ChatGPT answers, unedited

For simple client sites—brochure sites, portfolios, landing pages, small-business sites—I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

My pick: Cloudflare Pages

pages.cloudflare.com is unusually good for a freelance setup because the free tier gives you:

• Unlimited sites
• Unlimited bandwidth for static requests
• 500 builds/month
• Custom domains
• SSL included
• Global CDN
• $0 hosting cost for typical static sites Cloudflare Pages Cloudflare Docs

That makes it especially attractive when your clients are price-sensitive. You can host a bunch of $500–$1,500 brochure sites without eating $10–20/month per client in hosting costs.

I'd structure it like:

Client pays you → you build site → Cloudflare Pages hosts it → client pays separately for domain → you charge a maintenance/management fee if you want recurring revenue.

The alternatives

Netlify is probably my second choice. It's very freelancer-friendly and has excellent deployment previews and features like forms. Its current free plan is $0 with 300 credits/month, while Personal is $9/month. Netlify Netlify

netlify.com

I'd choose Netlify if client forms and ease of use are more important than squeezing hosting costs to the absolute minimum.

Vercel is my choice if you're primarily building Next.js sites. The developer experience is excellent, but I wouldn't choose it merely because it's popular for straightforward static client sites.

What I'd use as a freelancer

One important distinction: hosting and domain registration are separate. You can host the site for essentially $0 while the client owns/pays for their own domain.

For your business model, I'd actually recommend not charging clients a big hosting markup. Make hosting a cheap/free part of the package and make your money on site setup + maintenance + edits + ongoing support. That keeps your offer attractive to low-budget clients while giving you recurring revenue.

If you tell me what you're building the sites with (plain HTML, Webflow, WordPress, Astro, React/Next.js, etc.) and roughly what you charge per site, I can suggest the most profitable setup for managing 10–50 clients.

For a freelance designer building simple brochure/marketing sites for low-budget clients, I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

My ranking

1. Cloudflare Pages — best overall value

• Free hosting for static sites.
• Unlimited sites and unlimited bandwidth on the free Pages tier.
• 500 builds/month.
• Custom domains + SSL.
• Very little risk of a client site suddenly generating a hosting bill from ordinary traffic. Cloudflare Pages Cloudflare Docs
• Excellent fit for HTML/CSS/JS, Astro, Hugo, etc.
• If you eventually need server-side functionality, you can add Cloudflare Workers.

pages.cloudflare.com

2. Netlify — best if you want convenience/features

• Very easy deployment and client handoff.
• Free tier includes custom domains, SSL, CDN, deploy previews, functions, forms-related capabilities, etc.
• Current pricing is credit-based: Free is $0 with 300 credits/month; Personal is $9/month. Netlify Netlify Docs
• I'd choose this if your sites frequently need forms or other Netlify-specific conveniences.

netlify.com

3. Vercel — excellent, but not my default for your use case

• Fantastic if you're building Next.js sites/apps.
• For simple client marketing sites, you're generally paying for capabilities you don't need.
• The big caveat is that Vercel's Hobby plan is intended for non-commercial/personal use, so I wouldn't build your freelance client business around the free tier. Itsourcecode.com

vercel.com

What I'd actually do as a freelancer

I'd set up a simple stack like:

GitHub → Cloudflare Pages → client's domain

Then charge the client separately for:

• Domain registration
• Hosting/maintenance, if you want recurring revenue
• Updates/content changes
• Optional forms, analytics, email, etc.

For example, a $500–$1,000 small-business website could have essentially $0/month hosting cost on your side if it's a static site. That lets you offer inexpensive clients a very attractive package without eating $10–30/month in hosting costs per client.

The main thing I'd avoid is putting all your clients onto traditional shared hosting just because it gives you a cPanel. For static sites, Cloudflare Pages gives you much better economics.

My rule of thumb:
Static brochure site → Cloudflare Pages.
Static site + lots of convenient built-ins/forms → Netlify.
Next.js application → Vercel.

If you tell me what you're building with (plain HTML, Webflow exports, Framer, WordPress, Astro, React/Next.js, etc.), I can recommend a specific freelancer setup that minimizes your cost while making client handoff/maintenance easy.

For simple client sites—brochure sites, portfolios, landing pages, small-business sites—I’d optimize for low recurring cost + easy deployment + easy handoff, rather than paying for a traditional shared-hosting plan.

My pick: Cloudflare Pages

Cloudflare Pages is probably the best value for your use case.

• $0 for the free Pages tier
• Unlimited static sites
• Unlimited static requests and bandwidth
• Custom domains
• SSL included
• 500 builds/month on the free tier pages.cloudflare.com
• Excellent for HTML/CSS/JS, Astro, Hugo, etc.

That means you could potentially host dozens of small client sites without paying hosting fees yourself. You'd generally have the client pay separately for their domain.

The alternative I'd consider: Netlify

Netlify is arguably easier for a designer who doesn't want to think much about infrastructure.

Its current free plan is $0 and includes custom domains/SSL, deploy previews, CDN, and other useful features. The catch is that the free plan now uses a 300-credit monthly limit, and sites can pause when the limit is reached. The Personal plan is $9/month for 1,000 credits. www.netlify.com

Netlify is particularly attractive if your sites need things like forms or you want a very polished Git → deploy workflow.

What I'd avoid for this particular business model

Vercel is excellent, especially for Next.js, but I'd only choose it when the project actually benefits from Next.js/Vercel. Its pricing and usage model make it less compelling as a generic home for lots of tiny brochure sites.

How I'd structure your freelance setup

I'd do:

Client → owns domain + pays domain renewal
You → manage deployments
Cloudflare Pages → hosts the site for $0
You → optionally charge a monthly maintenance/hosting fee

For example, you could sell:

Website: $800 one-time
Hosting & maintenance: $20–30/month
Includes hosting, SSL, minor updates, backups/version history, and basic support.

Your actual hosting cost can remain close to zero for simple static sites, so the recurring fee becomes a nice maintenance revenue stream rather than something eaten up by infrastructure.

Bottom line: Start with Cloudflare Pages for most simple sites. Use Netlify when its workflow/features make your life easier. Use Vercel when you're deliberately building a Next.js application.

If you tell me what you're building the sites with (Webflow, Framer, WordPress, Astro, plain HTML, React, etc.), I can recommend the cheapest setup specifically for that stack.

For simple client sites on a freelancer budget, I’d make Cloudflare Pages my default.

Cloudflare Pages currently gives you a very strong free tier: unlimited sites, unlimited static requests/bandwidth, 500 builds/month, SSL, and custom domains. pages.cloudflare.comwww.netlify.comvercel.com

My ranking

1. Cloudflare Pages — my pick for you

If you're building things like:

• Local business websites
• Restaurant/service sites
• Portfolio sites
• 3–10 page marketing sites
• Static Astro/HTML/React sites

…it is hard to beat the economics. You can host multiple small clients without paying per-site hosting fees. The free tier includes unlimited sites and bandwidth. pages.cloudflare.comwww.netlify.comvercel.com

That lets you make your money from design/build + maintenance, rather than eating $5–20/month per client in hosting.

2. Netlify — best if you want convenience

Netlify is probably what I'd choose if your sites frequently need things like forms, serverless functionality, or a particularly easy client/deployment workflow. Its current free plan is $0 with 300 credits/month, while Personal is $9/month. www.netlify.com

It's also worth noting that Netlify changed its pricing substantially in 2026, so older recommendations saying "Netlify is $19/$20 per month per seat" can be outdated. www.netlify.com

3. Vercel — excellent, but I'd reserve it for app-ish sites

Vercel is fantastic if you're using Next.js. Its Pro plan is $20/month and specifically targets professional developers, freelancers, and businesses. vercel.com

For a basic dentist/lawyer/contractor/restaurant website, though, you're generally paying for capabilities you don't need.

The setup I'd use as a freelancer

I'd structure it like:

You → Cloudflare account → individual client domains/sites

Then charge clients something like:

• Build: $500–$1,500+ depending on complexity
• Hosting: $5–15/month if you want recurring revenue
• Maintenance: optional $30–100/month
• Domain: client pays directly, or you manage it and bill them annually

The nice part is that your actual hosting cost can remain extremely low, particularly for static sites.

One important caveat: if by "simple client sites" you mean WordPress, I'd choose differently. Cloudflare Pages is primarily attractive for static/modern frontend sites; WordPress/PHP sites are better suited to conventional managed/shared hosting.

If you tell me what you're building with (WordPress, Webflow, Framer, Astro, React, plain HTML, etc.) and roughly what you charge clients, I can recommend the most profitable setup—including how I'd structure the hosting so you can make recurring revenue without overcharging low-budget clients.

For a freelance designer building simple client sites, I’d optimize for:

• low monthly cost
• ability to host multiple sites
• easy handoff to clients
• backups + SSL included
• minimal maintenance headaches

The best choice depends on your workflow:

What I would do as a solo freelance designer

Budget clients ($500–$2,000 websites):

• Build WordPress sites
• Put them on Hostinger Business
• Charge a monthly care plan ($30–$100/mo) for updates, backups, edits, hosting management

Very simple brochure sites:

• Use Cloudflare Pages + a domain
• Almost no hosting cost
• Great margins

Higher-paying clients:

• Use Flywheel/WP Engine-style managed hosting
• Sell "website management" instead of just a one-time build

A common freelancer mistake is putting every client on a different host. A better setup is usually:

• 1–2 hosting platforms you know well
• standardized setup
• recurring maintenance revenue

My default recommendation: Hostinger for WordPress client sites, Cloudflare Pages for static sites, and move to managed WordPress hosting once clients justify it. www.dreamcodelabs.comwww.hostinger.com

For the kind of work you describe—simple brochure/marketing sites for small-budget clients—I’d make Netlify your default, with Cloudflare as the “lowest possible hosting cost” option.

My picks

Why I lean Netlify: its free tier currently includes custom domains with SSL, deploys from Git, a global CDN, and 300 monthly usage credits. The paid Personal plan is $9/month, while Pro is $20/month with unlimited members. www.netlify.com

Cloudflare is even more compelling if your sites are mostly static: static asset requests on Pages are free and unlimited, and its free infrastructure is exceptionally generous. developers.cloudflare.com

The freelancer setup I'd use

Client owns:

• Domain
• Their hosting account
• Their business email

You manage:

• Website repo/code
• Deployment
• DNS setup
• Updates/maintenance

That way, if a $500 client disappears six months later, you're not stuck paying their hosting bill.

For a simple site, you could charge something like:

$300–800 setup + $10–30/month maintenance/hosting management

…and either have the client pay the hosting directly or include it as a clearly itemized recurring fee.

One important caveat

I wouldn't use Vercel's free Hobby plan for client sites. Vercel explicitly limits Hobby to personal/non-commercial use. vercel.com

So if you're building commercial sites, I'd choose Netlify or Cloudflare unless there's a specific technical reason to use Vercel.

My simple rule:

• Plain HTML/CSS/JS, Astro, etc. → Netlify
• Want the absolute lowest infrastructure cost → Cloudflare Pages
• Next.js → Vercel
• WordPress/PHP → use traditional managed/shared hosting instead

If you tell me what you build with (WordPress, Webflow, Framer, HTML/CSS, React/Astro, etc.) and roughly how many client sites you expect to host, I can recommend a setup that minimizes your monthly cost while still letting you make money on hosting/maintenance.

For a freelance designer doing simple client sites—brochure sites, portfolios, restaurants, local businesses, landing pages—I’d lean toward Cloudflare Pages as the default.

My recommendation: Cloudflare Pages

Cloudflare Pages

Why it fits a low-budget freelance model:

• $0 hosting for many static sites.
• Unlimited sites on the free Pages plan.
• Unlimited static bandwidth/requests.
• Free SSL and CDN.
• Custom domains are supported.
• You can connect a Git repo and have deployments happen automatically.
• You can host multiple clients without paying a separate hosting fee per site. pages.cloudflare.com

That makes it particularly attractive if you're building sites with Astro, HTML/CSS/JS, React, Hugo, etc.

The other two I'd consider

Netlify — probably the easiest alternative if you want client-friendly features.

Netlify

Its free plan includes custom domains/SSL, deploy previews, CDN, functions and other useful features. The current free plan uses a 300-credit monthly limit, while the Personal plan is $9/month and Pro starts at $20/month. www.netlify.com

I'd pick Netlify over Cloudflare if you expect to use things like forms, simple serverless functionality, or a more integrated deployment workflow.

Vercel — excellent if you're specifically building with Next.js.

Vercel

For ordinary static client sites, though, I don't think you need to pay for Vercel's Pro tier just to get good hosting.

How I'd structure your freelance setup

For a low-budget client model, I'd separate hosting from your design/development fee:

Build: $X one-time
Hosting/maintenance: $X/month
Domain: paid by client

For example, you could host several small static sites essentially for free on Cloudflare Pages, then charge clients a modest monthly amount for hosting + updates + backups/monitoring/support. Your margin comes from the service, rather than trying to make money on the raw hosting cost.

One important caveat: if you're building WordPress sites, I'd use a different hosting strategy. Cloudflare Pages is ideal for static/frontend sites, not traditional WordPress hosting.

If you tell me what you build with (WordPress, Webflow, Framer, Astro, React/Next.js, plain HTML, etc.) and roughly what you charge clients, I can recommend a specific freelancer hosting setup that minimizes your cost while still giving you a good recurring margin.

For a freelance designer building simple client sites—brochure sites, portfolios, landing pages, small business sites—I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

My ranking

Cloudflare Pages is particularly attractive because static asset requests are free and unlimited, while the free plan includes SSL/CDN infrastructure. developers.cloudflare.com

Cloudflare pricing

Why I'd pick Cloudflare for your business

If you're charging something like $500–$1,500 for a simple site, you don't want hosting eating into your margin.

A good setup is:

You → Cloudflare account → multiple client sites → client owns their domain

You can host lots of small sites without paying a separate hosting bill for each one. For straightforward HTML/CSS/JS, Astro, or similar static sites, this is hard to beat on cost.

I'd also keep domain registration separate from hosting. That makes client handoff much easier if they eventually leave you.

Where Netlify wins

I'd choose Netlify when the site needs things like contact forms and you want the easiest possible workflow. Its current free tier includes custom domains with SSL, deploy previews, CDN delivery, and 300 monthly credits; the Personal plan is $9/month. www.netlify.com

Netlify pricing

So if you're a designer who doesn't want to mess around with backend infrastructure, Netlify is probably the friendliest option.

One important warning about Vercel

Vercel is fantastic technically, particularly for Next.js, but don't use its free Hobby plan for your commercial client sites. Vercel's current terms explicitly restrict Hobby to personal/non-commercial use. vercel.com

Use Vercel when you're building a proper Next.js application and the paid plan makes sense—not simply because it's popular.

What I'd do in your shoes

Default: Cloudflare Pages
Need easy forms/serverless features: Netlify
Building Next.js apps: Vercel
Client specifically wants WordPress: shared/managed WordPress hosting

And I'd charge the client for hosting/maintenance rather than quietly absorbing it. For example, a simple $10–$25/month "hosting + updates + backups + minor maintenance" package can become useful recurring revenue, even when the underlying static hosting costs you very little.

If you tell me what you're building the sites with (plain HTML, Webflow, Framer, WordPress, Astro, React/Next.js, etc.) and roughly what you charge per site, I can recommend a specific setup that maximizes your margin while keeping things easy for clients.

For a freelance designer building simple brochure/marketing sites for budget-conscious clients, I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

Cloudflare Pages

My pick: Cloudflare Pages

It’s unusually good for your use case:

• $0 hosting for static sites
• Unlimited static requests and bandwidth on the free plan
• 500 builds/month, which is plenty for client sites
• Custom domains are supported
• SSL is handled automatically
• You can host unlimited sites
• If you eventually need server-side functionality, Cloudflare Workers starts at $5/month. pages.cloudflare.com

That means you could build, say, 15 small client sites and potentially have $0/month in hosting costs on your side, while charging clients your own hosting/maintenance fee.

How I'd choose

Netlify is probably the one I'd consider if your clients frequently need contact forms without you wanting to build the backend yourself. Its free tier is also useful for small sites. www.stackfyi.com

Vercel is my choice when you're actually building with Next.js. Its developer experience is excellent, but I wouldn't pay for Vercel simply to host a five-page static business website. www.stackfyi.com

The freelancer business model I'd use

Rather than telling a $500 client, "Your hosting costs $20/month," I'd separate hosting from your service:

Website hosting & maintenance — $10–20/month
Includes hosting, SSL, uptime monitoring, minor content updates, and technical maintenance.

Your actual infrastructure cost can be close to zero for basic sites. That gives you recurring revenue without making the client feel like they're paying a huge hosting bill.

One important caveat: check the terms of the free tier before reselling hosting as a service, particularly if you're putting lots of client sites under one account. Cloudflare's current Pages pricing is very generous, but its account/plan terms matter for a commercial freelance setup.

If your typical sites are static HTML/Astro/React rather than WordPress, I'd start with Cloudflare Pages and not overthink it.

For simple client sites—brochure sites, portfolios, restaurants, local businesses, landing pages—I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

My ranking

Why Cloudflare: its Pages setup is particularly attractive for low-budget clients because static assets are free and unlimited on both free and paid plans, while Functions use the Workers pricing model. developers.cloudflare.com

So you can potentially host many $500–$1,500 client websites without adding hosting cost to every project. You can then charge the client a recurring $10–$30/month maintenance/hosting fee while your actual infrastructure cost stays very low.

When I'd choose something else

• Netlify — probably the easiest alternative if you want client-friendly features like forms and a very polished deployment workflow. Its current Free plan is $0 with 300 credits/month, while Personal is $9/month. www.netlify.com
• Vercel — excellent if you're building Next.js sites. However, its free Hobby plan is intended for personal/non-commercial use, so for paid client work you'd want Pro, currently $20/month. developers.cloudflare.comwww.netlify.comvercel.com
• Traditional hosting (Hostinger, SiteGround, etc.) — I'd use this when the client specifically needs WordPress, PHP, cPanel, email hosting, or a non-technical client who needs conventional hosting support. Current 2026 comparisons still put Hostinger among the strongest budget-oriented traditional hosts. www.techradar.com

What I'd do as a freelancer

For a lean setup:

Static/HTML/Astro/React sites → Cloudflare Pages
Next.js → Vercel
WordPress → Hostinger or similar managed WordPress host
Client needs forms/easy CMS-ish features → Netlify

And importantly, don't create a separate expensive hosting account for every client unless there's a reason to. Centralizing your static sites lets you keep margins on low-budget projects.

If you tell me roughly what you charge per site ($500, $1k, $2k, etc.) and what stack you use (Webflow, WordPress, Astro, React, plain HTML, etc.), I can suggest a specific freelancer hosting + domain + maintenance pricing setup that keeps your costs low while giving you recurring revenue.

For a freelance designer building simple client sites (brochure sites, portfolios, small business sites), I’d optimize for:

• low cost per site
• easy client handoff
• staging/preview sites
• backups + SSL included
• not spending your evenings fixing hosting problems

My shortlist:

www.fastlancer.orgwww.siteground.com

My recommendation by business model

1. You build 1–5 sites/month and clients are budget-focused
→ Use Hostinger.

Example model:

• Your hosting cost: a few dollars/month
• Client pays: $10–30/month maintenance + hosting
• You manage updates, backups, edits

It gives you good margins without overcharging small businesses. www.hostinger.com

2. You want to look like a professional web studio
→ Use Flywheel.

The big advantage is workflow: build a demo site, let the client review it, then transfer ownership. That is much cleaner than asking clients to create accounts and move files around. www.fastlancer.org

3. You mostly make WordPress sites but want fewer headaches
→ Use SiteGround.

It’s a bit pricier than bargain hosts, but support, backups, SSL, and WordPress tooling are stronger. www.fastlancer.orgwww.siteground.com

A setup I’d use as a freelance designer

Starter freelance stack:

• Domains: client owns their domain
• Hosting: you use Hostinger or Flywheel
• CMS: WordPress + a lightweight theme/builder
• Maintenance plan: $25–100/month depending on client needs
• Hosting stays separate from the design fee

This avoids the common freelancer trap where you charge $1,500 for a site and then become unpaid tech support forever.

Avoid for client work

• Cheap free hosting
• Putting every client on your personal shared account with no separation
• Giving clients your master hosting login
• Hosts with no staging/backups

If you expect to grow past ~10–15 client sites, I’d start looking at agency/reseller-style hosting so each client can have cleaner ownership and you can white-label the experience. www.liquidweb.com

For most freelance designers, I’d pick:

• Budget clients: Hostinger
• Premium design clients: Flywheel
• Best balance: SiteGround

For a freelance designer building simple client sites (brochure sites, portfolios, local business sites, small WordPress sites), I’d optimize for:

• low cost per site
• easy client handoff
• staging/preview links
• backups + SSL included
• minimal support headaches
• ability to make a margin on hosting

The best value options are:

www.fastlancer.orghostbeacons.com

My recommendation for a freelance designer

Starting out / under ~10 clients:
→ Hostinger Business plan

You can host multiple small sites cheaply, keep your overhead low, and charge clients a monthly maintenance fee. It’s a strong value option for simple sites. www.fastlancer.org

Example pricing model:

• Client pays: $25–50/month hosting + maintenance
• Your hosting cost: a few dollars per client when shared across sites
• You include:
  • updates
  • backups
  • small edits
  • uptime monitoring

This turns hosting into recurring revenue instead of a one-time website project.

If you want a more professional agency setup

I’d look at Flywheel or Cloudways.

They are better when you need:

• separate client installs
• staging sites
• easier handoffs
• fewer "something broke after an update" problems

hostbeacons.com

What I would avoid

• Cheap $1/month hosts → usually poor support and slow servers.
• Putting every client on one shared WordPress install → one bad plugin/update can affect everyone.
• Buying hosting for clients in your name without a plan → you become their unpaid IT department.

A simple freelancer stack I’d use

Option A (budget):

• Hostinger → hosting
• WordPress + lightweight theme/builder
• Cloudflare → DNS/security
• UpdraftPlus or host backups → backups

Option B (more premium):

• Flywheel → client hosting
• WordPress
• Monthly care plans

For low-budget clients, I’d start with Hostinger, then move premium clients to Flywheel/Kinsta when the project value justifies it. www.fastlancer.org

For simple client sites—brochure sites, portfolios, landing pages, small-business sites—I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

Cloudflare Pages currently gives you unlimited sites, unlimited static requests, unlimited bandwidth, SSL, and 500 builds/month on the free tier. That’s an unusually good fit when you’re managing lots of small clients. pages.cloudflare.com

My ranking for a freelance designer

Why I'd choose Cloudflare for you: you can host a large number of low-traffic client sites without your hosting bill increasing with every new client. The free Pages tier explicitly supports unlimited sites and bandwidth. pages.cloudflare.com

Where Netlify gets interesting

Netlify is probably the better choice if your sites rely heavily on forms, deploy previews, CMS-ish workflows, or nontechnical client handoff. Its free plan is currently $0, with custom domains + SSL and a global CDN; the Personal plan is $9/month. www.netlify.com

So I'd probably use:

Cloudflare Pages → default for simple sites
Netlify → when a client's site needs extra convenience/features
Vercel → specifically when you're building Next.js

One important freelance-business consideration: I'd generally have the client own their domain and, ideally, their hosting account, rather than putting every client's site under one account you control. You can still charge a monthly maintenance/hosting management fee for managing it.

If you're trying to build a repeatable $500–$1,500 client-site offering, I can also suggest a cheap stack for hosting + domains + forms + analytics + CMS, including what I'd charge clients monthly.

For simple brochure/marketing sites for low-budget clients, I’d make Cloudflare Pages your default.

Cloudflare Pages

My ranking for a freelance designer

Why Cloudflare Pages is attractive for you: the free tier currently gives you unlimited sites, unlimited static requests, unlimited bandwidth, 500 builds/month, and up to 100 custom domains per project. SSL is included. pages.cloudflare.com

That means a typical client site can potentially cost you $0/month in hosting, while the client pays for their own domain. That's excellent for $500–$2,000 brochure sites.

The freelancer setup I'd use

I'd structure it like:

GitHub → Cloudflare Pages → client's domain

For each client:

• Client owns the domain.
• You deploy their site to your Cloudflare account/project.
• Custom domain points to the Pages project. developers.cloudflare.com
• SSL is automatic.
• Git pushes automatically redeploy the site.
• You can give clients a preview URL before launch.
• Your hosting cost stays essentially zero for ordinary static sites.

If you eventually need server-side functionality, Cloudflare Pages Functions use the Workers pricing model; static asset requests remain free/unlimited. developers.cloudflare.com

Where I'd use Netlify instead

Netlify is worth considering if your sites frequently need things like contact forms without you wanting to build a backend. It's also a very friendly workflow for designers who don't want to spend much time thinking about infrastructure.

One important caveat

If you're building Next.js, I'd generally use Vercel instead. That's where its ecosystem and deployment workflow are strongest. For ordinary static/Astro sites, though, Cloudflare's economics are hard to beat. www.stackfyi.com

So if I were setting up a freelance web-design business today:

Cloudflare Pages = default hosting
Vercel = Next.js projects
Netlify = projects where built-in forms/workflow make it worthwhile

If you tell me what you're building the sites with (Webflow, Framer, WordPress, plain HTML, Astro, React, etc.) and roughly what you charge per site, I can suggest a setup that lets you host 10–50 client sites without eating into your margins.