GitHub Pages vs Netlify (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, GitHub Pages and Netlify share a 2.8 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money, where GitHub Pages grades higher, or features, where Netlify does.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GitHub Pages
Static site hosting built into GitHub repositories
Netlify
Git-based hosting for sites and web apps, priced by monthly credits
Which one is for you
Pick GitHub Pages if
- Fits if your site is plain files in a public repository
- Works for project pages, docs and portfolios that need no server code
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need server-side code or a database, as Pages is static only
- Not for you if you run an online business, shop or SaaS, because GitHub's terms bar that use
- Pricey if your repository is private, as that needs a paid GitHub plan
- Watch out: sites must not handle sensitive transactions such as passwords or card numbers
Pick Netlify if
- Fits if you build sites with a front-end framework and push them to GitHub
- Works for teams whose reviewers need a preview link for every pull request
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a WordPress blog installed in one click, the way a shared host does it
- Tight if traffic spikes, as every GB of bandwidth costs 20 credits and an empty tank pauses the site
- Pricey if a few of you need to share, since more than one member means Pro at $20 a month
- Watch out: each production deploy costs 15 credits, and the free plan's 300 a month can't be exceeded
- Not for you if you need SSO, SCIM, an SLA or 24/7 support, which are Enterprise only, priced by sales
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAGitHub PagesGood | 2.8GPANetlifyGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on GitHub Free for public repositories, against $5 a month at the cheaper quarter of web hosting. The paid step is GitHub Team at $4 a user. | BGraded against its own alternatives, since it hosts sites built elsewhere: Personal is $9 a month with no intro price to expire, so the second year costs what the first did. That's under Cloudways' $11 and far under Kinsta's $30. Extra credits are $5 for 500, and a team needs Pro at $20. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free site for good, but only within GitHub's published usage limits, and only from a public repository. | BFree plan: custom domains with SSL, functions, a database and unlimited deploy previews, with 300 credits a month. A small personal site fits. A busy one doesn't, and it pauses when the credits run out rather than billing you. |
| Features | CPublishes from a repository with Jekyll or your own workflow, custom domains and HTTPS. Static only, with no server-side code or database, so it does a smaller job than most hosts. | BAgainst its own alternatives it covers the whole job: deploys from Git, the command line, a folder or an AI agent, preview links with feedback, rollbacks, functions, Postgres, file storage, forms and user sign-ups. Just know it's for sites built in code. |
| Ease of use | CYou need a repository and a build workflow before anything goes live, which is more setup than a drag-and-drop host. | CNo store rating on record. Dropping a folder in works, but most of it assumes you build sites in code and push them from Git, and credits are one more thing to keep an eye on. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but tied into GitHub repositories and Actions, with custom domains. | BA web dashboard with no app on record, plus a command-line tool. It hooks into GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Slack, and AI agents such as Claude, Codex, Gemini and Cursor can ship code through it. |
| Best for | a free static site from a public repository | hosting sites you build in code and push from Git |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: GitHub Pages and Netlify. How we grade
Where they differ
- GitHub Pages also covers workflow automation.
- Netlify also covers AI agents and forms.
At a glance
| GitHub Pages | Netlify | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $0 on GitHub Free for public repositories; $4 per user / month on GitHub Team | $9 per month for 1 member |
| Free plan | Included with GitHub Free for sites built from public repositories, within the usage limits in GitHub's documentation. | 300 credits a month as a hard limit, one member, custom domains with SSL, functions, database, blob storage and unlimited deploy previews. Sites pause when credits run out. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | GitHub, Inc. | Netlify |
| Price read from | github.com | netlify.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GitHub Pages
- Pages is static only: there is no server-side code or database.
- GitHub's terms bar using Pages as free hosting for an online business, e-commerce or SaaS site.
- Private repositories can publish Pages only on paid GitHub plans.
- Pages sites must not be used for sensitive transactions such as sending passwords or card numbers.
Netlify
- Deploys, bandwidth, compute and requests all draw on monthly credits: 15 per production deploy and 20 per GB of bandwidth.
- When an account's credits run out its sites pause until the next cycle, unless auto recharge ($5 for 500 on Personal, $10 for 1,500 on Pro) is turned on.
- Free and Personal allow one member; private organization repos and shared env variables start at Pro, and extra concurrent builds are $40 a month.
- SSO, SCIM, a 99.99% uptime SLA, log drains and 24/7 support are on the Enterprise plan only.
Key features
GitHub Pages
- Publish from a repository
- Push files to a repository and the site updates; sites can be one per user or organization plus one per project repository.
- Jekyll and custom workflows
- Sites can run through a Jekyll build, or be built and published with a custom GitHub Actions workflow.
- Custom domains and HTTPS
- Sites live at a github.io address by default, and a custom domain can be configured with HTTPS.
- Usage limits stated up front
- Published sites may be no larger than 1 GB, with a soft limit of 100 GB of bandwidth and 10 builds an hour per site.
Netlify
- Deploy from Git, CLI, AI or a folder
- Projects deploy on every push from GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, from the Netlify CLI, by drag and drop, or from an AI agent, with one-click rollbacks.
- Deploy Previews
- Every pull request and branch gets its own preview URL where reviewers can leave visual feedback, and new projects stay private until you publish them.
- Agent Runners
- AI agents such as Claude, Codex and Gemini can be asked to fix, update and ship code from the dashboard, with 1 to 50 concurrent runs by plan.
- Functions, database and storage
- Serverless and edge functions, Netlify Database (a managed Postgres database) and blob storage for files and images run beside the site.
- AI Gateway
- Calls major AI models without managing your own API keys, billed through credits at 180 credits per $1 of model cost.
- Forms, identity and image CDN
- Collects form submissions without a backend, signs up and authenticates site users, and resizes and serves images on demand.
Plans
GitHub Pages
GitHub Free$0
Pages from public repositories, one user or organization site per account and unlimited project sites.
GitHub Team$4
per user / month
Pages from public and private repositories, as listed in GitHub's plans documentation.
GitHub Enterprise$21
per user / month
Pages from public and private repositories on Enterprise Cloud, plus Enterprise Server.
Netlify
Free$0
300 credits a month that cannot be exceeded, one member, one concurrent build, and 1-day observability and analytics.
Personal$9
per month for 1 member
1,000 credits a month, smart secret detection, 7-day analytics and priority email support. Extra credits are $5 for 500.
Pro$20
per month for unlimited members
3,000 credits a month, private org repos, shared env variables, 3 concurrent builds. 10,000 credits is $63 a month, 20,000 is $126.
EnterpriseCustom
Sold through sales: 99.99% SLA, enterprise network tier, faster builds, SSO and SCIM, log drains and 24/7 support.
Ways to pay less
GitHub Pages
No public discounts listed.
Netlify
- Other savings
Free Open Source plan for non-commercial projects
Projects with an OSI-approved or Creative Commons license and a code of conduct can apply for 10,000 credits a month, unlimited members and free production deploys.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GitHub Pages or Netlify?
As of Nov 13, 2026, GitHub Pages starts at $0 on GitHub Free for public repositories; $4 per user / month on GitHub Team, and Netlify starts at $9 per month for 1 member.
Which has a free plan, GitHub Pages or Netlify?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both GitHub Pages and Netlify have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.