Hyperlift vs Vercel (2026)
Facts checked on official pages · part of Best hosting & deploy
Verdict
Pick Hyperlift if you need a long-running container (API, worker, full-stack Docker app) and want transparent hourly or prepaid pricing from Spaceship Cloud. It is listed here for searchers; it is not our #1 host.
Pick Vercel if you're shipping a Next.js or React frontend with serverless functions and a global CDN. It's our #1 host, but Hobby is non-commercial only, so a paying product needs Pro ($20/mo per developer seat).
These are different kinds of hosts. Hyperlift (Spaceship Cloud) builds and runs your Dockerfile from GitHub as an always-on container, billed hourly from $0.005/hr or prepaid. Vercel is a frontend/edge platform with a free Hobby plan (personal use only) and Pro at $20/month per developer seat plus usage. Pick by workload, not by sticker price alone.
Side by side
| Hyperlift #7 Hosting & deploy | Vercel #1 Hosting & deploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid price | Pay-as-you-go by config: Micro $0.005/hr (~$3.60/mo), Small $0.009/hr (~$6.48/mo), Medium $0.018/hr (~$12.96/mo), Large $0.036/hr (~$25.92/mo), Extra Large $0.073/hr (~$52.57/mo). Prepaid monthly, quarterly, or yearly is also offered. Source, checked | Pro $20/mo per developer seat, which includes $20 of usage credit; Enterprise is custom. Source, checked |
| Free plan | No free forever plan. Prepaid plans include a 7-day free trial before you commit (per Spaceship's Hyperlift updates). Source, checked | Hobby $0: 1M CDN requests, 100 GB Fast Data Transfer, and 1M function invocations a month (plus other included limits). Source, checked |
| Free-plan catch | Billing starts when the build/deploy runs. Pay-as-you-go is billed hourly at month end; prepaid is charged up front. There is no free Hobby-style tier. Source, checked | Hobby is for non-commercial, personal use only. If you go over a Hobby limit, you usually wait 30 days before you can use that feature again. Source, checked |
| Limits to know | Micro: 0.25 vCPU, 0.5 GiB RAM, 100 GiB bandwidth, 10 GB non-persistent storage. Build timeout 20 minutes; Docker image max 2 GB (with cache); max 5 parallel builds; app logs kept 7 days. Hosted in Phoenix, AZ. Source, checked | Hobby: 200 projects, 100 deployments a day, 50 domains per project, 1 hour of runtime logs. Pro adds team seats and pay-as-you-go usage beyond the included credit. Source, checked |
| Best for | Containerized apps, APIs, and always-on backends. AgentRank #7 host (listed for this comparison; not a ranking change for Vercel). AgentRank ranking, checked | Next.js and React apps with serverless/edge functions. AgentRank #1 host. AgentRank ranking, checked |
| What you can export or own | You connect one GitHub repo at a time and supply a Dockerfile; your code stays in GitHub. Optional automatic builds on push. Source, checked | Deploys from your own Git repo (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps and more); your code stays in your repo. Source, checked |
Prices and limits change. Each cell links the official page we checked; confirm there before you buy. Rankings come from our methodology and are never paid.
FAQ
Is Hyperlift or Vercel better?
They solve different jobs. On AgentRank, Vercel is #1 for frontend/Next.js hosting. Hyperlift (Spaceship Cloud) is listed at #7 for container hosting from a Dockerfile. Pick Vercel for Next.js and edge/serverless frontends. Pick Hyperlift for always-on containers and APIs with hourly or prepaid pricing.
Is Hyperlift cheaper than Vercel?
Hyperlift Micro starts at $0.005/hour (about $3.60/month if it runs all month). Vercel Hobby is $0 for personal non-commercial use; commercial apps need Pro at $20/month per developer seat plus usage. Hyperlift's own comparison table lists an entry-level ~1 GB RAM plan at $6.48/month versus Vercel Pro at $20/month — those are not identical products, so compare by workload.
Does Hyperlift have a free plan?
There is no free forever plan on the Hyperlift pricing page (checked 2026-11-09). Prepaid plans include a 7-day free trial per Spaceship's Hyperlift updates. Pay-as-you-go billing starts when your app is built and deployed.
Can I use the Vercel free plan for a commercial site?
No. Vercel's fair use guidelines limit Hobby to non-commercial, personal use; commercial use needs Pro ($20/month per developer seat) or Enterprise (checked 2026-11-09).
What do I need to deploy on Hyperlift?
A GitHub repository with a Dockerfile that starts from a valid base image. Hyperlift connects via a GitHub app (one repo at a time), builds the image, and deploys the container. Custom domains and free SSL are part of the product pitch on the official page.
More
AgentRank weekly
Weekly: new AI dev-tool releases, price changes and free-tier catches. Free, unsubscribe anytime.