GitHub Pages Alternatives: 7 Better Static Site Hosting Platforms in 2026

GitHub Pages is a fantastic free option for hosting static sites--especially for open-source documentation and personal portfolios. But as your needs grow, its limitations become apparent.

If you're hitting GitHub Pages' constraints, this guide compares 7 alternatives that offer more features, better performance, and professional-grade hosting for your static sites.

Why Developers Outgrow GitHub Pages

Hard Limits

• 1 GB repository size: Large image assets or generated files eat this up fast
• 100 GB bandwidth/month: Soft limit--GitHub may throttle or disable your site
• 10 builds per hour: Rate-limited deployments
• Site size limit: Recommended max of 1 GB for the published site

Missing Features

• No password protection: Can't restrict access to staging or client sites
• No SPA routing: Single-page apps break on refresh (requires a 404.html hack)
• No instant rollbacks: Must redeploy a previous commit
• No build customization: Only Jekyll is natively supported--anything else requires GitHub Actions
• No ZIP upload: Must use Git for everything
• No CLI deploy API: No way to programmatically deploy from CI/CD
• No real-time build logs: Actions logs are separate and harder to access
• GitHub lock-in: Requires a GitHub repository

GDPR Concerns

GitHub is owned by Microsoft and stores data in the US. For EU businesses or sites processing European visitor data, this creates GDPR compliance challenges.

Quick Comparison: GitHub Pages Alternatives

1. Netlify

Best for: Teams wanting the most polished developer experience

Netlify defined modern static site hosting. It's the platform most developers graduate to after GitHub Pages.

What You Get Over GitHub Pages

• Drag-and-drop deploys + Git integration (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
• Serverless Functions for API routes
• Form handling without a backend
• Split testing (A/B tests)
• Deploy previews on pull requests
• SPA routing via _redirects file
• Plugins ecosystem for build customization

Limitations

• Per-member pricing: $19/member/month on Pro adds up fast for teams
• Bandwidth overages: $55/100GB beyond your plan limit
• Password protection: Only on Pro plan and above
• US-based data: Not ideal for GDPR compliance

2. Cloudflare Pages

Best for: Performance-obsessed developers, bandwidth-heavy sites

What You Get Over GitHub Pages

• Unlimited bandwidth on all plans--including free
• 300+ global edge locations for the fastest CDN available
• Workers for edge computing
• Build customization with any framework
• Deploy previews on PRs

Limitations

• Workers runtime is not Node.js--compatibility issues with some packages
• No built-in forms or authentication
• No password protection without custom Workers code
• Data served from global CDN--not region-restricted for GDPR

3. Vercel

Best for: Next.js and React projects

What You Get Over GitHub Pages

• Native Next.js support with ISR, middleware, and server components
• Edge Functions and Serverless Functions
• Image optimization built-in
• Analytics and performance insights
• Instant preview deployments

Limitations

• Per-member pricing ($20/member/month) gets expensive
• Bandwidth overages: $40/100GB on Pro
• Some features create Vercel vendor lock-in
• Overkill for simple static sites

4. Render

Best for: Simple static sites that need free hosting

What You Get Over GitHub Pages

• Free static hosting with 100GB bandwidth
• Any build tool supported (not just Jekyll)
• Auto-deploy from Git
• Global CDN with free SSL
• Pull request previews

Limitations

• Very basic feature set for static sites
• No password protection
• No ZIP upload or CLI deploy
• Limited customization options

5. Surge

Best for: Quick prototypes and demos

What You Get Over GitHub Pages

• Deploy in one command: surge ./dist
• No Git required--deploy any folder instantly
• Custom domains on free plan
• SPA support with 200.html

Limitations

• No Git integration or auto-deploy
• No build pipeline
• No SSL on custom domains (free tier)
• Limited development and updates
• No team features

6. Firebase Hosting

Best for: Projects already using Google Cloud/Firebase services

What You Get Over GitHub Pages

• Global CDN backed by Google infrastructure
• Integration with Firebase Auth, Firestore, Cloud Functions
• Atomic deploys with instant rollbacks
• Preview channels for testing
• CLI-based deployment

Limitations

• Complex setup for simple static sites
• Pay-as-you-go pricing can be unpredictable
• Requires Google Cloud account
• US-based data storage (GDPR concerns)
• Overkill if you don't use other Firebase services

7. DanubeData Static Sites (Recommended)

Best for: EU businesses, agencies, developers wanting simple and powerful hosting

DanubeData Static Sites combines the simplicity of GitHub Pages with professional features you actually need. All data is hosted in Falkenstein, Germany--fully GDPR compliant.

Everything GitHub Pages Is Missing

Pricing

All plans include custom domains, free TLS, password protection, Git deploy, CLI deploy, ZIP upload, instant rollbacks, and real-time build logs.

Feature Comparison Matrix

Migrating from GitHub Pages

Switching from GitHub Pages to DanubeData takes about 10 minutes:

Option A: Connect the Same Git Repository

1. Create a new site on DanubeData
2. Choose "Git Repository" and enter your GitHub repo URL
3. Set the correct branch and publish directory
4. Enable auto-deploy
5. Update your domain's DNS records to point to DanubeData
6. Disable GitHub Pages in your repository settings

Option B: Upload Your Built Site

1. Build your site locally: npm run build (or hugo, jekyll build, etc.)
2. ZIP the output directory
3. Create a new site and choose ZIP Upload
4. Upload your ZIP file
5. Update your domain DNS

DNS Migration

If you're using a custom domain with GitHub Pages:

1. Remove the GitHub Pages A records (pointing to 185.199.108-111.153) or CNAME
2. Add a CNAME pointing to yoursite.pages.danubedata.ro
3. Add the DanubeData DNS verification TXT record
4. Wait for DNS propagation (typically 5-30 minutes)

Which Alternative Should You Choose?

You Need Free + Maximum Bandwidth

Choose Cloudflare Pages. Unlimited bandwidth on the free tier is unbeatable for high-traffic static sites.

You Need the Best Developer Experience

Choose Netlify. Deploy previews, form handling, serverless functions, and plugins make it the most feature-rich--if you can afford per-member pricing.

You're Building with Next.js

Choose Vercel. Native support means you get ISR, middleware, and image optimization without configuration.

You Need EU Hosting or GDPR Compliance

Choose DanubeData Static Sites. The only platform here with guaranteed EU-only data hosting in Germany.

You Need Password Protection

Choose DanubeData Static Sites. Password protection is included on every plan (even free). Netlify requires Pro ($19/member/mo). Vercel requires Enterprise.

You Want Simple, Predictable Pricing

Choose DanubeData Static Sites. €2.99/mo flat for 10 sites. No per-member fees. No bandwidth surprises.

Get Started

Ready to upgrade from GitHub Pages?

Deploy Your First Static Site -- Free plan available, no credit card required.

What you get:

• Deploy from GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket
• ZIP upload and CLI deploy options
• Custom domains with automatic HTTPS
• Password protection on every plan
• Instant rollbacks and real-time build logs
• EU data hosting (Falkenstein, Germany)

Migrating a complex GitHub Pages setup? Contact us for help.