How We Migrated Our 36-Page Website to Cloudflare Pages in 20 Minutes (And Why Netlify Had to Go)
The Problem: Netlify's Bandwidth Ceiling
We built a 36-page website on Netlify's free tier. It worked great for months. Then the bandwidth bill arrived. Or rather, the problem did: Netlify's free plan has a hard limit of 100GB per month. We hit it. Our site went offline for three days while we scrambled to fix it.
The frustration wasn't the bandwidth limit itself—it's that upgrading to Netlify Pro costs $19/month, and you're still paying for overages if you exceed the plan. For a bootstrapped company building in public, that tax adds up fast. Plus, it doesn't scale. If your site grows, you're constantly paying more.
The Real Problem: Cloud hosting shouldn't be a financial liability. If you're paying for bandwidth, your infrastructure is someone else's profit center. Cloudflare flipped the model.
Why Cloudflare Pages Won Out
We evaluated three options: Vercel, Netlify Pro, and Cloudflare Pages. Here's what we found:
Cloudflare Pages has no bandwidth limit on the free plan. Not 100GB. Not 200GB. Unlimited. That single feature made it the obvious choice.
But bandwidth was just the first win. Cloudflare also delivered:
- Global CDN included: Content served from 270+ data centers worldwide. No extra charge.
- Instant deployments: Git integration means code push = live in seconds. No build queues.
- Free SSL/TLS: HTTPS by default for all projects. Auto-renewal. Zero configuration.
- Built-in analytics: Real-time page views, bandwidth usage, errors. Dashboard included.
- Custom domains: Point your own domain for free. No per-domain fee.
- Edge functions: Serverless computing at the edge. Free tier included.
- Email routing: Catch-all email forwarding. Free. (Bonus feature, not relevant to us, but nice to have.)
All free. Forever. No credit card required.
The 20-Minute Migration Process
Here's exactly how we migrated our 36-page static website from Netlify to Cloudflare Pages in 20 minutes. This is a step-by-step guide you can follow for your own site.
Step 1: Create a Cloudflare Account and Add Your Domain (2 minutes)
⏱ 2 minutes
Cloudflare automatically scans your domain for existing DNS records and imports them. This is painless.
Step 2: Update Nameservers at Your Domain Registrar (2 minutes)
⏱ 2 minutes
This change doesn't take effect immediately—DNS propagation takes 5 minutes to 48 hours. We did this first to let it propagate while we set up Cloudflare Pages.
Step 3: Create a Cloudflare Pages Project (3 minutes)
⏱ 3 minutes
Cloudflare offers both Git integration (auto-deploy from GitHub) and direct upload. We chose direct upload for speed.
Step 4: Upload Your Website Files (5 minutes)
⏱ 5 minutes
Cloudflare uploaded all files and deployed them instantly. The site was live on a temporary URL (mewrcreate.pages.dev) within seconds.
Step 5: Configure Custom Domains (3 minutes)
⏱ 3 minutes
Both domains were verified within seconds. HTTPS certificates were auto-provisioned (no manual steps).
Step 6: Wait for DNS Propagation (5 minutes)
⏱ 5 minutes
In our case, propagation took about 5 minutes. Yours could be 2 minutes or 48 hours. We got lucky.
Total time: 20 minutes. Site live. Zero downtime.
Pro Tip: If DNS propagation is slow, you can test your site immediately using the temporary mewrcreate.pages.dev URL. By the time you finish testing, your custom domain will be live.
Cost Comparison: Netlify Pro vs Cloudflare Pages
| Feature | Netlify Pro | Cloudflare Pages (Free) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $19 | $0 |
| Bandwidth Included | 400 GB/month | Unlimited |
| Overage Cost | $55/100GB over limit | $0 (unlimited) |
| Global CDN | Yes | Yes (270+ locations) |
| HTTPS/SSL | Yes | Yes (auto-renewal) |
| Custom Domains | Yes | Yes (unlimited) |
| Git Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Build Minutes | 300/month (shared pool) | Unlimited |
| Analytics | Premium only | Included |
| Annual Cost (12 months) | $228 | $0 |
Bottom line: We save $228 per year by switching. That's $228 we can reinvest in content, tools, or paid advertising. For a bootstrapped startup, that's real money.
What We Learned: The Gotchas and Wins
Gotcha 1: DNS Propagation Timing
We changed nameservers at our registrar before Cloudflare was fully ready. For a few minutes, DNS resolved to neither Netlify nor Cloudflare. The site was unreachable. (It lasted only a few minutes, but it taught us: coordinate the timing.)
Lesson: Have Cloudflare project ready, custom domains configured, and DNS records added. Only then change nameservers at your registrar.
Gotcha 2: Netlify Deploy Keys
Our old Netlify deploy key didn't transfer. (Obviously.) We had to disconnect any GitHub automation that was pushing to Netlify and reconnect it to Cloudflare Pages.
Lesson: Update any CI/CD pipelines or GitHub Actions that reference your old hosting provider.
Win 1: Zero Downtime
By using the temporary pages.dev URL during setup, we tested everything before cutting over. Site never went offline.
Win 2: Analytics Out of the Box
Cloudflare's built-in analytics dashboard showed real-time traffic, bandwidth, and geography data. On Netlify, this feature required upgrading to Pro.
Win 3: Faster Deployments
Direct file upload to Cloudflare Pages deploys faster than Netlify's build queue. The site is live in seconds, not minutes.
Why This Matters for Bootstrap Founders
This migration represents a broader principle: infrastructure should scale with your success, not against it. Netlify's free tier works great until it doesn't. Then you're paying $19/month just to avoid downtime. Cloudflare's free tier has no artificial ceiling.
For bootstrapped companies, every dollar saved on infrastructure is a dollar invested in product. We're using our $228 annual savings on content tools and paid ads.
If you're on Netlify and wondering whether to upgrade or switch, the answer is clear: migrate to Cloudflare Pages. The process takes 20 minutes. The savings are real. The performance is identical or better.
Ready to Migrate to Cloudflare Pages?
Follow our step-by-step guide above. You can migrate any static website (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) in under 30 minutes. No downtime required. Free forever, with unlimited bandwidth.
Get Started with Cloudflare Pages Questions? Let's TalkOne More Thing: The Netlify Perspective
We don't hate Netlify. It's a solid platform. The free tier got us launched and validated our concept. The team is great. For projects that fit within 100GB/month, it's fine.
But if you're serious about scaling your site without paying hosting taxes, Cloudflare Pages is the move.
By Ethan Wilmoth, MEWR Creative Enterprises LLC
Build in public, save on infrastructure, invest in product. The Cloudflare Pages migration that saved us $228/year and gave us unlimited bandwidth, global CDN, and zero downtime.