A free Vercel alternative for Next.js apps

The summary

• Runtime. Vercel splits your app into serverless functions behind a CDN. EasyHost runs next start in one container that stays up.
• Backend. EasyHost includes Postgres and S3 compatible storage in the free account, with transactional email coming soon. On Vercel Hobby, a database and email come from other providers.
• Workflow. Vercel deploys from Git and gives every branch a preview URL. EasyHost deploys from a CLI that coding agents can drive end to end.
• Reach. Vercel serves from a global edge network. EasyHost serves from one region.

EasyHost and Vercel Hobby side by side

Vercel details are from the Vercel Hobby plan docs as of September 2026. Those docs also state that the Hobby plan is restricted to non-commercial, personal use.

When EasyHost is the better fit

You want a server, not functions

Your app is a single Node.js process that stays running. In-memory caches survive between requests, there are no cold starts, and you do not need to think about function size or invocation counts.

You want the backend in the same place

A side project usually needs a database and somewhere to put uploads. On EasyHost those are two commands in the same CLI: ezhst db create and ezhst storage create. Email is coming soon. See free Postgres hosting for the database details.

Your coding agent does the deploying

Every ezhst command takes --json, never prompts without a terminal, and returns errors an agent can act on. Sign-up works from the command line too: after you give the agent the 6-digit code from your inbox, it can go from an empty account to a live URL without a browser. The agent deploy guide shows how.

You want limits you can predict

There is no usage meter. An app gets 512 MB of RAM and 1 CPU, and that is what it has at any traffic level.

When Vercel is the better fit

EasyHost is young and deliberately small. Choose Vercel if any of these matter to you:

• Visitors all over the world and you need pages served from an edge location near them.
• Preview deployments for every pull request, or deploys triggered by a Git push.
• Traffic beyond what one 512 MB container can serve.
• Team features, analytics, firewall rules and the rest of a mature platform.
• Applications that cannot run as a Node.js service.

Moving a Next.js app from Vercel to EasyHost

1. Pull your environment variables from Vercel into a local file, then import them.
2. Create a project, link the folder and deploy.
3. Add your domain and point DNS at EasyHost.

vercel env pull .env.production
npx ezhst projects create my-app --link
npx ezhst env import .env.production
npx ezhst deploy
npx ezhst domains add www.example.com

Things to check first

• Vercel-only packages. Replace @vercel/blob with any S3 client pointed at your EasyHost bucket, and point your Postgres client at the EasyHost connection string.
• Cron jobs in vercel.json. EasyHost does not read vercel.json, so scheduled routes will not be called.
• Edge runtime. Everything runs in the one Node.js container in a single region.
• Image optimization. next/image is handled by the Next.js server inside your container.

Frequently asked questions

Is EasyHost a drop-in replacement for Vercel?

For a standard Next.js app, mostly yes: it builds with next build and runs with next start without changes. Vercel-specific services such as Vercel Blob, vercel.json cron jobs, preview deployments and the edge network do not carry over.

Is EasyHost faster than Vercel?

It depends on where your visitors are. EasyHost has no cold starts because the container is always on, but it serves from one region. Vercel serves static assets from a global CDN.

Can I keep my custom domain when I move?

Yes. Add it with ezhst domains add, set the DNS record that ezhst domains list shows, then run ezhst domains verify to issue HTTPS. Details in the domains docs.

Start for free

Install the skill, choose Global or Local, then tell your agent to deploy. No credit card, no config files.

npx ezhst skill install