The $0/month stack to launch an app or blog in 2026
Tue Oct 13 2026
Before I cook anything, I read the label. This is the stack this very site runs on, plus the pieces I’d add for an app, all chosen because their free tiers are usable for real projects. The only unavoidable cost is your domain (typically a few hundred rupees to around $15 a year, depending on the TLD and registrar).
Free tiers change. Treat the limits below as a starting point and check each provider’s pricing page before you commit. I link to them for that reason.
The menu
| Layer | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Site / frontend | Astro or any static framework | Ships plain HTML, fast and SEO-friendly |
| Hosting | Cloudflare Pages | Free plan, global CDN, commercial use allowed |
| DNS + SSL | Cloudflare free plan | Free DNS, free certificates |
| Backend functions | Cloudflare Workers / Pages Functions | Free daily request allowance |
| Database | Cloudflare D1, or Supabase / Neon free tiers | SQL without a server bill |
| Auth | Supabase Auth or similar free tier | Avoid building login yourself |
| Code + CI | GitHub (free for public and private repos) | Pages can build on every push |
| Analytics | Cloudflare Web Analytics | Free, no cookie banner needed for basic stats |
Why not just Vercel’s free plan?
Vercel is excellent, but its Hobby plan is meant for personal, non-commercial use per its fair use guidelines. If your blog or app makes money (ads, affiliates, sales), you’re expected to be on Pro, which is a paid monthly plan. Cloudflare Pages doesn’t carry that restriction on its free plan, which is why it’s my default for a project meant to earn.
The recipe, step by step
- Build static first. A blog or landing page doesn’t need a server. Astro outputs HTML files that any CDN can serve.
- Push to GitHub and connect the repo to Cloudflare Pages, or deploy straight from your machine with
npx wrangler pages deploy dist. - Point your domain at Cloudflare by switching nameservers at your registrar. You can keep the domain registered where it is.
- Add dynamic bits only when needed: a Worker for an API, D1 or Supabase for data.
- Measure with free analytics before paying for anything.
Where the free tier bites
- Database limits. Free database tiers cap storage and may pause inactive projects (Supabase documents pausing for inactive free projects). Fine for launches, plan for an upgrade once you have paying users.
- Email sending. Transactional email providers have small free quotas. Newsletters at scale usually cost money; start with a free tier and move when the list earns.
- Build minutes. Hosts cap monthly builds on free plans. Static sites rarely hit it.
- Support. Free means community support. Keep your setup portable so you can move.
The rule I cook by
Stay on free tiers until a paid plan clearly pays for itself. Every upgrade should be triggered by revenue or real usage, not by anxiety.
Next on the menu: real-number breakdowns of what it costs to run an app once it has users. Grab the RSS feed so you don’t miss it.