Best Free Hosting for Side Projects in 2026
Your side project doesn't need a $20/month hosting plan. Here are the best free options for developers who want zero cost, easy deploys, and room to grow.
What side projects actually need
Most side projects share the same profile: low traffic (under 10K visits/month), zero revenue, and a developer who wants to ship fast without worrying about infrastructure bills. The ideal hosting platform for a side project has three properties:
No credit card required. No surprise bills at month end.
Push to GitHub, get a live URL. No config files or CI pipelines.
When your project takes off, upgrading shouldn't mean rewriting everything.
The top free options
We tested every major free hosting platform with a real Next.js side project. Here's how they stack up, ranked by overall value for developers in 2026.
DeployWise + $4 VPS
Deploy to your own VPS with one click. DeployWise is free and open source — you only pay for the VPS itself. A Hetzner CX22 at $4.51/month gives you 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 20 TB bandwidth. That's enough to host 5-10 side projects on a single server.
Gotcha: Not truly free — requires a ~$4/month VPS. But that $4 covers unlimited projects with no per-project fees.
Vercel Free Tier
The most popular choice for Next.js. Vercel's free Hobby plan includes 100 GB bandwidth, serverless functions, and edge middleware. The integration is seamless since Vercel makes Next.js.
Best for: Prototypes and personal projects. Gotcha: Hobby plan prohibits commercial use. If your side project ever makes money, you need Pro ($20/month).
Netlify Free Tier
Strong for static sites and Jamstack apps. Netlify's free tier includes 100 GB bandwidth, 300 build minutes/month, and serverless functions. Next.js SSR support works via their adapter but has limitations compared to Vercel.
Best for: Static sites and Jamstack. Gotcha: Next.js App Router features like ISR and middleware may not work as expected.
Render Free Tier
Render offers free static site hosting and a free web service tier for dynamic apps. The free web service tier includes 750 hours/month but spins down after 15 minutes of inactivity, causing cold starts of 30-60 seconds.
Best for: Full-stack apps that need a database. Gotcha: Cold starts make it unsuitable for anything user-facing that needs to feel fast.
Railway
Railway gives you $5 of free credit per month with a usage-based model. For a low-traffic side project, this can be enough to run a Next.js app and a small database without paying anything.
Best for: Quick prototypes with databases. Gotcha: If your app sees a traffic spike, you'll blow past the $5 credit instantly. Requires a credit card to sign up.
Fly.io
Fly.io runs your app in micro-VMs close to your users. The free tier includes 3 shared-CPU VMs, 256 MB RAM each, and 160 GB outbound bandwidth. Great for globally distributed apps, but the setup is more complex than other options.
Best for: Docker-based apps that need global distribution. Gotcha: 256 MB RAM is tight for Next.js builds. You may need to build locally and deploy the artifact.
GitHub Pages
Completely free static hosting directly from your GitHub repo. Works perfectly for static exports of Next.js but has no SSR, no API routes, and no serverless functions. Limited to 1 GB storage and 100 GB bandwidth/month.
Best for: Documentation sites, portfolios, landing pages. Gotcha: Static only. If your Next.js app uses any server-side features, GitHub Pages won't work.
Comparison table
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Bandwidth | Build Mins | SSR | Custom Domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeployWise + VPS | ~$4 | 20 TB | Unlimited | Full | Yes + SSL |
| Vercel Hobby | $0 | 100 GB | 6,000/mo | Full | Yes |
| Netlify Free | $0 | 100 GB | 300/mo | Partial | Yes |
| Render Free | $0 | 100 GB | 500/mo | Yes (cold starts) | Yes |
| Railway | $0 ($5 credit) | Usage-based | Unlimited | Full | Yes |
| Fly.io | $0 | 160 GB | N/A (Docker) | Full | Yes |
| GitHub Pages | $0 | 100 GB | GitHub Actions | No | Yes |
The best choice for Next.js side projects
If your side project uses Next.js with SSR, API routes, or any server-side features, the best long-term choice is DeployWise + a $4 Hetzner VPS. Here's why:
For purely static sites with no server-side logic, Vercel Hobby or GitHub Pages are perfectly fine. But the moment you need SSR, API routes, or a database — a VPS gives you dramatically more value. If your side project is growing into a real SaaS product, check out our guide to the best hosting for SaaS for production-grade options.
Getting started in 5 minutes
Sign up for a Hetzner CX22 ($4.51/month) or DigitalOcean Basic Droplet ($4/month). Choose Ubuntu 22.04.
Open DeployWise and authenticate with GitHub. It's free and takes 10 seconds.
Enter your VPS IP, SSH credentials, and click Test Connection.
Select your GitHub repo, set the branch and start command, optionally add a domain.
Click Deploy. DeployWise handles git clone, npm install, build, PM2, Nginx, and SSL automatically.
Host your side project for free
Deploy to your own VPS with one click. Free forever, open source.
Try DeployWise Free