Next.js Hosting on Vercel
The host we choose when a site has to render per request.
LGTCS deploys Next.js websites to Vercel when a project needs server rendering, per-visitor pages or ISR. Fixed-price builds, your own account, your own code.
Fixed-price packages from $300. No retainer, no licence fees.
Short answer
Vercel is the hosting platform built by the team that makes Next.js, so every Next.js feature works there on the day it ships. LGTCS deploys to Vercel when a website has to build pages on request rather than ahead of time: dashboards, member areas, content that changes by the hour, or pages personalised per visitor. For sites that do not need that, we export static files and host them on Cloudflare instead, which costs less. We decide which of the two your project needs during discovery, before any code is written.
vercel.com/docs- Vercel builds and maintains Next.js
- Same teamVercel builds and maintains Next.js
- Pages can be rendered fresh for each visitor
- Per requestPages can be rendered fresh for each visitor
- Registered to you, billed to you, revocable
- Your accountRegistered to you, billed to you, revocable
What Vercel actually is
Vercel is a hosting platform made by the same company that develops Next.js. That relationship is the practical reason to use it: new Next.js features work on Vercel from the day they are released, without waiting for another host to add support. If a project depends on the newest parts of the framework, this is the surface with the fewest surprises.
The thing Vercel does that a static host cannot is run your code when a visitor arrives. A page can be assembled at that moment, using data that is seconds old and content that differs per visitor. It can also use Incremental Static Regeneration, where a page is served instantly from cache and quietly rebuilt in the background on a schedule you set, which is the middle ground between fully static and fully dynamic.
It is not the cheapest way to host a website, and we will not pretend otherwise. The free Hobby tier does not permit commercial use, so an organisation needs a paid plan, priced per team member per month plus usage. For a brochure site, a nonprofit site or a content site, that money buys capability the site will never use. That is precisely why LGTCS does not put every project here.
Vercel or Cloudflare Pages for your Next.js site
LGTCS deploys to both, and the choice is made per project rather than by habit. The question is not which platform is better in the abstract. It is whether your pages need to be built when a visitor asks for them, or can be built once when we deploy.
| Aspect | Vercel | Cloudflare Pages |
|---|---|---|
| When a page is built | On request, on a schedule, or ahead of time | Once, at deploy time |
| Next.js feature support | Everything, on release day | Everything a static export can use |
| Per-visitor content | Yes, rendered server side | Only in the browser, after load |
| Typical monthly cost | Paid plan per member, plus usage | Frequently zero on the free tier |
| Cold starts | Possible on infrequently hit routes | None, the files are already there |
| Preview deployments | Yes, one URL per branch | Yes, one URL per branch |
| Best suited to | Dashboards, portals, personalised or fast-changing pages | Marketing, nonprofit, campaign and content sites |
Most organisational websites do not need per-request rendering, which is why our packages are priced around static export on Cloudflare. When a project genuinely calls for it, Vercel is the right answer and we build it that way without changing our rates. Neither column is the loser here. Only one of them fits your project.
How LGTCS uses Vercel on client projects
Specific decisions we make on real builds, not a feature list copied from the documentation.
Server rendering, when the page cannot be built in advance
A donor portal showing one person's giving history, an admin dashboard, a members' area, or a page whose content depends on who is looking at it. None of these can be a file sitting on disk, because the file would be different for every visitor. On Vercel the page is assembled at the moment it is requested.
Incremental Static Regeneration for content that moves
A page is served instantly from cache, and rebuilt in the background on the interval you choose. A news section, a live campaign total or an events listing stays current without a deploy, and visitors never wait for a rebuild because they are always served the cached copy.
Preview deployments on every pull request
Each branch gets its own live URL. You review a redesign or a new page on a real address, on your own phone, and leave comments on it before anything reaches your visitors. Approval happens on the thing itself rather than on a screenshot.
Route Handlers for forms, webhooks and integrations
Server-side endpoints live in the same project as the website, so a Stripe webhook, a CRM sync or a form handler does not need a separate service to be deployed and maintained alongside it.
Image optimisation without a build step
Images are resized, converted to modern formats and served at the size each device actually needs. On a static export we handle this at build time instead, which works well but cannot adapt to images uploaded later through the CMS.
The project is created under your organisation
The Vercel account is registered in your name with your billing details, and we are added as a team member. You hold the domain, the environment variables and the deployment history. Remove our access whenever you like and the site keeps serving.
Thinking about a Vercel build?
Send us the pages you need and your deadline. We will tell you which package covers it and what it costs, usually the same day.
How a Vercel project runs, step by step
The same sequence on every project, whether it is a single landing page or a full platform.
- 1
Decide the rendering mode first
Before any code, we work out whether your pages can be built ahead of time. That single answer decides the host, the cost and a good deal of the architecture, so it is worth getting right at the start rather than discovering it late.
- 2
Create the account in your name
Vercel is registered to your organisation with your billing details from day one. LGTCS is added as a team member, which is access you can revoke at any time.
- 3
Connect the GitHub repository
Your private repository is linked to the Vercel project. Every push builds, every branch gets a preview URL, and the main branch publishes to production.
- 4
Configure environment and regions
Secrets are stored as environment variables rather than in the code, and the serverless region is set near your audience so the round trip to your database is short.
- 5
Attach the domain and review on preview
The site is checked on its preview URL first. Then the custom domain is connected and SSL is issued automatically. Cutover is a DNS change, so it is quick and reversible.
- 6
Hand over the keys
You receive the account, the billing, the domain and a written note of what is switched on, what it costs at your traffic level, and what would make that number move.
What you receive
Everything below is handed over at the end of the project. Nothing is held back as leverage to keep you on a retainer.
- Vercel project registered to your organisation
- Private GitHub repository connected with automatic deployment
- Preview URL for every branch and pull request
- Production domain connected with SSL issued automatically
- Server-rendered routes or ISR configured where the project needs them
- Route Handlers for forms, webhooks and integrations
- Environment variables stored as secrets, never committed to the repository
- Serverless region set close to your audience and your data
- Written note of active features and expected monthly cost
- Full account ownership transferred to you at handover
Projects we build with Vercel
The kinds of work this part of the stack is genuinely the right answer for.
Donor and member portals
Every visitor sees their own giving history, documents or application status. The page cannot exist as a file, because it is different for each person who opens it.
Sites where content changes through the day
Live campaign totals, news, or event listings that need to be current within minutes rather than at the next deploy.
Projects that lean on the newest Next.js features
When a build depends on capability released this quarter, the platform that ships it first removes a category of problem before it starts.
Teams that review changes before publishing
Preview deployments let non-technical colleagues approve a page on a real URL, which turns sign-off into something concrete rather than a description in an email.
The business reason we chose it
Technology decisions only matter if they change something you can measure.
The rendering decision is made deliberately
You get static or server rendering because your project needs it, not because of what your agency happens to be comfortable deploying.
Nothing is locked away from you
The account, the domain and the code in your own GitHub repository are yours. A Next.js project can be moved to another host, and we will tell you plainly what that would involve before you commit.
You know the running cost before you sign
Vercel bills per team member and per usage, so the number moves with your traffic. We put the expected figure in writing during the proposal rather than leaving you to find it on the first invoice.
In our packages
Available on every package where the project requires server rendering. Static export on Cloudflare remains the default, and the choice is made with you during discovery.
See all four packages side by sideVercel questions we get asked
The things clients actually ask before signing, answered plainly.
Do I have to host a Next.js website on Vercel?
No. Next.js is open source and runs anywhere. LGTCS hosts most of the Next.js sites we build on Cloudflare as static files, because most organisational websites do not need per-request rendering and static hosting costs a great deal less. Vercel is what we reach for when a project genuinely needs server rendering or ISR. If you are unsure which applies to you, send LGTCS your requirements and we will tell you which of the two fits and what each would cost to run.
Is Vercel expensive?
It depends entirely on what you are running. The free Hobby tier does not allow commercial use, so an organisation needs a paid plan, which is charged per team member per month plus usage for bandwidth and function execution. For a dashboard or a portal that money buys something real. For a brochure or nonprofit site it usually does not, which is why LGTCS prices its packages around static hosting on Cloudflare instead. Ask LGTCS for a written cost estimate at your expected traffic before you decide.
Vercel or Cloudflare for a Next.js site?
Ask one question: do your pages need to be built when a visitor asks for them? If yes, Vercel. If no, static export on Cloudflare Pages will be faster to serve, cheaper to run and simpler to reason about. LGTCS builds and supports both, so we have no reason to push you toward either. Send us what the site needs to do and we will make the recommendation in writing, with the cost of each option next to it.
What is ISR, and do I need it?
Incremental Static Regeneration serves a cached page instantly and rebuilds it in the background on a schedule you set. It suits content that changes through the day but not by visitor, such as news or a live campaign total. You need it when a full redeploy is too slow to keep a page current, and you do not need it when publishing through the CMS and rebuilding is fast enough. For most sites LGTCS builds, it is not required.
Can I move off Vercel later?
Yes, and the effort depends on which features the site uses. A Next.js project that renders on the server can run on any Node host, and static parts can move to Cloudflare directly. Features built specifically around Vercel's platform need replacing, and we will tell you which ones those are before we use them rather than after. The code is in your own GitHub repository throughout, so nothing has to be recovered from us first.
Who owns the Vercel account?
You do. LGTCS creates it under your organisation with your billing details and joins as a team member. You can remove our access at any point and the site keeps running, because nothing in the deployment depends on our presence in the account.
Can LGTCS take over a Next.js site already running on Vercel?
Yes. Taking on existing Next.js and Vercel projects is regular work for LGTCS. We start by reading the repository and the deployment settings, then send you a written note covering what state the project is in, what it is costing to run, anything we would change, and whether moving parts of it to static hosting would cut the bill. Send LGTCS your repository access and current web address and we will come back with that assessment.
The rest of the stack
Every tool we use has to work with the others. These are the closest neighbours.
Ready to build on Vercel?
Tell us what the website needs to do. We will tell you which package covers it, what it costs, and when it goes live.