Vercel

Vercel provides best-in-class deployment for Next.js applications — push to Git, get a production URL. But its pricing model ($20/member/month for Pro with bandwidth and function execution limits) and vendor lock-in to Vercel's infrastructure have motivated teams to explore self-hosted deployment options.

Coolify is a self-hosted Vercel/Netlify alternative — it deploys applications from Git repositories to your own servers with automatic HTTPS, preview deployments, and a web dashboard. Dokku is a lightweight, Docker-powered PaaS that mimics Heroku's git-push deployment model on your own infrastructure. Both run on standard VPS providers (Hetzner, DigitalOcean) at a fraction of Vercel's managed pricing.

The economic argument is compelling for teams with moderate traffic. Vercel's Pro plan includes 1TB bandwidth and 1,000 GB-hours of serverless function execution, with overage charges. A Hetzner VPS with Coolify costs $5-20/month with no bandwidth limits and no execution caps. For high-traffic applications, self-hosting can save hundreds per month.

The trade-off is Vercel's deep Next.js integration. Features like ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration), Edge Middleware, Image Optimization, and Analytics are optimized specifically for Vercel's infrastructure. Self-hosted Next.js works, but some features require additional configuration or alternative implementations.