--- title: "Netlify vs AWS Amplify" description: "Compare Netlify and AWS Amplify Hosting across platform scope, frameworks, backend services, pricing, AWS integration, and developer experience." source: "https://www.netlify.com/knowledge-base/netlify-vs-aws-amplify/" last_updated: "2026-07-24T14:06:12.000Z" --- Both platforms take a Git repository and turn it into a deployed site with CI/CD, preview environments, and custom domains. They come at the problem from opposite directions. Netlify is a standalone developer platform built around a zero-config deploy experience and a framework-first workflow. AWS Amplify is Amazon’s front-end layer on top of AWS — it deploys your app onto AWS primitives (CloudFront, Lambda, S3) and connects to the broader AWS backend catalog. That difference in origin runs through the whole comparison: pick Netlify for an opinionated platform that gets out of your way, pick Amplify when you want to stay inside AWS. Which one fits depends less on features — the deploy basics overlap heavily — and more on whether you want to be on AWS. This guide compares them dimension by dimension, with the tradeoffs stated both ways. ## What each platform is **Netlify** is a self-contained platform for building, deploying, and running web apps. You connect a repository and Netlify handles builds, global CDN delivery, serverless functions, previews, and rollbacks without you provisioning any of the underlying infrastructure ([Netlify docs](https://docs.netlify.com/)). **AWS Amplify** is a set of tools for shipping front-end and full-stack apps on AWS. Amplify Hosting handles the deploy-and-serve part; Amplify’s backend tooling (Gen 2) provisions AWS services — Cognito for auth, AppSync/DynamoDB for data, S3 for storage — as code ([Amplify Hosting](https://aws.amazon.com/amplify/hosting/)). Your backend resources live in your own AWS account, though the hosting CDN layer (CloudFront) is Amplify-managed and not directly visible or editable in your account. The practical split: Netlify abstracts the cloud away entirely, while Amplify is a friendlier front door to AWS that still leaves you on AWS. ## Deployment and CI/CD Both connect to GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, build on every push, and generate preview deployments for pull requests. The mechanics differ in what happens underneath. Netlify deploys are **atomic and immutable**: each deploy is a complete versioned snapshot that goes live all at once, and you can roll back to any previous deploy instantly from the dashboard without rebuilding. Deploy previews get their own URL on every pull request. Amplify also builds on push and performs **atomic deployments**, with one-click “Redeploy this version” to roll back to a prior build — so the deploy-safety model is closer to Netlify’s than a surface reading suggests. For Gen 2 apps, Amplify can also spin up an ephemeral backend environment for each pull request, giving full-stack teams a true per-PR preview of both frontend and backend. Because the pipeline sits on AWS infrastructure, build behavior and logs flow through the AWS console alongside your other AWS resources. For a developer who wants previews and rollbacks with no infrastructure to reason about, Netlify’s model is more turnkey. For a team that already lives in the AWS console and wants deploys — and full-stack PR environments — visible there, Amplify keeps everything in one account. ## Framework support Both detect popular frameworks and configure builds automatically. Netlify supports Next.js through the OpenNext adapter (Next.js 13.5+; earlier versions use a legacy runtime), along with Astro, Remix, SvelteKit, Nuxt, and others, with framework-aware build defaults ([framework setup guides](https://docs.netlify.com/build/frameworks/framework-setup-guides/)). Amplify Hosting automatically detects Next.js (versions 12–15) and deploys server-side rendering, ISR, the App Router, and middleware onto Lambda without manual adapter configuration ([Amplify Next.js support](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amplify/latest/userguide/ssr-amplify-support.html)). It supports React, Vue, Angular, and other SPA frameworks as static builds, plus SSR for supported frameworks. A few Next.js features are unsupported on Amplify as of mid-2026: Edge API Routes (and Edge middleware), on-demand ISR, and Next.js streaming — worth checking against your app if it relies on them. Both cover the common frameworks well. Amplify’s Next.js SSR is tightly wired to Lambda; Netlify runs Next.js SSR on its own functions layer. If your app is Next.js and you want the deploy target to be AWS Lambda specifically, Amplify does that natively. ## Backend and full-stack This is where the platforms diverge most. **Amplify is a full-stack framework, not just hosting.** Amplify Gen 2 lets you define auth, a data layer, storage, and functions in TypeScript, and it provisions the matching AWS services (Cognito, AppSync + DynamoDB, S3, Lambda) in your account. If you want a typed backend that scales on AWS and integrates with the rest of the AWS catalog, that breadth is Amplify’s biggest advantage. **Netlify provides composable primitives rather than a prescribed backend.** You get serverless [Functions](https://docs.netlify.com/build/functions/overview/), [Edge Functions](https://docs.netlify.com/build/edge-functions/overview/), [Blobs](https://docs.netlify.com/build/data-and-storage/netlify-blobs/) for key-value storage, [Netlify Database](https://docs.netlify.com/build/data-and-storage/netlify-database/) (managed Postgres, built in, with deploy-preview branching), and Forms — and you can still bring your own database or auth provider. That is less prescriptive than Amplify’s typed, provisioned-as-code backend, but it keeps you free to pick any database or auth service without adopting a provisioning framework, while still giving you a first-party managed database when you want one. Choose Amplify if you want an integrated AWS backend defined as code, tied to Cognito and the AWS catalog. Choose Netlify if you prefer to assemble a backend from best-of-breed services — with a built-in managed Postgres available — and keep the platform focused on delivery. ## Compute runtimes Netlify Functions run JavaScript/TypeScript and Go; Edge Functions run on Deno at the edge. You write Web-standard handlers and Netlify handles the runtime and scaling. Amplify’s SSR and functions run on AWS Lambda, with the AWS runtime options and limits that implies. Because it is Lambda, you inherit AWS’s cold-start behavior, execution limits, and — usefully — the ability to reach any other AWS service through IAM. If you want your compute to be first-class AWS Lambda with direct IAM access to other AWS services, Amplify gives you that. If you want managed functions without touching AWS at all, Netlify does. ## Pricing model The two use fundamentally different billing shapes, which matters more than the headline numbers. Netlify bills against a **monthly credit pool** tied to your plan: 300 credits on Free, 1,000 on Personal, 3,000 on Pro. Usage draws from that shared pool at published rates — for example a production deploy costs 15 credits (deploy previews and branch deploys are free), compute is 10 credits per GB-hour, bandwidth is 20 credits per GB, and web requests are 2 credits per 10,000 ([how credits work](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/accounts-and-billing/billing/billing-for-credit-based-plans/how-credits-work/)). One plan price covers the platform, and there are no per-seat charges on Pro. Amplify uses **AWS usage-based, multi-dimensional billing**: as of mid-2026 its published rates are roughly $0.01 per standard build minute, $0.15 per GB served, and $0.023 per GB stored per month, with a monthly free tier of about 1,000 build minutes, 15 GB served, and 5 GB stored; larger build instances cost more per minute, and SSR apps add request and duration meters ([Amplify pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/amplify/pricing/)). There are no per-seat fees — you pay for resources consumed. The tradeoff is predictability versus granularity. Netlify’s single plan price is easier to forecast and includes unlimited seats. Amplify’s usage-based model can be cheaper for a large team (no per-seat cost, pay only for what you use) but requires monitoring several metered dimensions to avoid surprises. Verify both platforms’ current rates before deciding — pricing on both changes. ## AWS integration and lock-in This cuts both ways and is the crux of the decision. Amplify’s tight AWS coupling is a genuine strength if you are already on AWS: Route 53 for DNS, Cognito for identity, IAM for permissions, and direct access to every other AWS service from your functions. Your hosting lives in the same account and bill as the rest of your infrastructure. That same coupling is the lock-in cost. Amplify apps are built around AWS services, so moving off AWS means replacing Cognito, AppSync, and the Amplify backend, not just changing where files are hosted. Netlify keeps the platform layer portable — it deploys standard framework output and Web-standard functions, so what you host isn’t bound to a single cloud’s identity and data services. In fairness, this isn’t all-or-nothing on either side: lean on Netlify-specific primitives (Forms, Blobs, Netlify Database, the Image CDN) and you take on migration work leaving Netlify too. The difference is scope — Amplify tends to couple your auth and data layer to AWS, while Netlify’s lock-in is concentrated in optional platform features you can choose to avoid. If AWS is your standard, Amplify’s integration is a real advantage. If you want to avoid committing your app’s backend to one cloud, Netlify keeps that surface smaller. ## Developer experience and setup friction Netlify is zero-config for the common path: connect a repo, accept the detected build settings, and deploy. There is no cloud account to configure, no IAM roles, no distributions to wire up. The [CLI](https://docs.netlify.com/cli/get-started/) publishes a folder to a live URL in one command. Amplify is friendlier than raw AWS but still asks more up front: an AWS account, IAM permissions, and familiarity with the AWS console. In exchange you get the full AWS toolbox and infrastructure-as-code for your backend. Developers who want to ship a site in minutes without learning AWS will move faster on Netlify. Teams with AWS expertise who want that power will find Amplify’s extra setup worth it. ## Side by side Dimension Netlify AWS Amplify What it is Standalone deploy + runtime platform Front-end/full-stack layer on AWS Underlying infra Abstracted away Your AWS account (CloudFront, Lambda, S3) CI/CD Atomic immutable deploys, instant rollback, PR previews Atomic deploys, one-click redeploy, full-stack PR previews (Gen 2) Next.js SSR Next.js Runtime, OpenNext-based (13.5+) Auto-detected (12–15), runs on Lambda; no Edge routes/on-demand ISR/streaming Backend Composable: Functions, Edge, Blobs, Netlify Database (Postgres), Forms; or BYO Full-stack Gen 2: Cognito, AppSync/DynamoDB, S3 as code Compute Functions (JS/TS + Go), Deno edge AWS Lambda Pricing Monthly credit pool per plan, no per-seat AWS usage-based, multi-dimensional, no per-seat Cloud coupling Portable platform layer Deep AWS integration (Route 53, IAM, Cognito) Setup Zero-config, no cloud account AWS account + IAM required ## Which to choose Pick **Netlify** when you want a self-contained platform with a zero-config deploy experience, instant previews and rollbacks, predictable single-price billing, and the freedom to assemble your backend from any services you like. It fits teams that want to ship fast without managing cloud infrastructure or committing their stack to one provider. Pick **AWS Amplify** when you are already on AWS or want to be — when you value a typed full-stack backend provisioned as AWS services, direct integration with Cognito, Route 53, and the rest of the AWS catalog, and usage-based billing with no per-seat cost. It fits teams with AWS expertise building on the AWS ecosystem end to end. ## Resources - [Netlify documentation](https://docs.netlify.com/) - [Netlify pricing](https://www.netlify.com/pricing/) and [how credits work](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/accounts-and-billing/billing/billing-for-credit-based-plans/how-credits-work/) - [Netlify Database](https://docs.netlify.com/build/data-and-storage/netlify-database/) - [Netlify framework setup guides](https://docs.netlify.com/build/frameworks/framework-setup-guides/) - [AWS Amplify Hosting](https://aws.amazon.com/amplify/hosting/) - [AWS Amplify pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/amplify/pricing/) - [Amplify support for Next.js](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amplify/latest/userguide/ssr-amplify-support.html)