As of May 2023 I am still impressed with how much you can get from Netlify for free. They integrate well with frameworks like next.js, supporting most/all features as they are released. Netlify functions are flexible, powerful, and available without the hassle of setting up AWS lambdas (which they end up running as IIRC). Edge functions, background functions, and ISR-style on-demand builder functions give me the tools I need to optimize our API and build performance.
I can craft an enterprise-grade solution in place for $0 - I don't even think they have my credit card. This makes things so much simpler and easier to try out, throw away, and eventually scale up.
Netlify's out-of-the-box experience, full feature set, and generous free tier make it my go-to for starting new projects.
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Netlify is easy to set up and works well with a lot of frameworks out of the box. Sites start out free which makes learning the platform easy and fun. They release new features regularly, keeping up with the current state of the web. Features like edge functions and (well cached) on-demand builders help to increase the performance and capabilities of the apps we build on the platform. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Update May 2023 - below is still accurate, and I still feel a little burned by it, but the issue is probably of little concern to new customers. When it happened, there was quite a fuss in the affected community, so I can only hope that the lessons learned stay with Netlify for a long time.
I don't have many other complaints
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Recently, Netlify released a change to their billing structure, along with changes to the deploy workflow which would reject git repo changes from any GitHub user not tied to a Netlify user. This had several implications, the worst of which was the breaking of our workflow for pretty much every site we had set up on Netlify. Furthermore, even if we did ransom out a paid account for each of our developers' GitHub accounts, the maximum number of those accounts was just 7. We have more than seven developers and they move around between many projects.
Netlify ultimately reversed this decision, after considerable community backlash, but the damage is done. Netlify used to be the cool upstart that had a knack for knowing what its developer community needed, now I can't trust them not to randomly screw us over in the name of profit. Every company needs to make money, and honestly, some of Netlify's services are probably undervalued; however, their recent play illustrates a deep lack of understanding of their users, and a propensity towards bait-and-switch tactics that have us seriously considering other services. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Hey Adam—thank you for taking the time to share your experience in this review. I am so sorry the recent changes impacted your workflow.
You’re right. We did decide to reverse the changes for now. We’re developing a new system for approving Git Contributors that should streamline the process of adding new members and reduce friction going forward. I understand it won’t undo all of the damage or restore broken trust. I’m hopeful it’s a small step in the right direction.
We do hope we can win back your trust, and we also appreciate that you’d want to consider other services and weigh your options. If it ever makes sense for your needs, we’d love a chance to work together again, whether that means continued support for your team’s current work or a different project in the future.
