thin.host vs Vercel
Vercel is built around frontend frameworks, Next.js above all, with serverless and edge functions, previews for every push and a broad set of AI tools. thin.host hosts static output only and concentrates on letting an agent publish a folder, then attach a domain and email.
Facts about Vercel are taken from Vercel's own pricing and documentation pages as of October 2026 (checked 2026-10-14) and listed under Sources. Plans change; check the vendor's page before you decide.
Side by side
| thin.host | Vercel | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free account: hosted sites at thin.host/s/<slug>/ and free <name>.thin.host subdomains. The domain API's free platform tier covers 3 domains. | Hobby: 100 GB data transfer and 1,000,000 CDN requests a month, for non-commercial, personal use only. |
| Cheapest paid plan | Domain API tiers: Indie $29/month, Platform $199/month. End users pay $8/month per domain provisioned through the claim flow. | Pro, $20 per developer seat per month, including $20 of usage credit. |
| Custom domains | Yes, several per site, added from the dashboard with a CNAME to cname.thin.host. | Yes, up to 50 per project on Hobby. |
| HTTPS | Automatic for custom domains and thin.host subdomains. | Automatic certificates for every domain, on all plans. |
| AI agent / MCP support | Official hosted MCP server (thin.host/mcp, OAuth 2.1) plus a local server (uvx thinhost-mcp), a Claude Code plugin and a REST API. | Official Vercel MCP server (OAuth) for Claude Code, claude.ai, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and VS Code; it can deploy. |
| Transactional email | Yes: transactional email over MCP, REST or SMTP from a verified sending domain (access is approved per account). | No. Vercel does not send email and points to Resend on its Marketplace. |
| How you deploy | MCP tool call, one REST upload of a zip, or drag-and-drop in the dashboard. No Git integration: you build locally or in CI. | Git integration, the CLI (vercel --prod), Vercel Drop (sign-in required) and a REST API. |
| Deploy without an account | No, an account is needed to deploy. | Mostly no: vercel index.html --temporary publishes a single HTML file without logging in. |
| Server-side features | Static files only, plus built-in form capture and password or email gating. No serverless functions. | Functions, Middleware, Image Optimization, ISR and more. |
When Vercel is the better choice
- Your Next.js app needs server rendering, ISR, middleware or image optimisation.
- You want a preview deployment for every pull request, wired to your Git host.
When thin.host is the better choice
- The site is static output (including a Next.js static export) and an agent or a script deploys it.
- You want transactional email and custom domains in the same account, without per-seat pricing.
Moving from Vercel to thin.host
- Produce static files: for Next.js set
output: 'export'and build toout/(see the Next.js guide); for other frameworks run the same build command locally. - Publish the folder: ask your agent to publish it to thin.host (MCP), or zip it and run
curl -F file=@site.zip -H "Authorization: Bearer $THINHOST_API_KEY" https://thin.host/v1/websites/archive. Check the site at its/s/<slug>/preview URL. - Plan for redirects: thin.host does not read
vercel.json, and redirects are not yet self-serve. Keep URL paths the same where you can; for a page that moved, deploy a small HTML page with ameta refreshand a canonical link to the new address. Rewrites and custom headers have no equivalent. - Move the domain: add it to the site under Custom Domains in the thin.host dashboard, change its DNS record to the CNAME the dashboard shows (cname.thin.host), and remove it from Vercel once thin.host's certificate is live.
What does not carry over
- vercel.json redirects, rewrites and headers
- Serverless Functions, Edge Functions and Middleware
- Image Optimization (set images.unoptimized for a static export)
- Preview deployments and Deployment Protection (thin.host offers password or email gating)
Deploy commands for your framework are in the deploy guides; agent setup is in Quickstart (MCP).
FAQ
Can I move a Next.js app from Vercel to thin.host?
If it can be statically exported, yes: set output: 'export', build, and deploy the out/ folder. Apps that rely on server rendering, API routes or middleware need a server platform.
Can I deploy to thin.host without an account?
No. Sign up (free), then deploy with an API key, the MCP server or the dashboard's upload page.
Do I have to move my DNS provider?
No. Keep DNS where it is and create the record the dashboard shows, a CNAME to cname.thin.host. TLS is issued automatically once it resolves.
Sources
Vercel facts checked on 2026-10-14 against: