Vibe-Coded a Portfolio. Now Where Does It Live?
Vibe-Coded a Portfolio. Now Where Does It Live?
You opened Cursor, prompted yourself a portfolio in two hours, and now your terminal is blinking on npm run dev. Cool. Where does this thing actually go so people can see it.
The answer most tutorials give you is "GitHub Pages" or "just push to Netlify." Both work. Both also assume you already know what you are doing and have your DNS sorted.
Here is the honest comparison: 4 places a vibe-coded portfolio can live, what each one wins at, and where each one falls down.
At a glance
| Host | Best for | Time-to-live | Custom domain | Iteration friction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Pages | Devs who already use Git | 30 min first time | Yes, via DNS | Push to redeploy |
| Netlify | Most vibe coders | 5 min | Yes, in dashboard | Drag-and-drop or git push |
| Vercel | Next.js or React-heavy builds | 5 min | Yes, in dashboard | Git push |
| HTMLPub | Static output from any AI tool | 60 seconds | Yes, in dashboard | Paste, edit, republish |
The real differentiator is iteration friction, not initial deploy. Your first deploy is a one-time cost. You will edit this site dozens of times.
1. GitHub Pages
Where it wins: free forever, fine for static HTML/CSS/JS, gives you a clean github.io URL out of the box, native to your existing dev workflow if you already use Git.
Where it falls down: setup is technical the first time. You need a repo, a gh-pages branch or docs/ folder, and a basic understanding of how to push commits. Custom domain setup means editing DNS records yourself. No build step means you have to flatten your AI tool's output before pushing.
Best for: devs who already live in Git and do not mind the upfront friction. If your portfolio is one of many side projects, GitHub Pages is the lowest mental overhead long-term.
Skip if: you have never opened a terminal. Or if you are going to iterate weekly (the push-deploy cycle gets old fast).
2. Netlify
Where it wins: drag-and-drop deploy means you can ship without a Git knowledge check. Free tier covers everything a portfolio needs. Custom domain setup is a few clicks. Build hooks and forms come included if you want to add a contact form later.
Where it falls down: the build process can confuse first-timers when your AI tool outputs a non-standard project structure. If Cursor gave you a Vite app and your build settings do not match, the deploy fails silently. You will not always get a useful error.
Best for: most vibe coders. Default to Netlify unless you have a specific reason not to. The free tier and contact-form support make it easy to grow.
Skip if: you are publishing pure flat HTML and want zero build complexity. The Netlify config can be more than you need.
3. Vercel
Where it wins: optimized for React, Next.js, and modern frontend frameworks. If your AI tool gave you a Next.js project, Vercel is the path of least resistance. Preview deploys per branch, fast edge network, generous free tier.
Where it falls down: overkill for a static portfolio. The framework focus shows up in your dashboard, your build settings, and your billing once you scale. Same trap as Netlify if your AI tool's output structure does not match Vercel's defaults.
Best for: portfolios with real interactivity (animations, dynamic project filtering, blog with MDX). If your AI tool generated a Next.js project, stay on Vercel. We have a separate walkthrough on hosting a v0 project if that is your stack.
Skip if: your portfolio is 5 HTML files and a CSS bundle. You are paying for complexity you do not use.
4. HTMLPub
Where it wins: paste your HTML, get a live URL. No build step, no deploy config, no Git, no DNS-on-day-one. Built for the loop where you go back to Cursor or Lovable, ask it to tweak something, paste the new HTML, and republish in under a minute. Custom domains supported when you are ready.
Where it falls down: not built for full-stack apps. If your portfolio has a real backend, auth, or a database, HTMLPub is not the right host. It is for static output.
Best for: anyone who is going to keep iterating. The portfolio you build today will not be the portfolio you have in 3 months. Time-to-republish is the only metric that matters once the first version is live.
Skip if: you have a Next.js app with API routes, server actions, or auth.
Pick the one that matches how you work
If you already use Git daily, GitHub Pages is fine.
If you got a generic React or Vite project from your AI tool, Netlify covers most cases.
If you got a Next.js project specifically, stay on Vercel.
If you got plain HTML/CSS/JS and you are going to keep editing it in the AI tool, HTMLPub is the loop-friendly path.
The biggest mistake I see vibe coders make is picking the host before they pick how they want to iterate. Test your republish flow once before you commit. If editing one button takes 8 minutes, you are going to stop editing.
What to actually put on the portfolio
Beyond the host: the projects matter more than the design. AI tools generate clean, generic site shells. They cannot generate the case studies, the prompts you used, or the trade-offs you made.
Show:
- 3 to 5 real projects with screenshots
- Per project: what it solves, what you used to build it, what broke
- A page about how you work (this is the differentiator)
- Contact, in one click
Hide:
- Generic skill bars ("HTML 80%, CSS 70%")
- Unfinished side projects you have not touched in 6 months
- Quotes from clients who have not given permission
If you want a deeper read on how to structure the actual content of a vibe-coded portfolio, our AI portfolio website builder guide covers the project-presentation layer.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to host a vibe-coded portfolio?
GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and HTMLPub all have free tiers that cover a portfolio. Net cost is your time, not your money. Pick the one that lets you republish in under a minute.
Can I use a custom domain on a vibe-coded portfolio?
Yes, on all four hosts above. GitHub Pages requires manual DNS records. Netlify, Vercel, and HTMLPub handle most of the DNS configuration in their dashboard.
How do I update a vibe-coded portfolio after I publish it?
If you used HTMLPub, paste the new HTML and click republish. If you used Netlify or Vercel, push to your repo or drag-and-drop the new build. If you used GitHub Pages, commit and push to the gh-pages branch. The friction varies; the loop matters more than the first deploy.
What is HTMLPub?
HTMLPub is the AI-native publishing platform built for the loop between AI tool and live URL. Paste static HTML, get a live URL with a custom domain, edit in your AI tool, paste again, republish. No Git, no build step, no DNS-first headache. Read how to publish HTML online for the full walkthrough.
Is a vibe-coded portfolio worse than a hand-coded one?
Only if you treat it as one-shot output. The differentiator is what you put on the page (real projects, real trade-offs, real prompts) and how often you iterate. The tool used to type the HTML matters less than how you talk about your work. If you are still picking a vibe coding tool, we compared the main contenders in Cursor for vibe coding.
About the author
Michael Sacca is co-founder of Leadpages and HTML Pub. He has been shipping products and writing about how creators build leverage online for over a decade.