closes much of the first-publish gap. The difference is editing: a Vercel deployment is built from files you keep elsewhere, so a change means editing locally and deploying again. On htmlhost the live site opens in a visual and code editor with AI Edit, and Publish updates it in place.
Vercel has no forms product. Its documentation points static sites to a Formspree integration; otherwise you write a function and wire up an email provider yourself.
Password protection is a Pro add-on: $20 a month per protected project, on top of the $20 platform fee. Protecting one client preview therefore costs $40 a month. Hobby does include Vercel Authentication, which asks visitors to log in with Vercel, and Shareable Links.
On htmlhost, forms work on every plan, and Pro ($12/month, or $120/year) includes password protection for every site you own.
If your project is a Next.js app, needs server-side rendering, API routes, middleware or edge functions, or a team reviews every change through preview deployments, Vercel is excellent and htmlhost doesn't compete. htmlhost hosts the output of those tools when it's static, and the HTML that AI tools, designers and site builders hand you.
Not under Vercel's rules. Its fair use guidelines restrict Hobby to non-commercial personal use and count being paid to create, update or host a site as commercial use, which needs Pro ($20/month platform fee) or Enterprise. htmlhost allows client sites on its free plan.
Yes. Vercel Drop (vercel.com/drop) accepts a file, folder or ZIP. Without an account, static deployments expire after one hour unless you sign in and claim them. htmlhost also accepts pasted HTML and keeps every published site editable in the browser.
It's a Pro add-on at $20 per month per protected project, in addition to the $20/month Pro platform fee, and isn't available on Hobby. htmlhost includes password protection in Pro at $12/month or $120/year.
Not natively. Vercel's documentation recommends a Formspree integration for static sites, or you can build a function. htmlhost forms deliver to a dashboard inbox and email with no code.
Vercel, if it uses server rendering, API routes or middleware. If it's fully static (exported), either works; htmlhost adds in-browser editing and forms, Vercel adds Git-based preview deployments.
Every Vercel claim on this page comes from these official pages. Last updated . Spotted something that has changed? Email hey@htmlhost.co and we'll correct it.
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