You've chosen Next.js for your website. Now, where do you host it? Vercel (the creators of Next.js), Netlify, OVH, Cloudflare Pages... The options are plenty. Here's an honest comparison based on real-world experience in 2026.

Vercel: the natural choice (and its limits)

Vercel is the company behind Next.js. Unsurprisingly, their platform supports every feature of the framework from day one.

✅ One-click deploy from GitHub.
✅ Native support for all Next.js features (App Router, Server Actions, ISR, Edge Runtime).
✅ Global CDN with performant edge caching.
✅ Generous free tier for small projects.
✅ Automatic preview deployments on every PR.
❌ Costs can escalate in production: $20/month (Pro) + usage costs (bandwidth, serverless invocations).
❌ Serverless functions limited to 10 seconds on the free plan.
❌ Data hosted in the US by default (potential GDPR concern).

Netlify: the solid alternative

Netlify popularised the JAMstack. It supports Next.js well, though with some caveats.

✅ Clean interface, pleasant DX.
✅ Free tier comparable to Vercel.
✅ Performant Edge Functions.
❌ Support for newer Next.js features (App Router, Server Actions) slightly behind Vercel.
❌ Pricing comparable to Vercel in production.

OVH / VPS: sovereignty at a technical cost

OVH is France's historic hosting provider. Hosting Next.js on an OVH VPS is possible but requires more configuration.

✅ Data hosted in France (GDPR compliance).
✅ Predictable, controlled pricing (€5 to €30/month for a VPS).
✅ No serverless function limits.
❌ Manual configuration: Node.js, PM2, Nginx, SSL, CI/CD to set up.
❌ No integrated global CDN — needs separate setup (e.g. Cloudflare in front).
❌ No auto-scaling without additional infrastructure.

Cloudflare Pages: the strong contender

Cloudflare Pages is often underestimated in 2026.

✅ Fastest CDN network on the market (300+ PoPs worldwide).
✅ Very generous free tier (500 builds/month, unlimited bandwidth).
✅ Performant Workers (Edge Functions) at low cost.
❌ Partial Next.js support: some advanced features (full ISR, certain Server Actions) don't work natively.

My recommendation for each use case

Brochure site / portfolio with moderate traffic → Vercel (free or Pro at $20/month). Simple, fast, zero config.
E-commerce or app with traffic spikes → Vercel Pro or Netlify Pro for auto-scaling.
GDPR-sensitive app, critical European data → OVH VPS + Cloudflare CDN in front.
Static site with tight budget → Cloudflare Pages (free, global CDN).

What I use for my clients

For the vast majority of my projects, I deploy on Vercel. The simplicity of deployment, perfect compatibility with Next.js, and infrastructure robustness make it the best value for SMEs and startups. For projects with data sovereignty requirements (medical, legal, public sector), I use a custom-configured OVH VPS.

Vercel vs OVH vs Netlify: Where to Host Your Next.js Site in 2026