GitHub Pages alternatives for a one-page site (no git needed)

GitHub Pages hosts a static site for free, straight from a GitHub repository. For a single HTML page that ChatGPT or Claude wrote, that means making a repository, putting the file in it, and turning Pages on. On GitHub Free, the repository has to be public. And GitHub's rules don't let a free Pages site run a business.

This page compares GitHub Pages with 6 alternatives on the questions that usually send people looking: do you need git, can the page take form entries, can it have a password, does your own domain work for free, and is commercial use allowed. Every fact comes from the host's own docs, pricing, or terms, read on October 20, 2026. Where a host's pages don't say something, the table says "Not stated."

Why people leave GitHub Pages

• It starts with a repository. GitHub Pages "takes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files straight from a repository on GitHub." You can upload a file through the browser (up to 25 MiB) instead of using git commands, but you still create a repository, add the file, and set up Pages.
• The repository is public on GitHub Free. GitHub's docs say that if the account uses GitHub Free, "the repository must be public." Anyone can read your page's source there.
• No password. A private Pages site, open only to people with read access to the repository, needs GitHub Enterprise Cloud.
• No forms. GitHub's Pages docs describe no way to receive form entries. A form on a Pages site needs an outside service, such as Formspree.
• No business use. GitHub Pages "is not intended for or allowed to be used as a free web-hosting service to run your online business, e-commerce site, or any other website that is primarily directed at either facilitating commercial transactions or providing commercial software as a service (SaaS)."

GitHub Pages and 6 alternatives compared

Without git: drop a file

5 of these hosts take a file from your computer with no repository and no command line.

• Netlify Drop takes "a folder, zip file, or single HTML file." Netlify's quickstart says "No Git repository is needed." If you drop without signing in, the URL has a temporary password until you claim it.
• Cloudflare Drop takes a folder, a .zip, or a single .html file with no account. Claim the deployment within 60 minutes to keep it. With a Cloudflare account, Pages' direct upload takes a dragged folder or zip, but a direct upload project can't switch to Git later.
• Vercel Drop deploys "a file, folder, or .zip by dragging it into your browser, with no Git, Vercel CLI, or local setup." It needs a Vercel account, and Hobby is for non-commercial use.
• Tiiny Host takes a file on a free account: 1 project of up to 3 MB.
• Convika takes 1 .html file of up to 2 MB, or code you paste. Details are in the Convika section below.

Carrd is a site builder, not a file host. You build the page in its editor, and Carrd says a downloaded site "cannot be uploaded back." Code your AI wrote goes into an Embed element, from Pro Standard.

With git: Cloudflare Pages and Netlify

If you like the GitHub workflow and want to leave only GitHub Pages, both Cloudflare Pages and Netlify deploy from a Git repository: push a commit, and the site updates. Cloudflare Pages includes up to 100 custom domains per project on Free. Netlify includes custom domains with SSL and free form entries on Free, within its 300 monthly credits. Neither one's pages read for this comparison says anything about commercial use, either way.

On Cloudflare, choose at the start. A project made by direct upload can't switch to Git integration; you'd create a new project.

When you need forms or a password

Forms. A static host serves the page but doesn't keep what a visitor types. Of the 7 hosts here, 3 take form entries without code. Netlify (free and unlimited on credit-based plans) and Convika (50 a month on Free) store them. Carrd, from Pro Standard, sends them to your email or an email tool. Cloudflare Pages hands entries to code you write. On GitHub Pages, Vercel, or Tiiny Host, use an outside form service; Formspree's free plan takes 50 submissions a month.

A password. None of these hosts puts a password on a page on its free plan, among those whose pages say. Netlify has it from Pro. Vercel charges $20 a month per protected project on Pro. Tiiny Host starts it on Solo, and Carrd on Pro Plus at $49 a year. Convika puts a password on any page on Pro, $12 a month, or with the 1-year Pro pass, $29 once. Visitors see a password screen, and Convika sends the page only after the right password.

Commercial use rules

2 of these hosts restrict commercial use on the free plan in writing:

• GitHub Pages: not for "your online business, e-commerce site," or commercial SaaS, per GitHub Pages limits. Can you use GitHub Pages commercially? goes through what that covers.
• Vercel Hobby: "restricts users to non-commercial, personal use only," per Vercel's Hobby plan docs. Vercel Hobby and commercial use covers the details.

Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, Tiiny Host, and Carrd don't address it on the pages read for this comparison. Convika's terms, section 7, allow commercial use on every plan, Free included.

Convika: upload one file, with a form

Drop your HTML file in the box above, or paste the code. The preview link lasts 3 minutes and runs no scripts or forms. Click Keep this page — free, no card and sign up, and the page moves into your account. Click Publish; the first time, pick Free under Choose how to publish your page, then publish. The page goes live at an address like yourpage.convika.page, with its scripts running. A free Public page may show up in search results and in Convika's gallery; Private link (Pro or pass) keeps it out of both.

Free hosts 1 published page. Add a form to my page puts in a form that stores entries, emails you each one, and exports a CSV. The dashboard shows where visitors came from for the last 90 days. You can connect 1 subdomain, such as www.yourbrand.com, on Free.

Not a fit for: a site with many files, a build step, a zip, or a bare domain like yourbrand.com. Cloudflare Pages or Netlify handle those.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best GitHub Pages alternative?

It depends on what pushed you off GitHub Pages. For a static site with a build and your own domain, Cloudflare Pages and Netlify both deploy from Git and include custom domains on Free. For one HTML file with no repository, Netlify Drop, Cloudflare Drop, or Convika. For a page that does business, avoid GitHub Pages and Vercel Hobby, whose rules forbid it.

Is there a GitHub Pages alternative without git?

Yes. Netlify Drop, Cloudflare Drop, Vercel Drop, Tiiny Host, and Convika all take a file or folder from your computer with no repository. Netlify Drop and Cloudflare Drop work before you make an account, but you claim the site to keep it. Convika takes 1 HTML file, or pasted code, with no repository and no command line.

Is there a GitHub Pages alternative with forms?

Yes. Netlify stores form entries for free and without a limit on credit-based plans, once you turn on form detection. Carrd has forms from Pro Standard at $19 a year. Convika's Add a form to my page stores 50 entries a month on Free, emails each one, and exports a CSV. On GitHub Pages itself, add a service such as Formspree.

Which free alternatives allow commercial use?

Convika's terms allow commercial use on every plan, Free included. GitHub Pages rules out an online business, a store, or SaaS, and Vercel Hobby is for non-commercial personal use only. Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, Tiiny Host, and Carrd don't say either way on the pages read for this comparison; check their terms for your case.

Sources

• GitHub docs: What is GitHub Pages? (checked October 20, 2026)
• GitHub docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site (checked October 20, 2026)
• GitHub docs: GitHub Pages limits (checked October 20, 2026)
• GitHub docs: Changing the visibility of a GitHub Pages site (checked October 20, 2026)
• Netlify Drop quickstart (checked October 20, 2026)
• Netlify docs: password protection (checked October 20, 2026)
• Netlify pricing (checked October 20, 2026)
• Cloudflare Pages limits (checked October 20, 2026)
• Cloudflare Pages direct upload (checked October 20, 2026)
• Vercel docs: Hobby plan (checked October 20, 2026)
• Vercel docs: password protection (checked October 20, 2026)
• Tiiny Host help: what an account offers (checked October 20, 2026)
• Carrd Pro plans (checked October 20, 2026)