Use HTMLtoLink when you need to share HTML with specific people quickly — one-click Google sign-in, private by default, password and updates included, permanent links from $5/month. Use GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel or Cloudflare Pages when you are publishing a permanent public website with your own domain, version control or a build pipeline. Google Drive and Dropbox no longer host HTML.
The comparison
| HTMLtoLink | GitHub Pages | Netlify | Vercel | Cloudflare Pages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sharing a page now | Docs, portfolios, project sites | Static sites & JAMstack | Next.js & front-end apps | Static sites at scale |
| Account | One-click Google | Required | Required to keep sites | Required | Required |
| Time to first URL | Seconds | Minutes | About a minute | Minutes | Minutes |
| Input | Paste, file, ZIP, folder, API | Git repo | Drag folder or Git | Git or CLI | Git, CLI or upload |
| Lifetime | 24 hours free · permanent paid | Permanent | Permanent | Permanent | Permanent |
| Search indexing | noindex (private) | Indexed | Indexed | Indexed | Indexed |
| Password | Every plan | No | Paid plans | Paid plans | Via Cloudflare Access |
| Own domain | No (subdomain) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Server code | No | No | Functions | Functions | Functions |
Platform features and free-tier limits change; check each provider's current docs before committing.
When HTMLtoLink is the right choice
- You have HTML now — from an AI chat, an export, a colleague — and someone needs to see it.
- The audience is specific: a client, a class, a team, a judge.
- It should not be on Google, and maybe needs a password.
- You do not want to create an account or learn Git for a one-off.
- A script or AI agent needs to hand a human a URL (API).
When a developer platform is the right choice
- The site should exist indefinitely and be found in search.
- You want your own domain, version history and pull-request previews.
- You need a build step, server functions or a database.
A note on Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive
Cloud storage shares files, not websites. Google Drive's web hosting ended in 2016 and Dropbox stopped rendering HTML in shared links in 2017, so a shared .html file opens as code or a download. They are fine for sending the source to a developer — not for showing a page.