Vercel and Netlify get most of the attention, but they're not the only way to put a project online, and they're not always the right fit — a Heroku-style backend, a WordPress site for a client, or a fully decentralized frontend each want something different. Here are 6 real hosting platforms, pulled from our catalog with actual pricing, covering static sites, full backends, and a couple of genuinely different approaches.
1. surge.sh — publish a static site with one command, for free
surge.sh is built for exactly one job: pushing a static front-end project live from the command line, with unlimited sites and custom domain support, and nothing else to configure.
Pricing: free for publishing; paid tier for more advanced features.
Good for: front-end developers who want the absolute fastest path from a built project to a live URL, no dashboard required.
Watch out for: it's much less known than Netlify or Vercel, and the advanced features (beyond basic static hosting) sit behind the paid tier.
2. Qoddi — a Heroku-style PaaS with a genuinely usable free tier
Qoddi positions itself as a Heroku alternative: a full PaaS supporting multiple programming languages with an attractive free tier, aimed squarely at developers who miss Heroku's simplicity after its free tier disappeared.
Pricing: free for the base tier; paid options available for more resources.
Good for: developers who want a full backend (not just static files) deployed without touching raw infrastructure, and who want to test it for free first.
Watch out for: it's not well known compared to Heroku, Vercel, or DigitalOcean, and pricing details beyond the free tier aren't fully transparent up front.
3. Alwaysdata — a European cloud with unusually broad language support
Alwaysdata gives you 1GB of free hosting with support for an unusually wide range of stacks — MySQL, PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ, .NET, Deno, Elixir, Go, Java, and more — from a France-based provider.
Pricing: free tier available; paid options for more resources.
Good for: developers in the EU who want data hosted in Europe, or anyone running an unusual language/stack combo that most PaaS providers don't support well.
Watch out for: the free plan doesn't include a custom domain, and support response times have been reported as slow at times.
4. PandaStack — free hosting across static, container, and more
PandaStack is a small hosting ecosystem covering multiple deployment formats — static sites and containers among them — under a free plan with fast deployment.
Pricing: free, with strict limits on the free tier; paid options exist but aren't fully specified.
Good for: developers who want to try container deployment without committing to a paid plan first.
Watch out for: pricing beyond the free tier lacks clarity, and the free plan's limits are strict enough to hit quickly on a real project.
5. pantheon.io — WordPress and Drupal hosting built for agencies
pantheon.io is a WebOps platform purpose-built for WordPress and Drupal, with automated DevOps workflows and infrastructure that scales — the pick when the project is a CMS site rather than a custom app.
Pricing: free tier with limitations; paid plans available, aimed at agencies and larger teams.
Good for: agencies and developers managing WordPress or Drupal sites for clients who need real DevOps automation, not just shared hosting.
Watch out for: the free tier has no custom domain, and full pricing isn't laid out clearly until you talk to sales.
6. dAppling Network — decentralized hosting for Web3 frontends
dAppling Network hosts front-ends on decentralized infrastructure rather than a single company's servers, aimed at Web3 projects that want uptime and censorship resistance that doesn't depend on one provider staying online.
Pricing: not publicly disclosed at the time of research — verify directly before committing.
Good for: Web3 developers who specifically want their frontend hosted outside traditional centralized cloud providers.
Watch out for: pricing transparency is a real gap, and it's a niche, lesser-known provider — not a fit for a standard web app with no Web3 requirement.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| surge.sh | One-command static publishing | Free | Static hosting |
| Qoddi | Heroku-style full backend | Free | PaaS |
| Alwaysdata | Broad language support, EU-based | Free | Multi-language cloud |
| PandaStack | Free static + container hosting | Free | Multi-format hosting |
| pantheon.io | WordPress/Drupal for agencies | Free (limited) | CMS WebOps |
| dAppling Network | Decentralized Web3 frontends | Not disclosed | Decentralized hosting |
For a plain static site, surge.sh is the fastest honest option, and PandaStack is worth trying if you also want container support for free. If the project needs a real backend, Qoddi is the closer Heroku equivalent, while Alwaysdata is the one to check first if you're in Europe or running a stack the mainstream PaaS providers don't support well. pantheon.io only makes sense if the project is actually WordPress or Drupal — and dAppling Network only makes sense if decentralization is a requirement, not a nice-to-have.