A GitHub Pages alternative for pages that aren't git projects
BetaDrop is a free GitHub Pages alternative for static pages that don't belong in a repository: drag a .zip of your built site — or a single index.html — and get a live HTTPS URL in seconds. No git, no public source, no build pipeline.
To be clear about the other side: GitHub Pages is excellent, genuinely free, and the right home for a versioned project site. The difference is the path to a URL. On GitHub Pages that path runs through a repository, a commit, and a Pages configuration; here it is one upload. For the pages developers most often need in a hurry — the privacy-policy URL an App Store submission requires, a client demo, release notes — those three steps are the product.
BetaDrop vs GitHub Pages
| Feature | BetaDrop | GitHub Pages |
|---|---|---|
| How a page goes live | Drag a .zip or index.html | Commit to a repository, enable Pages |
| Git required | No | Yes — content flows through commits |
| Time to a live URL | Seconds | Minutes, after repo + Pages setup |
| Private source | Yes — nothing is published but the site | Public repo, or a paid plan |
| Build pipeline | None — you upload the built files | Jekyll by default, or GitHub Actions |
| Free per-deploy size | 100 MB | 1 GB site limit |
| Free storage | 1 GB | 1 GB per site |
| Free-tier site lifetime | 30 days + 1 free renewal, permanent on paid | No expiry |
| Custom domain | Planned (paid tier); free HTTPS subdomain today | Yes, free with HTTPS |
| HTTPS | Automatic | Automatic |
GitHub Pages figures from GitHub's published limits (1 GB site, 100 GB/month // limits-ok — GitHub Pages' published limit, not our figure soft bandwidth), checked August 2026. Both products change; check their pricing page before deciding on numbers alone.
When GitHub Pages is the better choice
- A documentation site that lives with its repo. Docs that version alongside code belong in the same repository, and Pages publishes them on every merge.
- Set-and-forget-forever hosting. Pages sites never expire. BetaDrop's free tier parks a site after 30 days (one free renewal; files kept, restored on renewal or upgrade) — permanence is what the paid tier sells.
- A custom domain on a free tier, today. Pages does custom domains free; BetaDrop doesn't yet.
- A Jekyll blog. Pages builds Jekyll natively; BetaDrop runs no build step at all.
The pages developers actually need in a hurry
The store-submission trio is the clearest case: Apple and Google both require live URLs a reviewer will open — a privacy policy, a support page, and for apps with accounts an account-deletion page. None of them is a git project. Write the three files, zip them, upload once, paste three URLs into App Store Connect and Play Console.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GitHub Pages actually free?
Yes, and genuinely so for public repositories: a published site up to 1 GB with a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB per month. The catch is scope, not cost — publishing from a private repository requires a paid GitHub plan, the site's source is public by default, and everything flows through git. If those fit your project, GitHub Pages is excellent.
When is BetaDrop the better choice over GitHub Pages?
When the page is not a git project. A privacy-policy URL for an App Store submission, a client demo, release notes, a hackathon page — things you need live in the next five minutes without creating a repository, committing, and configuring Pages. On BetaDrop you drag a zip or a single index.html and the URL exists. No git, no build pipeline, no public source.
Do I need to know git to use GitHub Pages?
In practice, yes. Content reaches GitHub Pages through commits — via git itself, GitHub's web editor, or a GitHub Action. That is a strength for versioned project sites and a real barrier for a one-off page. BetaDrop's flow is a file upload; there is nothing to clone, commit or push.
Does BetaDrop hosting expire?
Free sites stay live for a fixed window with one free renewal, then park — the files are kept and the URL comes back the moment you renew or upgrade; paid plans keep sites live permanently while subscribed. GitHub Pages sites do not expire. If set-and-forget-forever on a free tier is the requirement, GitHub Pages wins that row honestly.
Can I use a custom domain?
GitHub Pages supports custom domains free, including HTTPS. BetaDrop free sites live at yourname.betadrop.site with HTTPS already configured; custom domains are planned for the paid Studio tier but are not available today. If a custom domain is non-negotiable right now, that is a point for GitHub Pages.
