What should I use for simple hosting with autoscaling?

If you want simple hosting with autoscaling, the best choice depends on what you’re deploying:

Good “easy mode” options

1. Vercel

• Best for: Next.js, frontend apps, serverless APIs
• Very simple deploy from GitHub
• Autoscaling is basically built in
• Great developer experience

2. Netlify

• Best for: static sites, frontend apps, lightweight functions
• Easy Git-based deployment
• Automatic scaling for most common use cases
• Good if you want simple and cheap

3. Render

• Best for: web apps, APIs, background workers
• Easier than traditional cloud platforms
• Autoscaling available on some plans
• Good middle ground for “simple but not just static”

4. Cloud Run (Google Cloud)

• Best for: containerized apps
• Very simple once you package your app in Docker
• Scales to zero and scales up automatically
• Great if you want low ops overhead and pay-per-use

5. AWS App Runner

• Best for: containerized web services
• Simplifies AWS deployment a lot
• Autoscaling built in
• Easier than ECS/EKS, though still more “cloudy” than Vercel/Render

My quick recommendation

• Frontend / Next.js: Vercel
• Static site: Netlify
• Simple API or full app: Render
• Containerized app with autoscaling: Cloud Run

If you tell me:

1. what stack you’re using,
2. whether it’s a frontend, API, or full-stack app,
3. and your expected traffic,

I can recommend the best specific option.