Both host static files free, both allow custom domains, and neither expires. For most pages that is the end of the comparison.
The differences appear at three specific points.
One: private repositories
As of September 2026, publishing from a private repository is behind a paid plan on one and included on the free tier of the other.
This is a common practical reason people move. A client project, an internal tool, or anything whose source should not be public runs into it immediately.
Check the current terms rather than relying on what was true a year ago; this is the line most likely to have moved.
| Repository-integrated pages | Deployment platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Free static hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
| Private repository, free | Usually not | Usually yes |
| Build speed | Depends on the project | Depends on the project |
| Preview per branch | No | Yes |
| Expires | No | No |
Two: build speed and previews
A purpose-built deployment platform produces preview deployments for branches, each at its own address.
For a page updated occasionally, irrelevant. For anything being iterated with a reviewer watching, build and deploy time is worth measuring on your own project.
Preview deployments matter more than speed for teams: a reviewer sees a change before it merges, at its own address.
Three: what happens under load
Both handle ordinary traffic without any thought required.
What differs is the behaviour when something unexpectedly gets attention. Some services throttle, some absorb it, some contact you. Worth knowing before publishing something that could be picked up somewhere.
Both publish their limits: as of September 2026, the repository-integrated host lists a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB a month, and the deployment platform's free plan lists 500 builds a month. Check the current pages before publishing something that could get sudden attention.
The decision that outlasts both
Put your own domain in front of whichever you choose.
Then the comparison stops mattering. Switching is a change of where the domain points, every published link keeps working, and you can move again later without cost.
Without your own domain, choosing a host is choosing an address permanently, and that is a much larger decision than build speed.
If you have no repository
One of these requires source control, and the other, while it accepts a direct upload, is organised around projects and deployments.
For a single file with no version history, the repository route means creating an account, creating a repository and learning enough tooling to commit; the upload route still means an account and a project.
That is a project's setup cost to publish one page. Use something that takes a file.
Two neighbouring cases are worth a look: Choosing a GitHub Pages alternative and Choosing a Netlify alternative.
Put it at an address
For one plain page, use whichever account you already have. Check private repository support on the free tier. Prefer faster builds if you iterate. Own the domain regardless, and use neither if you have no repository.
Then the choice is reversible and cheap.