Technology · head to head
Vercel vs Vultr
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Vercel usage-based pricing can spike unexpectedly during traffic surges or DDoS attacks; Vultr vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan
- They diverge on capability: Vercel covers Instant deployments, Vultr covers Cloud servers.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Vercel and Vultr actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Vercel
- Instant deployments
- Preview deployments
- Serverless functions
- Edge network
- Automatic HTTPS
- Custom domains
- Git integration
- Real-time collaboration
Only in Vultr
- Cloud servers
- Bare metal servers
- Block storage
- Object storage
- Load balancers
- Kubernetes
- Firewalls
- Private networks
Both cover
- DDoS protection
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Vercel
- Static sitesnot Vultr
- JAMstack applicationsnot Vultr
- Serverless APIsnot Vultr
- E-commerce sitesnot Vultr
- Documentation sitesnot Vultr
Vultr
- High performance computingnot Vercel
- Game serversnot Vercel
- Streamingnot Vercel
- Database hostingnot Vercel
- Application serversnot Vercel
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Vercel
- Usage-based pricing can spike unexpectedly during traffic surges or DDoS attacks
- No spending limit controls or automatic shutoff mechanisms
- Bandwidth costs ($0.15/GB) quickly accumulate for high-traffic applications
Vultr
- Vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Vercel
Free- HobbyFree
- Non-commercial use only
- 100GB bandwidth
- Community support
- Pro$20/user/month
- Commercial use
- 1TB bandwidth
- $20 usage credit
- Enterprise$null/custom
- Custom infrastructure
- Premium support
- Compliance add-ons
Vultr
Free- Cloud Compute$2.5/month
- 512MB RAM
- 10GB SSD
- 500GB bandwidth
- Bare Metal$32/month
- Dedicated hardware
- High performance
- Full root access
Which should you pick?
Choose Vercel if
- You need instant deployments.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI.
- You also want preview deployments.
Choose Vultr if
- You need cloud servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli.
- You also want bare metal servers.
Questions people ask
- Is Vercel or Vultr better?
- Neither clearly leads. Vercel starts at Free and Vultr at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Vercel or Vultr?
- Vercel starts at Free and Vultr at Free.
- Does Vercel or Vultr run on more platforms?
- Vercel runs on Web, CLI. Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Vercel for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Vercel best used for?
- Vercel is most often used for static sites, jamstack applications, serverless apis, e-commerce sites. Of those, static sites and jamstack applications are not what Vultr is typically brought in for.
- What can Vercel do that Vultr cannot?
- Vercel covers Instant deployments, Preview deployments, Serverless functions, Edge network. Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. Both handle DDoS protection.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Vercel: What are Vercel's main pricing tiers?
Vercel offers a free Hobby plan (non-commercial), Pro at $20/user/month with $20 usage credit, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Additional compliance add-ons cost $150-$350/month.
SourceVercel: How much do bandwidth overages cost on Vercel?
Bandwidth overages cost $0.15/GB after plan limits are exceeded. Hobby plan includes 100GB free bandwidth; Pro includes 1TB. Usage-based billing can cause unexpected bills.
SourceVercel: Is Vercel free for Next.js projects?
Yes, Vercel offers a free Hobby plan for non-commercial Next.js projects with automatic deployments from git. Commercial projects require Pro plan or higher.
SourceVercel: Can I set spending limits on Vercel?
No, Vercel does not offer hard spending caps or automatic shutoff. High traffic, DDoS attacks, or misconfigured functions can result in unexpectedly large bills.
SourceVercel: What is included in the Pro plan?
Pro ($20/user/month) includes $20 usage credit, 1TB bandwidth, support for commercial projects, git integration, and preview deployments.
SourceRelated pages
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- Vultr vs Figma
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- Vultr vs Monday.com
- Vultr vs Greenhouse
- Vultr vs Notion
- Vultr vs Amplitude
- Vultr vs Datadog
- Vultr vs PostHog
- Vultr vs PyCharm
- Vultr vs Sketch
- Vultr vs Docker
- Vultr vs Netlify
- Vultr vs Okta
- Vultr vs Aha!
- Vultr vs Coda
- Vultr vs Dashlane
- Vultr vs Grafana Cloud
- Vultr vs Neon
- Vultr vs DigitalOcean
- Vultr vs AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Vultr vs Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Vultr vs Deno Deploy
- Vultr vs Heroku
- Vultr vs Hetzner Cloud
- Vultr vs Linode
- Vultr vs Packer
- Vultr vs Pulumi
- Vultr vs Render
- Vultr vs Upstash
- Vultr vs Vagrant
- Vultr vs Akamai
- Vultr vs Alibaba Cloud
- Vultr vs Chef
- Vultr vs Contabo


