GitHub Pages vs Vercel (2026): which should you pick?

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 Vercel if

• Fits if you ship Next.js or other framework apps from Git
• Works for personal projects on the free Hobby plan

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if the project earns money and you want to stay on the free plan
• Pricey if you have a team: each extra deploying seat is $20 a month
• Watch out: usage beyond the $20 credit is billed on demand
• Watch out: Enterprise pricing isn't published

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.

Vercel

• The Hobby plan is limited to non-commercial, personal use under Vercel's fair use guidelines.
• Pro includes one deploying seat; each extra Owner or Member seat is $20 a month, while viewer seats are free.
• Usage beyond the $20 monthly credit is billed on demand, per resource, such as per million requests or per GB-hour.
• Enterprise pricing is not published, and SCIM, multi-region failover and the 99.99% SLA are Enterprise only.

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.

Vercel

Git deploys and preview URLs

Projects deploy on every push from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps, and each branch gets its own preview URL.

Fluid compute

Server code is billed for actual execution time rather than idle time, according to the pricing page.

Global CDN and firewall

Content is served from a global delivery network with HTTPS certificates, a web application firewall and DDoS mitigation on every plan.

Analytics and observability

Traffic and performance insights are included, with deeper observability available as a paid add-on on Pro.

Spend management

Pro teams can set a spending limit and alerts, and Vercel says it will stop usage before the budget is exceeded.

AI Gateway and SDK

Vercel offers an AI Gateway and an open-source AI SDK for apps that call language models, alongside Sandbox for running untrusted code.

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.

Vercel

• Hobby$0

  Import a repo and deploy, with CI/CD, CDN, firewall and fluid compute. Restricted to non-commercial, personal use.

• Pro$20

  per month, includes 1 deploying seat and $20 of usage credit

  Adds $20 of monthly usage credit, spend management, cold start prevention and free viewer seats. More deploying seats are $20 a month each.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Sold through sales: SCIM and directory sync, managed WAF rulesets, multi-region compute and failover, 99.99% SLA and advanced support.