Netlify vs Cloudflare Pages

Short answer

Pick Netlify if you want built-in form handling, background functions that run up to 15 minutes, or synchronous functions of up to 60 seconds.

Pick Cloudflare Pages if your site generates significant traffic and you want unlimited bandwidth, unlimited seats on the free plan, or functions that run on Cloudflare Workers.

Both platforms build and deploy on Git pushes. Netlify leans toward built-in conveniences such as forms. Cloudflare Pages leans toward unlimited bandwidth and seats, with Workers-based functions.

Free plan model and resource limits

The resource models of Netlify and Cloudflare Pages differ.

According to Netlify Pricing, Netlify uses a single monthly pool of 300 credits. Production deploys (15 credits each), bandwidth (20 credits per gigabyte), compute (10 credits per GB-hour), form submissions, and web requests (2 credits per 10,000 requests) all draw from it. When a site uses up its credits, it enters a paused state until the next billing cycle.

The Cloudflare Pages product overview states that all plans include unlimited sites, seats, requests, and bandwidth. The Cloudflare Pages platform limits page sets these boundaries on the Free plan:

1. 500 builds per month, with 1 build at a time.
2. A 20-minute build timeout.
3. A 25 MiB limit on each static asset file.
4. 100 Pages projects per account.
5. 20,000 files per site.

Because Cloudflare lists bandwidth and requests as unlimited, traffic spikes do not draw from a credit pool. Files larger than 25 MiB, such as video or large PDFs, must be served from external storage. The limits page recommends Cloudflare R2 for this.

Serverless compute and edge runtimes

Netlify Functions and Cloudflare Pages Functions use different runtime models.

Under the Netlify Functions configuration reference, synchronous functions run up to 60 seconds, scheduled functions up to 30 seconds, and background functions up to 15 minutes. Node.js functions run on AWS Lambda-based runtimes, so standard Node.js packages and longer-running work are supported.

The Cloudflare Workers platform limits page lists 10 ms of CPU time per HTTP request and 100,000 requests per day on the Workers Free plan. The Paid plan allows up to 5 minutes of CPU time. Per that page, CPU time measures only code execution, and time spent waiting on network fetches, KV reads, or database queries does not count toward it.

For short routing, header, or auth logic that stays within the CPU limit, Workers is a good fit. For compute-heavy server-side rendering or large payload parsing, the 10 ms Free limit is a constraint, and the Paid plan is needed.

Framework support and build workflows

Both platforms deploy from Git. Cloudflare Pages builds and deploys each time you push to a connected repository.

Under Netlify Frameworks overview, Netlify provides automatic build configuration for Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Vite, and Remix. Pull request previews are provided by Netlify Deploy Previews, which builds an isolated preview with a unique URL for each pull or merge request.

The Cloudflare Pages framework guides list guides for Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, and VitePress. The Cloudflare Pages limits page states that a project can have an unlimited number of preview deployments active at one time.

Forms, routing, and custom domains

Frontend developers building dynamic sites rely on routing rules, form capture, and SSL certificate management.

For routing, Netlify Redirects supports _redirects files and netlify.toml, with 301 and 302 redirects, rewrite proxies, splat patterns, and country and language conditions. Cloudflare Pages supports a _redirects file with up to 2,000 static redirects and 100 dynamic redirects (2,100 total). Per the Cloudflare Pages platform limits page, Bulk Redirects is recommended for more than that.

For forms, the Netlify Forms setup page describes automatic detection of HTML forms, with submissions, notifications, and spam filters managed in Netlify. The Cloudflare Static Forms plugin intercepts submissions on forms that carry a data-static-form-name attribute and can save them to KV. Other forms on Cloudflare Pages need Pages Functions or a third-party form service.

For domains, Netlify HTTPS guide describes free HTTPS with automatic creation and renewal of Let's Encrypt certificates, plus custom certificate support. The Cloudflare Pages custom domains page explains that the CNAME record is added automatically when the domain's zone is on Cloudflare, and that any CAA records must allow Cloudflare to issue a certificate.

Team seats and data egress

Seat policies and bandwidth costs matter most as a project grows.

On Netlify Pricing, the free plan includes 1 member seat, and Git contributors on public repositories are free and unlimited. Netlify bandwidth draws from the 300-credit pool at 20 credits per GB, which caps free data transfer at about 15 GB if no other credits are used.

On the Cloudflare Pages product overview, all plans include unlimited collaborator seats and unlimited bandwidth. The Cloudflare Pages platform limits page also lists unlimited dashboard users.

How to decide for your project

Evaluate these criteria when deciding between Netlify and Cloudflare Pages:

1. Expected traffic volume and bandwidth: If your project expects heavy traffic or large downloads, Cloudflare Pages does not meter bandwidth. On Netlify, high bandwidth use draws down the 300 monthly credits and can pause the site.
2. Asset file sizes: If your site includes files over 25 MiB, Cloudflare Pages requires external storage such as R2 for them.
3. Backend complexity and execution time: If your application needs Node.js functions for up to 60 seconds, or background tasks for up to 15 minutes, Netlify provides that runtime. If your API logic is short edge routing, caching, or auth checks within 10 ms of CPU time per request, Cloudflare Workers fits.
4. Built-in forms and tooling: If you need contact forms and lead capture without building a backend, Netlify's form detection covers it. On Cloudflare Pages you would use Pages Functions or the Static Forms plugin.
5. Team size: If several team members need dashboard access on a free plan, Cloudflare Pages includes unlimited seats. Netlify's free plan includes one member.