The Path to a Decision
Question 1
What type of site are you building?
Static Site
Recommended
Static Host
Vercel, Netlify, GitHub Pages
Dynamic App
Question 2
What's your technical skill level?
Beginner
Recommended
Managed PaaS
Heroku
Intermediate/Expert
Recommended
IaaS / Cloud
DigitalOcean, AWS
Platform Profiles
Each platform type excels in different areas. Here's how they stack up across the four most important metrics: ease of use, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and developer control.
At-a-Glance Comparison
Static Hosts
e.g., Vercel, Netlify
Best for modern frontend sites. Incredible developer experience and performance.
- ✔ Seamless Git-based CI/CD
- ✔ Global CDN for top speed
- ✘ Limited to static or serverless builds
Managed PaaS
e.g., Heroku
Best for full-stack apps where deployment simplicity is a priority.
- ✔ Extremely easy to deploy and manage
- ✔ Supports many backend languages
- ✘ Can become expensive at scale
IaaS & Cloud
e.g., DigitalOcean, AWS
Best for complex apps requiring total control and maximum scalability.
- ✔ Ultimate control over your server
- ✔ Infinitely scalable with vast services
- ✘ Requires server management expertise