Vercel vs Netlify vs AWS CloudFront — UK Deployment Platform (2025)
Vercel is the right default for Next.js applications — native Next.js support (ISR, Server Components, Edge Runtime), UK edge locations (sub-50ms TTFB from UK), and zero configuration. AWS CloudFront + ECS is right when UK data residency confirmation is required (NHS DTAC, FCA regulated) or when the application already runs on AWS. Netlify is a good alternative to Vercel for non-Next.js JAMstack applications. Deployment platform choice affects UK GDPR data residency, Core Web Vitals performance, and operational complexity.
| Factor | Vercel | Netlify | AWS CloudFront + ECS |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK GDPR data residency | ✅ EU region available — DPA provided | EU region available | ✅ eu-west-2 — confirmed UK data residency |
| NHS DTAC / FCA data residency | Acceptable — EU region DPA available | Acceptable | ✅ Strongest — AWS eu-west-2 confirmed |
| Next.js native support | ✅ Built by Vercel — best Next.js support | Good — community support | Manual configuration required |
| Core Web Vitals (UK) | ✅ UK edge < 50ms TTFB | UK edge available | ✅ CloudFront UK edge — equivalent |
| Server Components (App Router) | ✅ Native — Edge Runtime support | ✅ Good | ✅ ECS Fargate — full support |
| ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) | ✅ Native | ✅ Good | Manual S3 + Lambda implementation |
| Cost (medium traffic) | £20–£200/month | £15–£100/month | £80–£400/month (ECS + CloudFront) |
| Operational complexity | ✅ Zero — fully managed | ✅ Low | Higher — ECS, ECR, CloudFront config |
| ClickMasters default | ✅ Next.js commercial projects | Non-Next.js JAMstack | NHS DTAC, FCA — confirmed data residency |
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