Vercel vs Coolify for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Vercel Overview

Vercel is the gold standard for managed frontend hosting. Push to Git, and your site deploys with SSL, CDN, preview URLs, and edge functions. The entire infrastructure layer is invisible. You write code, Vercel handles everything else.

For Next.js, Vercel's integration is unmatched because they build both the platform and the framework. Server components, edge middleware, ISR, and image optimization all work without configuration.

The free tier covers most solo projects generously. When you grow, the $20/month Pro tier scales without changing your workflow or architecture.

Coolify Overview

Coolify is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Vercel, Netlify, and Heroku. You install it on your own server (any VPS with Docker), and it gives you a web-based dashboard for deploying applications, databases, and services. Think of it as running your own PaaS.

Coolify supports Git-based deployments, Docker Compose, one-click database provisioning (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB), automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt, and even preview deployments. It handles the things that make self-hosting tedious: reverse proxy configuration, SSL certificate renewal, build pipelines, and service management.

I've experimented with Coolify on a Hetzner VPS and was impressed by how much it simplifies self-hosting. The initial setup takes about 30 minutes. After that, deploying a new application is closer to the Vercel experience than to traditional server management. You connect your Git repository, configure environment variables, and click deploy. Coolify handles the Docker build, reverse proxy, and SSL.

Key Differences

Hosting model. Vercel is a managed cloud service. You pay Vercel, they run everything. Coolify is software you install on your own server. You pay for the VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, etc.) and run Coolify on it. This fundamental difference affects pricing, control, and responsibility.

Cost structure. Vercel's free tier is free. Pro is $20/month. Coolify's software is free, but you need a server. A Hetzner Cloud VPS at $4-7/month can run Coolify with multiple applications, databases, and services. At scale, self-hosting with Coolify becomes dramatically cheaper than Vercel, especially for backend workloads.

Scope of deployment. Vercel deploys frontends, serverless functions, and edge functions. Coolify deploys anything that runs in Docker: frontends, backends, databases, Redis, background workers, cron jobs. If you need a full-stack deployment platform, Coolify provides it on your own hardware.

Infrastructure responsibility. Vercel handles security patches, uptime, scaling, and backups. With Coolify, you're responsible for your server's security, updates, and backups. Coolify automates many tasks (SSL, deployments, health checks), but the underlying server is yours to maintain.

Preview deployments. Both support preview deployments for pull requests. Vercel's implementation is seamless and mature. Coolify's preview deployment feature works but is newer and occasionally has rough edges. For teams or solo developers who rely heavily on PR previews, Vercel's implementation is more reliable.

Vendor independence. Vercel is a proprietary platform. If Vercel changes pricing, removes features, or shuts down, you migrate. Coolify runs on any server you control. You can move your VPS between providers, back up your configuration, and never depend on a single vendor's decisions.

Database and services. Coolify provides one-click deployment for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, MinIO, and more. These run on your server alongside your applications. Vercel's database options are limited and usage-priced. For database-heavy projects, Coolify's approach is more flexible and cost-effective.

When to Choose Vercel

• You want zero infrastructure management
• Frontend and Next.js deployment is your primary need
• The free tier or $20/month pricing fits your budget and usage
• Preview deployments and Git integration must be bulletproof
• You'd rather pay for convenience than manage servers

When to Choose Coolify

• You want a self-hosted PaaS with Vercel-like features
• Cost efficiency matters and you're comfortable with basic server management
• You need to host backends, databases, and frontends on one platform
• Vendor independence and data sovereignty are important
• You want to host multiple projects cheaply on a single server

The Verdict

Vercel is the polish. Coolify is the value. Vercel's 9/10 reflects a flawless managed experience for frontend developers. Coolify's 8/10 reflects that it delivers 80% of the managed platform experience at a fraction of the cost, with the added benefit of hosting anything.

For solo developers who only need frontend hosting, Vercel is hard to beat. The free tier is genuinely free, and the experience is seamless.

For solo developers running full-stack applications, Coolify on a $7/month Hetzner VPS gives you a deployment platform that handles frontends, backends, databases, and background workers. You sacrifice some polish and spend an afternoon on initial setup, but you gain complete control and significant cost savings.

The smart play might be both: Vercel for your main frontend (using the free tier) and Coolify on a cheap VPS for everything else. But if you want one platform for everything and don't mind managing a server, Coolify is one of the best self-hosted tools available for solo developers.