Hey everyone!
Building my first startup and need to pick a hosting platform.
Currently torn between:
- Vercel (seems popular for Next.js)
- Netlify (been using it for a while)
- AWS (feels overkill but powerful)
- Railway (new but looks cool)
My situation:
- Building a SaaS app with Next.js
- Need PostgreSQL database
- Budget: around /mo to start
- Don’t want to deal with server config
Anyone with real experience? What’s the best pick for a startup MVP?
Thanks in advance! 🙏
from a startup that’s scaled from 0 to 10k MAU:
we started on Vercel (free tier), migrated to Railway at $20/mo, now on both.
honest truth:
- Vercel = best for frontend/Next.js
- Railway = best for backend/databases
- Netlify = good but falling behind
don’t overthink the choice. start with Vercel, migrate when you need it.
the real cost is engineering time, not hosting bills. at early stage, just ship. 🚀
hey guys! student here with limited budget 😅
i’ve been using free tiers of all three for my side project. here’s my experience:
Vercel – super easy to deploy, loved it. but hit bandwidth limits pretty fast
Netlify – forms are great but kept having build issues
Railway – actually the best free tier IMO, database included!
for a student MVP, i’d say Railway. you can actually ship something for free without hitting limits immediately.
hope this helps other students lol 🫡
Startup perspective from someone who’s deployed to all three:
Vercel: Best for startups. The DX is unmatched, and the free tier is generous. The analytics alone are worth it for MVPs.
Railway: If your app needs a real backend (databases, workers, etc.), Railway wins. It’s like Heroku used to be.
Netlify: Great for static sites + forms. But honestly, Vercel caught up and passed them.
Cost reality:
- MVP stage: all free tiers work
- Post-MVP: expect $20-50/mo across all
Our stack: Vercel (frontend) + Railway (backend). Best of both worlds.
Tested all three for our startup MVP. Here’s my breakdown:
Vercel:
- ✅ Best DX, instant deploys
- ✅ Amazing analytics
- ✅ Great free tier for MVPs
- ❌ Gets pricey at scale
Netlify:
- ✅ Form handling, edge functions included
- ✅ Solid for static sites
- ❌ Not as fast as Vercel for dynamic
Railway:
- ✅ Actually free for hobby, not “free for life” 😅
- ✅ Best for full-stack Node/Postgres
- ❌ Cold starts can be annoying
My pick for 2026: Vercel for frontend-heavy, Railway for backend-heavy. Netlify if you need those form submissions.
Tested all three for our startup MVP. Here’s my breakdown:
Vercel:
- ✅ Best DX, instant deploys
- ✅ Amazing analytics
- ✅ Great free tier for MVPs
- ❌ Gets pricey at scale
Netlify:
- ✅ Form handling, edge functions included
- ✅ Solid for static sites
- ❌ Not as fast as Vercel for dynamic
Railway:
- ✅ Actually free for hobby, not “free for life” 😅
- ✅ Best for full-stack Node/Postgres
- ❌ Cold starts can be annoying
My pick for 2026: Vercel for frontend-heavy, Railway for backend-heavy. Netlify if you need those form submissions.