Is Netlify actually free?
How free88/100
Value8/10
How these scores work
Free Score (0–100) follows a fixed rubric: cards up front, auto-billing, hard time cutoffs, withheld core features, and paying with your data or attention all deduct points. 90–100 truly free · 70–89 free forever · 45–69 squeezed · 15–44 trial mechanics · under 15 fake or gone. Value (0–10) is editorial: real-world worth of the free offering measured against its paid equivalent. Full rubric on the methodology page.
Yes — Netlify's free tier hosts real websites with custom domains, HTTPS, and drag-and-drop deploys, no card required. Small sites can live here for years free.
What it’s worth
Comparable small-site hosting historically ran $5–10/month; this is genuinely $0.
What you get free
- Real website hosting with drag-and-drop or Git deploys
- Custom domains with free HTTPS
- A global CDN
- Form handling and previews in small doses
In practice: real production hosting — custom domain, HTTPS, global delivery — that many small sites never outgrow.
Drawbacks
- Bandwidth and build allowances are generous but real
- The dashboard assumes some technical comfort
Also paywalled
- Higher bandwidth and build minutes
- Team seats and access controls
- Analytics and support
Free facts
| Verdict | Free Forever |
| Card required | No |
| Auto-bills | — |
| Account | Required |
| Limits | Monthly bandwidth and build allowances |
| The real cost | An account. Generous limits most small sites never hit. |
The catch
Heavy traffic or big builds eventually hit the free allowances — which is a good problem, because it means people are visiting your site.
The smart play
- Drag-and-drop deploys need zero coding — netlify.com/drop
- Connect your own domain; free HTTPS is included with no upcharge
- The bandwidth meter only matters if a site goes viral — a good problem
More info — tap to expand
What the free allowances mean for a normal site
A typical small business or portfolio site uses a tiny fraction of the free bandwidth and build allotments. The limits exist for viral moments and heavy apps — if you hit them, your site is succeeding.
Deploying without touching code
netlify.com/drop accepts a dragged folder and publishes it in seconds; updating is dragging again. Add a custom domain in settings and HTTPS is issued automatically, free. This is the no-banner, own-your-files alternative to builder free tiers.
Last checked: July 2026 · Verdict: Free Forever — a real permanent free plan. signup and fair limits — but no clock and no card.
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