The shopping question, answered without brochure fog
“Where should I host a static website?” usually hides three different questions: Where do the files live? Who runs TLS and deploys? How much platform am I willing to learn? This piece compares common answers with StaticHost’s deliberate smallness so you can pick on purpose.
StaticHost hosts HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and static generator output. Zip or GitHub. HTTPS on preview immediately; custom-domain certificates after DNS verifies. Deploy history and rollback. It does not run npm, Hugo, or Jekyll for you. nginx is try_files $uri $uri/ =404—no SPA fallback. No cPanel, no email, no built-in CDN product, no forever-free tier (short trial ~1 day). Plans: Starter $9/mo (1 site, 2 GB), Pro $30 (3 sites, 10 GB, staging), Scale $65 (10 sites, 30 GB), Business $130 (30 sites, 100 GB, teams).
Option A: Object storage plus CloudFront (or equivalent)
Shape. Upload objects to S3 (or GCS). Put a CDN distribution in front. Wire ACM certificates, origin access controls, cache behaviors, and often a second stack for preview.
Fits. Teams already deep in a cloud account who need fine-grained caching rules, multi-region edges, and infrastructure-as-code for many properties.
Cost of complexity. The “hello world” path is a dozen console screens or a non-trivial Terraform module. SPA routing means writing CloudFront functions or error-page behaviors. Preview environments are DIY. Rollback means knowing which object versions or which bucket prefix is live.
Versus StaticHost. StaticHost will not replace a mature CloudFront setup for global enterprises. It will replace weeks of glue when you primarily need “HTTPS site from a folder” with rollback. If you outgrow and need a full CDN control plane, you can leave; you are not trapped by a proprietary renderer.
Option B: Large JAMstack platforms (build + functions + identity)
Shape. Git push, remote build, optional serverless functions, form handling, edge middleware, sometimes identity.
Fits. Teams that want the host to compile the site and run backend-ish glue next to it.
Trade. You inherit platform-specific config (_redirects, function folders, build minute quotas). History-mode SPAs often “just work” because of framework-aware redirects—convenient, and easy to forget those redirects are not universal.
Versus StaticHost. StaticHost skips remote builds and functions on purpose. Bring your own CI if you want automation; upload output. If you need platform functions, pick a platform that sells them. If you need files without that surface area, smaller is calmer. Related: JAMstack hosting for beginners.
Option C: GitHub Pages / similar forever-free static hosts
Shape. Free or cheap, Git-centric, fine for personal docs and demos.
Fits. Students, open-source docs, experiments. See static hosting for students and free vs paid static hosting.
Trade. Policy limits, less commercial staging/team features, and branding constraints depending on the provider. StaticHost is paid after a short trial because it targets reversible commercial deploys with clearer site quotas—not a forever-free commons.
Option D: VPS or shared hosting with nginx you manage
Shape. Full control. You install nginx, renew certs, patch OpenSSL, and invent your own deploy scripts.
Fits. People who enjoy ops or must co-host non-static services on the same machine.
Trade. You become the on-call. Static-only sites rarely need that burden. Static website hosting without server management expands this contrast.
Option E: StaticHost
Shape. File-oriented static hosting with preview TLS, DNS-verified custom certs, zip/GitHub, history/rollback, explicit plan limits.
Fits. Portfolios, landing pages, documentation exports, static exports from modern frameworks, agency microsites counted in threes, tens, or thirties.
Does not fit. WordPress/PHP apps (use a PHP host), SSR-only frameworks without a static export, projects that require SPA fallback rewrites, or anyone demanding forever-free plus email on the same invoice.
A decision sketch
- Need functions and remote builds as a product feature → large JAMstack platform.
- Need multi-cloud edge theater and already have platform teams → S3+CloudFront class.
- Need $0 indefinitely for a school project → GitHub Pages class.
- Need shell and arbitrary daemons → VPS.
- Need a small paid host that serves the files you built and tells the truth about
=404→ StaticHost.
Migration mindset
Moving toward StaticHost means producing a clean output directory and cutting DNS after preview sign-off. Moving away means the same artifact portability—your dist is not locked. That portability is the quiet advantage of staying static.
For pricing guts, see static website hosting pricing. For the procedural path once you choose, how to host a static website.
Worked example: freelance trio of microsites
You maintain a bakery site, a dentist one-pager, and your own portfolio. Requirements: custom domains, rollback, occasional staging for the dentist’s copy reviews, no WordPress, no desire to learn CloudFront behaviors.
Decision: StaticHost Pro at $30/mo (3 sites, 10 GB, staging). Build each site as plain HTML or a small Vite export on your laptop. Deploy zips. Preview on HTTPS. Attach domains only after each preview is signed off. Refuse the bakery’s “can we add a members area with passwords on this same host” request—or split that app elsewhere.
If next year you have ten microsites, revisit Scale ($65, 10×30 GB). If you need platform functions and remote builds as a product feature, revisit a large JAMstack platform instead of forcing StaticHost to pretend.
Failure table (choosing the wrong lane)
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Deep links 404 after migrating from Netlify | Expected SPA fallback | Hash routes, prerender, or stay on a fallback host |
| Build never runs on git push | Assumed remote npm | Build in CI; upload output—git deploy |
| Bill shock on cloud CDN stack | DIY S3+CloudFront for one brochure | Move brochure to file hosting |
| School project blocked by payment | Needed forever-free | Use GitHub Pages class hosts |
| WordPress upload rejected | Wrong runtime | PHP/WordPress host |
| Email broke during website DNS | MX edited casually | Restore MX; StaticHost is not mail |
Honesty checklist when someone asks “where should I host?”: StaticHost does not run npm/Hugo/Jekyll remotely; nginx is try_files $uri $uri/ =404; plans $9/$30/$65/$130 after ~1 day trial; no forever-free; no email; no built-in CDN product; HTTPS preview → DNS → cert. For pricing guts see static website hosting pricing.
FAQ
Is StaticHost “better than Netlify”?
It is smaller. Better when you want file hosting without functions and you accept building elsewhere. Worse when you need those platform services.
Why no built-in CDN marketing page?
Because inventing benchmark theater would be dishonest. Serve lean files; add your own CDN later if measurements demand it.
Can I put CloudFront in front of StaticHost myself?
Operationally you may place any compatible CDN you control in front of an origin you own—architecture is yours. The product itself does not include a managed CDN tier.
Do you run WordPress?
No. Use a WordPress-capable host for that runtime.
Which plan should a three-microsite freelance studio pick?
Pro ($30, 3 sites, 10 GB, staging) matches that shape; Scale if you are heading toward ten properties.