Vercel is our default deployment platform for web applications. It eliminates infrastructure management, deploys in seconds, and scales automatically. AWS is more powerful but that power comes with significant complexity. Here is when each makes sense.
| Feature | Vercel | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Git push and it deploys. Preview deployments for every PR. Rollback in one click. Zero configuration for Next.js, Nuxt, and SvelteKit | Multiple deployment options: Elastic Beanstalk, ECS, Lambda, Amplify. Each requires configuration. Powerful but you need to choose and manage the right service |
| Pricing Model | Free tier for personal projects. Pro at $20/month per team member. Predictable pricing based on usage tiers. No surprise bills | Pay per use for everything, compute, storage, bandwidth, requests. Extremely granular but bills are complex and unpredictable without careful monitoring |
| Scaling | Automatic scaling to zero and up. Serverless functions scale with traffic. Edge network handles static assets. No capacity planning needed | Auto scaling groups, Lambda concurrency, and managed services all scale but require configuration. More control over scaling behavior at the cost of more management |
| Developer Experience | Best in class DX. Instant deployments, preview URLs, built in analytics, environment variable management, and team collaboration features | Steep learning curve. Dozens of services to understand. Console UI is functional but not intuitive. CLI and IaC tools (CDK, Terraform) help but add complexity |
| Edge Network / CDN | Built in edge network with 100+ locations. Edge Functions run code at the edge. Automatic image and font optimization. Static assets cached globally | CloudFront CDN with 400+ locations. Lambda@Edge for edge computing. More configuration required but more locations and more control over caching behavior |
| Monitoring | Built in analytics for web vitals, function execution, and deployment metrics. Simple but sufficient for most applications. Integrates with Sentry | CloudWatch for everything, metrics, logs, alarms. X-Ray for tracing. Extremely powerful but requires setup and configuration. Can be overwhelming |
| Flexibility | Optimized for frontend and full stack web apps. Limited for non web workloads (ML training, batch processing, background jobs, databases) | 200+ services covering every computing need. Databases, ML, IoT, media processing, and more. If a cloud service exists, AWS probably offers it |
| Vendor Lock In | Next.js is open source and portable. Vercel specific features (Edge Middleware, some caching) require migration work but core app moves easily | Service specific lock in varies. Lambda functions, DynamoDB, and SQS have AWS specific APIs. Standard services (RDS, S3) are more portable |
| SSL & Domains | Automatic SSL with Let's Encrypt. Custom domains in one click. HTTPS enforced by default. Zero certificate management | ACM for free SSL certificates but requires manual configuration. Route 53 for DNS management. More control but more steps to set up correctly |
Why Vercel
- +Zero configuration deployments, git push and your app is live in under 60 seconds
- +Preview deployments for every pull request make code review dramatically better
- +Automatic scaling and edge caching with no infrastructure management
- +Predictable pricing, no surprise bills from forgotten resources or unexpected traffic spikes
- +Best in class developer experience that keeps your team focused on building, not configuring
Why AWS
- +200+ services cover every computing need, databases, ML, batch processing, IoT, and more
- +Complete control over infrastructure, networking, and security configurations
- +More cost effective at very high scale when optimized (reserved instances, savings plans)
- +Global presence with more regions and availability zones than any other cloud provider
The Verdict
Our Honest Take
Vercel is the right choice for web applications: marketing sites, SaaS products, e commerce, and API driven apps. The developer experience alone saves hours per week. Choose AWS when you need services Vercel does not offer (managed databases, ML infrastructure, batch processing) or when you have a dedicated DevOps team that can justify the operational overhead. Many of our projects use both, Vercel for the web app and AWS for background processing and data services.
Ready to Build?
Let us talk about your project
We take on 3-4 projects at a time. Get an honest assessment within 24 hours.
Related articles
Serverless vs Kubernetes: Which Infrastructure to Choose
Comparing serverless (Lambda, Edge Functions) and Kubernetes for production infrastructure, complexity, cost, scaling, and when each approach wins.
Stripe vs Square: Which Payment Platform to Choose
Comparing Stripe and Square for payment processing, API quality, pricing, online vs in person payments, and developer experience. A practical guide.
React vs Vue: Which Frontend Framework to Choose
Comparing React and Vue for frontend development, ecosystem, performance, mobile support, hiring, and developer experience. A practical guide for choosing.