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Vercel vs Render: which free plan?
Both free plans are on a par by our score. The differences below decide it.
Both checked against their official pricing pages on 1 Nov 2026.
| Type | Frontend cloud | Cloud platform |
|---|---|---|
| Free-tier score | 88 / 100 | 88 / 100 |
| Card to sign up | Not required | Not required |
| Free plan ends | Never | Never (free Postgres expires after 30 days) |
| Sleeps when idle | No | Spins down after 15 min without traffic; about 1 min to wake |
| Commercial use | Not allowed | Not stated |
| Own domain on free | Yes | Yes |
| Free subdomain | *.vercel.app | *.onrender.com |
| Free limits |
|
|
| The catch | Hobby is for personal, non-commercial use only, so a business site has to move to Pro. | The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute. |
| Paid from | $20/mo (Pro) | $7/mo (Starter instance) |
| Source | Official pricing for Vercel (opens in a new tab) | Official pricing for Render (opens in a new tab) |
Which one should you pick?
Pick Vercel if…
- your app must not sleep when idle
- your project is: personal Next.js and frontend projects
Pick Render if…
- your project is: hobby full-stack apps and APIs
Questions
Which is better for free, Vercel or Render?
Both free plans are on a par by our score. The differences below decide it.
Does Vercel or Render need a credit card?
Vercel: no. Render: no.
What is the catch with Vercel and Render?
Vercel: Hobby is for personal, non-commercial use only, so a business site has to move to Pro. Render: The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute.