Vercel Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Vercel pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $20 per user/month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Vercel's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- Import your repo, deploy in seconds
- Automatic CI/CD
- Web Application Firewall
- Global, automated CDN
- Fluid compute
- DDoS Mitigation
- Traffic & performance insights
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- All Hobby features
- $20 of included usage credit
- Advanced spend management
- Team collaboration & free viewer seats
- Faster builds + no queues
- Cold start prevention
- Enterprise add-ons available
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like All Hobby features or $20 of included usage credit
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Vercel branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro Plan Comparison
| Hobby $0 | Pro $20/user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 7 included | 7+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Vercel branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Personal projects and web apps getting started | Teams building and scaling applications |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Vercel free?
Yes, Vercel offers a forever free plan with 7 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Vercel's free plan?
Vercel's free plan includes: Import your repo, deploy in seconds, Automatic CI/CD, Web Application Firewall, Global, automated CDN, Fluid compute, and 2 more features. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in Vercel's free plan?
The free plan excludes: All Hobby features, $20 of included usage credit, Advanced spend management, Team collaboration & free viewer seats, Faster builds + no queues. You'll also have Vercel branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Vercel's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like All Hobby features or $20 of included usage credit, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $20/user/month.
05 Is Vercel's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Vercel's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
Get Vercel pricing updates
We'll notify you when pricing changes or new free features are added.