Deploy a website from a ZIP file: Netlify Drop and more
Most static hosts take a website ZIP file as it is when index.html sits at the top level, and ship.page puts it online in seconds for free with no signup or credit card. Drag in a ZIP up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked, 100 files per upload) or a single HTML file up to 10 MB to get a live HTTPS link right away.
A file. A folder. A fresh start.
Your static site, one link away.
Uploading publishes your file. The link is public but unlisted, not password-protected, so leave out secrets and confidential content.
- Free ZIP limit (100 MB unpacked)
- 25 MB
- Included per free ZIP upload
- 100 files
- Single HTML file limit on all plans
- 10 MB
- Free forever plan with no signup
- $0
How to deploy a ZIP website on ship.page
Check that index.html is at the root
Put index.html at the top level of your archive so it opens as the homepage. If your ZIP has a single top folder with index.html inside, ship.page unwraps that folder automatically.
Drop the ZIP file into ship.page
Open ship.page in your browser and drag your .zip file onto the page, or click to pick it from your computer. You do not need an account or a credit card to publish.
Share your live HTTPS link or QR code
Your site goes live in seconds on its own subdomain with a downloadable PNG QR code. You can claim the page later with a free account (using Google or an email link, no card) to manage it from a dashboard.
Comparing tools that deploy a website from a ZIP file
| Host | ZIP limit | Account | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| ship.page | 25 MB free (100 MB unpacked), 100 files | No account needed | Static files only, no custom domains |
| Netlify Drop | Under 50 MB best, 10 MB per single file | Required to remove password | Unclaimed drops stay behind a password and expire |
| Cloudflare Pages | 1,000 files in dashboard, 25 MiB per file | Required before upload | Docs suggest starting new projects on Workers |
| Cloudflare Drop | Takes a ZIP, folder or HTML file | Required within 60 minutes | Must claim with a Cloudflare account to keep it |
How do Netlify Drop, Cloudflare Drop and Cloudflare Pages compare?
When you want to turn a ZIP into a website without creating an account first, ship.page gives you a public link right away. You can publish without an account, and if you want to manage the page from a dashboard later, you can claim it with a free account (no card). Pro ($4 a month, cancel anytime) raises the limit to 100 MB ZIPs (400 MB unpacked) and 10,000 files, adds password protection, and lets you update a page without changing its link.
Netlify Drop (app.netlify.com/drop) also accepts a ZIP, folder or single HTML file with no account needed to start. However, a site dropped without signing in stays behind a temporary password until you claim it with a Netlify account, and Netlify's blog notes that an unclaimed drop expires on its own. According to Netlify's Drop docs, deploys under 50 MB work best, single files over 10 MB may get stuck, and anonymous uploads are published as-is with no build step.
Cloudflare has two options. Cloudflare Drop (cloudflare.com/drop) takes a ZIP, folder or HTML file with no account to start and publishes it on a workers.dev address (running on Cloudflare Workers, not Pages), but you must claim the deployment within 60 minutes with a Cloudflare account to keep it. Cloudflare Pages Direct Upload is the better pick when you need custom domains or larger file counts: it requires a Cloudflare account upfront, takes up to 1,000 files of 25 MiB each in the dashboard (or 20,000 files via the wrangler command line), and includes 100 custom domains per project on a name.pages.dev site with no bandwidth quota, though Cloudflare's docs now suggest starting new projects on Workers.
How should I structure my ZIP file before uploading?
Before you upload a ZIP, make sure index.html is your entry point. If you compress a single project folder, ship.page automatically unwraps that top folder so your homepage loads at the root address.
Check your links and asset names carefully because file paths are case-sensitive. A file saved as about.html opens at /about.html, while the shorter /about path only works when you place the file at about/index.html.
- Static files work out of the box: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, audio, video, WebAssembly and JSON.
- Server code is not supported: no PHP, Node.js, Python, databases or WordPress.
- Single-page apps with client-side routing should use hash routes (#/about) because there is no fallback route or custom 404 page.
- Files are served as they are with no Content-Encoding, so turn off .br or .gz pre-compression unless you include a JavaScript decompressor.
- Lone PDF, image or video files are not accepted by themselves; wrap them in a ZIP or folder with an index.html file.
Tip: If you prefer not to zip your project, you can also drag a folder directly into the browser up to roughly 7 MB of files (sent as one 10 MB encoded request), or zip bigger folders first.
When should I upgrade to Pro or automate deploys?
The free plan is free forever with unlimited uploads, no bandwidth limits, and 10 deploys a minute. If you need to host a ZIP file that is larger than 25 MB, or you want to replace the files on an existing link, Pro costs $4 a month with monthly billing you can cancel anytime.
Pro pages don't expire while you're on Pro (or you can pick any expiry from 60 seconds), never show the closable "Hosted on ship.page" badge, and include up to 5 custom subdomains like yourname.ship.place that you can point at any of your pages and move anytime. If you want to skip drag and drop website hosting in the browser, developers can also publish with one curl command (POST https://ship.page/deploy), the MCP server at https://ship.page/mcp, or the GitHub Action.
Questions
How do I put a ZIP file of my website online for free?
Make sure your ZIP file has an index.html file at the top level (or inside a single top folder) and drag it onto ship.page. It goes live in seconds on its own HTTPS subdomain with no signup and no credit card required.
Does Netlify Drop require an account to publish a ZIP file?
You can drop a ZIP on Netlify Drop without signing in, but the site stays behind a temporary password until you claim it with a Netlify account. Netlify's blog also states that an unclaimed drop expires on its own.
What is the maximum ZIP file size on ship.page?
On the free plan, you can upload a ZIP up to 25 MB (up to 100 MB unpacked) containing up to 100 files, and any single HTML file inside can be up to 10 MB. On the $4 a month Pro plan, the limit increases to a 100 MB ZIP (400 MB unpacked) and 10,000 files per upload.
Can I update my website by uploading a new ZIP file?
On the free plan, a page cannot be updated in place, so uploading a new ZIP gives you a new link. With the $4 a month Pro plan, you can re-upload a ZIP or edit your page and keep the exact same link, or move one of your 5 custom ship.place subdomains to any page.
Will search engines index my uploaded ZIP website?
No. Every page uploaded to ship.page is sent with a noindex header so search engines leave it out, and ship.page does not list uploads anywhere public. Anyone who has the link can open it, and Pro users can add password protection.
Keep reading
Drop your website ZIP to go live
Drag a ZIP file up to 25 MB onto ship.page and get a working HTTPS link in seconds with no signup.