GitHub Pages alternatives for free static hosting
You can publish a static site for free with no signup, no credit card and no Git repository on ship.page: drop in an .html file up to 10 MB, a .zip up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked) or a folder of up to 100 files and get a live HTTPS link in seconds with unlimited uploads. If you want Git deploys, custom domains or commercial hosting, compare Cloudflare Pages, GitLab Pages, Netlify and Vercel below.
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.
- Drag in HTML, a ZIP or a folder in the browser
- 0 repos
- Up to 100 MB unpacked and 100 files on the free plan
- 25 MB ZIP
- Free forever with unlimited uploads and no bandwidth cap
- Unlimited
- Never-expiring links, same-URL updates and passwords
- $4/mo Pro
How to publish a static site without a repository
Prepare your HTML file, folder or ZIP
Name your entry file index.html so it opens as the homepage. You can upload a single .html file up to 10 MB, a folder (sent as one request up to 10 MB, roughly 7 MB of files), or a .zip up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked) containing up to 100 files on the free plan.
Drop it onto ship.page in your browser
Open ship.page and drag in your file, folder or ZIP, or paste raw HTML directly. No signup, no Git repository and no credit card are required.
Share your live HTTPS link or QR code
Your site is live in seconds on its own subdomain over HTTPS, and the success screen gives you a QR code with a PNG download. Developers can also deploy with one curl command to POST https://ship.page/deploy, the MCP server at https://ship.page/mcp, or the GitHub Action.
Your options
ship.page
- Best for
- Sharing a static site, prototype or HTML export in seconds with no account and no repository.
- Free
- Free forever with no signup, unlimited uploads, no bandwidth limits, 10 MB single HTML files, 25 MB ZIPs (100 MB unpacked) and 100 files per upload.
- Catch
- No custom domains on any plan, and free links stay online 30 days without an account or 90 days with a free account (restorable for free).
Cloudflare Pages
- Best for
- Private repositories, custom domains and sites that need unmetered bandwidth.
- Free
- 500 builds a month, 20,000 files per site, 25 MiB per file, 100 custom domains per project at name.pages.dev and no bandwidth quota.
- Catch
- Needs a Cloudflare account (Direct Upload takes up to 1,000 files in the dashboard or 20,000 via wrangler), and Cloudflare's docs now suggest starting new projects on Workers.
GitLab Pages
- Best for
- Teams already on GitLab.com who want the repository workflow with custom domains and TLS.
- Free
- Sites up to 1 GB at namespace.gitlab.io built by free shared runners, with custom domains and TLS included.
- Catch
- Needs a GitLab account, a repository and a runner build configuration.
Netlify
- Best for
- Git-based workflows that lean on free deploy previews before publishing to a name.netlify.app address.
- Free
- 300 credits a month with free deploy previews; a production deploy costs 15 credits and bandwidth costs 20 credits per GB.
- Catch
- The 300-credit cap is a hard limit with no top-ups, and when credits run out every project is paused and shows Site not available until the next month or an upgrade ($9/mo Personal, $20/mo Pro).
Vercel
- Best for
- Personal, non-commercial frontend projects deployed from Git to a vercel.app address.
- Free
- Vercel Hobby is $0 with 100 GB of fast data transfer, 1,000,000 CDN requests a month and 100 deployments a day.
- Catch
- Restricted to personal, non-commercial use; commercial sites require Pro starting at $20 a month.
GitHub Pages
- Best for
- Open-source documentation and personal sites that already live in a public GitHub repository.
- Free
- Free for public repositories on GitHub Free, with sites up to 1 GB at owner.github.io, custom domains, a 100 GB monthly soft bandwidth limit and 10 builds an hour.
- Catch
- Requires a GitHub account and a public repository on GitHub Free, and isn't allowed for a commercial, e-commerce or SaaS business.
Free GitHub Pages alternatives compared
| Host | Needs a repo | Account needed | Free limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ship.page | No | No | 10 MB file, 25 MB ZIP, 100 files, 30 or 90 days |
| Cloudflare Pages | Optional (Direct Upload) | Yes | 500 builds/mo, 20,000 files, 25 MiB/file, no bandwidth cap |
| GitLab Pages | Yes | Yes | 1 GB site at namespace.gitlab.io, shared runners |
| Netlify | Yes | Yes | 300 credits/mo hard cap (15/prod deploy, 20/GB) |
| Vercel Hobby | Yes | Yes | 100 GB transfer, 1M requests/mo, non-commercial only |
| GitHub Pages | Yes (public on Free) | Yes | 1 GB site, 100 GB/mo soft bandwidth, non-commercial |
When to stay on GitHub Pages (and when to leave)
If your project is already in a public repository on GitHub, is under 1 GB, and is an open-source doc site or personal page, staying on GitHub Pages is often the simplest choice. It has no expiration date, supports custom domains, and includes a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB a month and 10 builds an hour at owner.github.io.
People look for a GitHub Pages alternative for three reasons: they don't want to create a repository just to share a folder of HTML, their code lives in a private repo on GitHub Free, or they are running a commercial, e-commerce or SaaS site, which GitHub Pages does not allow as free hosting.
Which alternative fits a private repo, custom domain or business site
When you want to publish HTML without GitHub and without opening an account, ship.page is the fastest path: drop your build folder or ZIP into the browser and get a link in seconds. Every upload sends a noindex header and isn't listed anywhere public, so only people with the link can open it.
When you need a custom domain or a permanent site from a private repository, pick Cloudflare Pages or GitLab Pages. Cloudflare Pages gives you up to 100 custom domains per project, 20,000 files of 25 MiB each, no bandwidth quota, and a Direct Upload option in the dashboard (up to 1,000 files) if you want to skip Git.
- No account and no repo: ship.page publishes .html files, folders and .zip archives in seconds.
- Private repo or custom domain with unmetered bandwidth: Cloudflare Pages (note that Cloudflare's docs now suggest starting new projects on Workers).
- Same Git repo model outside GitHub: GitLab Pages hosts up to 1 GB at namespace.gitlab.io with custom domains and TLS.
- Git deploy previews: Netlify offers free deploy previews, but its 300 monthly credits are a hard cap that pauses all projects when spent.
- Personal frontend deploys: Vercel Hobby is free for 100 GB transfer and 1,000,000 CDN requests a month, but forbids commercial use ($20/mo Pro for commercial sites).
How ship.page handles expiration, updates and routing
On ship.page's free static hosting, an anonymous upload stays online for 30 days. Sign in with Google or an email link to claim it on a free account and it stays online for 90 days, and if it goes offline you can restore it from the dashboard for free for another 90 days (up to three months after it expired).
Free pages show a small, closeable Hosted on ship.page badge and get a new link each time you upload. Upgrading to Pro for $4 a month removes the badge, lets pages never expire (or expire in as little as 60 seconds), adds password protection, lets you re-upload to the same link, and raises limits to 100 MB ZIPs (400 MB unpacked) and 10,000 files; Team is $19 a month and adds a vanity subdomain.
Tip: File paths on ship.page are case-sensitive, about.html opens at /about.html (use about/index.html for /about), and because there is no single-page-app fallback, client-side routers should use hash routes like #/about.
Questions
What is the easiest GitHub Pages alternative that does not need a repository?
ship.page lets you drag and drop an .html file (up to 10 MB), a .zip file (up to 25 MB, 100 MB unpacked) or a folder of up to 100 files right in the browser with no account and no repository. If you don't mind creating an account, Cloudflare Pages also has a Direct Upload feature in its dashboard for up to 1,000 files of 25 MiB each.
Can I use GitHub Pages or Vercel Hobby for a commercial website?
No. GitHub Pages is not allowed as free hosting for a commercial, e-commerce or SaaS business, and Vercel Hobby is restricted to personal, non-commercial use unless you upgrade to Vercel Pro starting at $20 a month.
How long do free sites stay online on ship.page?
An unclaimed upload stays online for 30 days. If you claim it with a free account (using Google or an email link), it stays online for 90 days, and when it expires you can restore it from the dashboard for free for another 90 days within three months of going offline. On the $4 a month Pro plan, pages never expire.
Which GitHub Pages alternative supports custom domains for free?
Cloudflare Pages supports up to 100 custom domains per project on its free plan, and GitLab Pages includes custom domains and TLS on GitLab.com. ship.page does not offer custom domains on any plan; each upload gets its own subdomain, and the $19 a month Team plan adds a vanity subdomain.
What happens if I run out of bandwidth on Netlify vs ship.page or Cloudflare Pages?
Netlify's free plan gives you 300 credits a month (15 credits per production deploy and 20 credits per GB of bandwidth) as a hard limit with no top-ups; when credits run out, every project is paused and shows Site not available. Neither ship.page nor Cloudflare Pages meters bandwidth on their free plans.
What file types work on ship.page?
ship.page hosts static files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, audio, video, WebAssembly and JSON. It does not run server code such as PHP, Node.js, Python, databases or WordPress, and a lone PDF, image or video must be placed inside a folder or ZIP with an index.html file.
Keep reading
- ship.page vs GitHub Pages
- Publish HTML without GitHub
- Best free static hosting
- Free website hosting
- ship.page pricing
Publish your static site without a repo
Drop an HTML file, folder or ZIP onto ship.page and get a live HTTPS link in seconds with no signup.