GitHub Pages vs Netlify vs Cloudflare Pages: Which Is Best for Markdown Sites?

If you are building a site with Markdown, you already value simplicity. Markdown is clean, readable, and easy to write. But once your content is ready, the next question is where to host it.

Three platforms come up again and again: GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Cloudflare Pages.

Each of them supports static site hosting, and each of them is widely used by developers and tech-savvy creators. But which one is best for Markdown-based blogs and websites?

Let’s take a closer look at how they compare.

GitHub Pages: Great for Git Users, Limited for Everyone Else

GitHub Pages has been around the longest and is deeply connected to GitHub itself. It is popular because it is free, fast, and built into the GitHub platform.

What it is good at:

• Works well if your content is already in a GitHub repository
• Built-in support for Jekyll, a Markdown-friendly static site generator
• Free with generous bandwidth and global delivery
• Easy to connect with custom domains

Where it falls short:

• Requires Git and some command-line knowledge
• Limited flexibility if you do not use Jekyll
• No web dashboard for content editing or publishing
• No built-in preview or editor for Markdown

GitHub Pages is a good fit if you are already using GitHub and Jekyll. But if you want a more visual or content-focused workflow, it can feel restrictive.

Netlify: Developer Friendly With More Flexibility

Netlify is a modern platform built for static site workflows. It supports a wide range of frameworks and build tools, including Jekyll, Hugo, Eleventy, Astro, and more.

What it is good at:

• Supports custom build commands and multiple static site generators
• Powerful features like redirects, form handling, and edge functions
• Integrated preview deployments for pull requests
• Simple domain management and HTTPS included

Where it falls short:

• Still requires Git for most workflows
• CI builds can fail if the configuration is not correct
• Can be overkill for small or simple Markdown-based blogs
• Learning curve for non-developers

Netlify is great for developers who want control and are comfortable setting up a project from the command line. It is less ideal if you just want to drag and drop Markdown files and publish.

Cloudflare Pages: Fast and Efficient, Still Growing

Cloudflare Pages is the newest of the three, and it is built on Cloudflare's global network. Like Netlify, it supports a variety of site generators and connects to Git repositories for builds.

What it is good at:

• Excellent global performance thanks to Cloudflare’s CDN
• Free plan with no bandwidth limits
• Integrates with Cloudflare Workers for custom functionality
• Supports Jamstack frameworks like Hugo and Astro

Where it falls short:

• Requires GitHub or GitLab integration for deployment
• Lacks some of the developer niceties found in Netlify
• Fewer out-of-the-box features like forms or analytics
• Not yet mature in terms of ecosystem and documentation

Cloudflare Pages is promising and developer-friendly, especially if you are already using other Cloudflare tools. It is lean and fast, but it still feels like a platform in progress.

So Which One Should You Choose?

It depends on your workflow and what matters most to you:

• If you want something simple and free and you already use GitHub, GitHub Pages is a solid choice.
• If you want more power and flexibility, Netlify has the best all-around developer experience.
• If you care most about performance and are comfortable with Cloudflare’s ecosystem, Cloudflare Pages is worth exploring.

None of these platforms are especially friendly to non-developers. They all expect some comfort with Git, build tools, and configuration. If you are okay with that, they offer excellent value and performance.

But if you are looking for something that is more focused on writing, Markdown content, and ease of publishing, you might want to explore tools that put content first rather than code.