Fastly

Real-time CDN and edge computing for high-performance apps

Vercel

Frontend cloud for Next.js and modern web frameworks

Fastly vs Vercel: Full Comparison (2026)

Pricing, features, scores, and a clear verdict on which one is right for you.

The bottom line

Fastly positions itself as "real-time cdn and edge computing for high-performance apps" while Vercel goes after "frontend cloud for next.js and modern web frameworks" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. They take different commercial approaches — Fastly uses a usage-based-based model and Vercel a freemium approach, which affects how costs scale as your team grows. Vercel lets you start for free, which means you can validate the fit before committing budget. Fastly requires a paid commitment upfront, so make sure it matches your workflow before signing.

At a glance

	Fastly	Vercel
Our score	76/100	86/100
Starting price	$50/mo	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Best for	Real-time CDN and edge computing for high-performance apps	Frontend cloud for Next.js and modern web frameworks

Pricing comparison

Fastly

No free tier

Pay-as-you-go$50/mo

Enterprise$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Vercel

Free tier available

HobbyFree

Pro$20/mo

Enterprise$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Calculate your cost

How many developers?10

1500

FastlyUnknown

Contact sales

VercelPro

$200/mo

$2,400/yr

Visit Fastly →Try Vercel free →

Feature comparison

core

Feature	Fastly	Vercel
CDN	Yes	No
DDoS protection	Yes	No
Instant cache purge	Yes	No
WAF	Yes	No
Real-time analytics	Yes	No
Git push deploys	No	Yes
Preview deployments	No	Yes
Edge Functions	No	Yes
Serverless Functions	No	Yes
Automatic HTTPS	No	Yes

advanced

Feature	Fastly	Vercel
Compute@Edge (Wasm)	Yes	No
Image optimization	Yes	No
Origin shielding	Yes	No
Custom VCL	Yes	No
Bot management	Yes	No
Next.js native runtime	No	Yes
Fluid Compute	No	Pro+
Speed Insights	No	Pro+ add-on
Web Analytics	No	Pro+ add-on
Flags Explorer	No	Pro+ add-on

integrations

Feature	Fastly	Vercel
AWS	Yes	No
GCP	Yes	No
Terraform	Yes	No
Fastly CLI	Yes	No
GitHub Actions	Yes	No
GitHub	No	Yes
GitLab	No	Yes
Bitbucket	No	Yes
Datadog	No	Yes
PlanetScale	No	Yes
Supabase	No	Yes

Ratings breakdown

Fastly

Ease of use

6/10

Value for money

5/10

Features

9/10

Support

8/10

Vercel

Ease of use

9/10

Value for money

7/10

Features

9/10

Support

8/10

What the data tells us

Key capabilities you'd miss

Choosing Fastly means going without Git push deploys, Preview deployments, Edge Functions (which Vercel offers). Choosing Vercel means losing CDN, DDoS protection, Instant cache purge. These are the features that typically drive the final decision — check whether your workflow depends on any of them before committing.

Choose Fastly if...

You're ready to invest from $50/mo
You value powerful features over simplicity
You need enterprise-grade capabilities

Visit Fastly →

Choose Vercel if...

You want a free tier to get started
You value an intuitive, easy-to-use interface
You need enterprise-grade capabilities

Try Vercel free →

Frequently asked questions

Is Fastly or Vercel better?

Vercel scores 86/100 compared to Fastly's 76/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — Fastly excels at ease of use (6/10) while Vercel scores 9/10.

How much does Fastly cost compared to Vercel?

Fastly starts at $50/mo. Vercel starts at free (free tier available). Vercel is the more affordable option.

Does Fastly or Vercel have a free plan?

Vercel offers a free tier. Fastly does not — its cheapest plan starts at $50/mo.

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our rankings or recommendations.

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