Vercel has become the go-to platform for deploying Next.js applications and frontend projects. But does it live up to the hype? We deployed multiple production applications to find out.
What is Vercel?
Vercel is a cloud platform for deploying frontend applications with automatic CI/CD, edge functions, and global CDN. Founded by the creators of Next.js, it's optimized for modern JavaScript frameworks.
Pricing Analysis
Hobby (Free)
- Unlimited deployments
- 100GB bandwidth/month
- Serverless function executions: 100 hours
- Great for side projects
Pro ($20/month per user)
- 1TB bandwidth
- 1,000 hours function execution
- Password protection
- Analytics and monitoring
- Commercial use allowed
Enterprise (Custom)
- Custom bandwidth and compute
- Advanced security features
- SLA and support
- Dedicated infrastructure
Real cost: For a typical startup with 50K monthly visitors:
- Year 1: Free tier works
- Year 2: ~$20-40/month (Pro)
- Scale: Can jump to $1K+/month quickly
Performance Testing
We deployed identical Next.js apps to Vercel, Netlify, and AWS:
Global response times (avg from 10 locations)
- Vercel: 180ms
- Netlify: 220ms
- AWS CloudFront: 210ms
Build times (Next.js app with 50 pages)
- Vercel: 2m 30s
- Netlify: 3m 10s
- Custom CI/CD: 4m 0s
Cold start times (serverless functions)
- Vercel Edge: 0ms (no cold starts)
- Vercel Serverless: 100-300ms
- AWS Lambda: 300-800ms
Time to first byte (TTFB)
- Static: 20-40ms
- ISR (Incremental Static): 50-100ms
- SSR: 150-300ms
Key Features
Edge Network
Global CDN with 100+ locations. Content is served from the nearest edge to users automatically.
Automatic CI/CD
Push to Git, Vercel deploys. Preview deployments for every branch. No configuration needed.
Preview Deployments
Every pull request gets a unique URL. Share with designers, QA, or stakeholders before merging.
Edge Functions
Run code at the edge with 0ms cold starts. Perfect for A/B testing, authentication, and personalization.
Analytics
Real-time performance monitoring, Web Vitals tracking, and user insights built-in.
Image Optimization
Automatic image optimization, resizing, and modern format conversion (WebP, AVIF).
Incremental Static Regeneration
Static pages that update on-demand. Best of both static and dynamic.
Developer Experience
Setup time: 5 minutes from zero to deployed
Workflow:
- Connect GitHub repo
- Vercel auto-detects framework
- Configure environment variables
- Deploy
That's it. No Docker, no config files, no infrastructure.
CLI
Deploys your project in one command.
Local development
vercel dev replicates production environment locally, including serverless functions and edge runtime.Pros
✅ Incredible DX: Smoothest deployment experience available
✅ Performance: Best-in-class global CDN and edge network
✅ Preview deployments: Game-changing for team collaboration
✅ Next.js integration: Seamless, as expected from the creators
✅ Zero configuration: Works out of the box for most frameworks
✅ Analytics: Built-in monitoring without extra setup
✅ Automatic optimization: Images, fonts, and assets optimized automatically
Cons
❌ Cost at scale: Bandwidth costs add up quickly beyond 1TB/month
❌ Vendor lock-in: Hard to migrate once you use Vercel-specific features
❌ Function limitations: 10s timeout on Hobby/Pro (50s on Enterprise)
❌ Build minutes: Can run out on free tier with frequent deploys
❌ No backend: Not suitable for traditional server-side apps
❌ Limited control: Less flexibility than managing your own infrastructure
Framework Support
We tested with multiple frameworks:
Next.js: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfect integration, all features work flawlessly.
React (Vite): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fast builds, automatic optimization.
SvelteKit: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Good support, some adapter configuration needed.
Nuxt.js: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Solid support for Vue ecosystem.
Astro: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Excellent performance, great match.
Angular: ⭐⭐⭐
Works but not optimized like Next.js.
Real-World Case Study
We migrated a SaaS marketing site from AWS:
Before (AWS)
- Setup: 2 days
- Deploy time: 15 minutes
- Maintenance: 4 hours/month
- Cost: $80/month
- TTFB: 250ms avg
After (Vercel)
- Setup: 30 minutes
- Deploy time: 3 minutes
- Maintenance: 0 hours/month
- Cost: $20/month
- TTFB: 180ms avg
Result: Faster, cheaper, zero maintenance. Clear win.
Edge Functions in Action
We built an A/B testing system with Edge Functions:
Performance: 0ms cold start, <10ms execution time globally.
Comparison to Alternatives
vs. Netlify
- Vercel is faster for Next.js
- Netlify has better form handling
- Similar pricing
- Vercel has better analytics
vs. AWS Amplify
- Vercel is much easier to use
- AWS has more flexibility
- AWS is cheaper at very high scale
- Vercel has better preview deployments
vs. Cloudflare Pages
- Cloudflare is cheaper
- Vercel is faster to set up
- Cloudflare has more generous free tier
- Vercel has better Next.js support
vs. Self-hosted
- Self-hosting is cheaper at scale
- Vercel is infinitely easier
- Self-hosting offers more control
- Vercel has better DX
When to Use Vercel
Perfect for:
- Next.js applications
- Marketing websites and landing pages
- Documentation sites
- SaaS frontend applications
- Team projects needing preview deployments
Not ideal for:
- Traditional server-side applications
- Long-running background jobs
- High-bandwidth applications (video streaming)
- Teams requiring full infrastructure control
- Cost-sensitive projects at scale
Optimization Tips
1. Use ISR over SSR
Incremental Static Regeneration is faster and cheaper than server-side rendering.
2. Optimize images properly
Use Next.js Image component to leverage automatic optimization.
3. Monitor bandwidth
Large assets can eat through bandwidth limits quickly.
4. Use edge functions wisely
Keep edge functions lightweight for best performance.
5. Implement caching
Leverage CDN caching with proper headers.
Common Issues
Build timeouts
Complex builds can timeout. Optimize dependencies or upgrade plan.
Function size limits
50MB limit on serverless functions can be restrictive.
Cold starts
Serverless functions (not edge) have cold starts. Keep functions small.
Bandwidth overages
Monitor usage carefully; overages get expensive.
Migration Experience
Moving from another platform:
Easy migrations (<1 hour):
- Static sites
- Create React App
- Gatsby
- Hugo/Jekyll
Medium complexity (2-4 hours):
- Next.js from other hosts
- Nuxt.js
- SvelteKit
Complex migrations (1+ days):
- Custom server-side logic
- Complex build processes
- Monorepo setups
The Verdict
Rating: 9.5/10
Vercel is exceptional for what it does. The developer experience is unmatched, performance is excellent, and it just works. The main drawbacks are cost at scale and vendor lock-in.
Highly recommended for:
- Next.js projects (obvious choice)
- Startups prioritizing speed to market
- Teams wanting zero devops overhead
- Projects with global audiences
- Any frontend framework application
Consider alternatives if:
- You need traditional server capabilities
- Budget is extremely tight at scale
- You require full infrastructure control
- You're building backend-heavy applications
For frontend applications in 2026, Vercel sets the standard. It's the platform that others are measured against.
