Surge review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Static web publishing from the command line
Black Friday: is there a Surge sale?
Surge report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for publishing a static folder from the command line
Surge puts a folder of static files online with one command, and the free plan includes custom domains. It is command line only, builds nothing for you, and redirects, rewrites and password protection sit on a $30 a month plan.
Who Surge is for
- Fits if you are happy in a terminal and want to push a build folder online
- Works for quick previews and demos from a CI job
Who Surge is not for
- Not for you if you want a point-and-click dashboard, as publishing is by command line
- Skip it if you need a build step, because Surge only serves files you built elsewhere
- Pricey if you need redirects, rewrites or password protection, which need Pro at $30 a month
- Watch out: publishing is rate limited on every plan, and a project tops out at 450 MB
Why Surge gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree plan with unlimited projects and domains, and custom domains with certificates at no cost. The only paid plan is $30 a month.
- BFree plan and trialThe free plan covers real use, with limits you can hit: 450 MB and 10,100 files a project, and publishing is rate limited.
- CFeaturesPreviews, 100 revisions with rollback and single-page app support. It serves static files only and does not run a build, so it does a narrow job.
- DEase of useEverything is done from a terminal with the CLI, so it is a poor start for anyone who does not use a command line.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with a CLI and scoped tokens for CI jobs. No dashboard to build in, and no phone or desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Surge's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Surge? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/surge#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/surge.svg" alt="Surge: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Surge stands among web hosts
Surge's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 99 of the 122 other web hosts we grade, and level with 14.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 105 of 122) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $30 a month, against a middle price of $9.69 for the category: 96 of the 107 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 92 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 123 web hosts we grade, cut by the letter each got. Surge’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 105 of 122, level with 17
- BFree plan and trialAbove 99 of 122, level with 21
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 122, level with 85
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 122, level with 39
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 122, level with 55
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 111 web hosts. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Surge, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Surge you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.4 is higher than 99 of the 122 other web hosts we grade. It costs $360 a year.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
What this rests on. Surge’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Surge?
Surge puts a folder of static files on a global network with HTTPS, at a surge.sh name or your own domain, using one command from a terminal, CI job or coding agent. It does not build projects. Plans are per account, and there is one free plan and one paid plan.
Worth knowing
- Static files only, and Surge does not run a build, so you build elsewhere and hand it the output.
- Publishing is rate limited on every plan: 30 per domain and 60 per account every 15 minutes.
- A project can be at most 450 MB and 10,100 files.
- Password protection, redirects and rewrites need the $30 Pro plan.
Key features
- One-command publishing
- Run surge with a directory and a domain; the CLI remembers the domain in a one-line CNAME file and needs no config file.
- Previews and rollback
- Each publish is a revision and the last 100 are kept, so a domain can be previewed, cut over and rolled back.
- Custom domains and certificates
- Custom domains are free on every plan, with certificates issued and renewed automatically once DNS points at Surge.
- Single-page app support
- A 200.html file serves unknown paths for client-side routes, and a 404.html gives a custom not-found page.
- Tokens for CI and agents
- A token can be scoped to one domain, and Surge publishes a manual for coding agents at surge.sh/docs/agents.
Surge pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Surge has a free plan, and paid plans start at $30 per month (Pro).
- Starts at
- $30 per month (Pro)
- Free plan
- Unlimited projects and domains, custom domains with certificates, 10 regions, previews and 100 revisions with rollback.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited projects and domains, custom domains with certificates, previews, rollback and scoped CI tokens. |
| Pro | $30per month | Everything in Free plus password protection for a domain or paths, and redirects and rewrites. |
Read from surge.sh on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Surge before you buy.
Works with
- Vite
- Astro
- Eleventy
- Hugo
Surge alternatives
- Surge vs Netlify
Free plan · from $9/mo
- Surge vs GitHub Pages
Free plan · from $0
- Surge vs Cloudflare Pages
Free plan · from $5/mo
- Surge vs Neocities
Free plan · from $5/mo
- Surge vs Firebase Hosting
Free plan · from $0.026
Common questions
Does Surge have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Surge is listed for Web.
Does Surge have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Surge is listed for Web.
Is Surge open source?
Surge is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Surge have an API?
Yes. Surge offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.