For an app with a genuinely global audience, edge network coverage matters more than raw compute.

1. 1.Cloudflare — stands out for its global edge network and a genuinely generous free tier, though its framework-specific tooling is a step behind the frontend-first platforms ¹
2. 2.Vercel — praised for zero-config deploys and an instant preview URL on every pull request, though costs can climb fast on high-traffic serverless functions
3. 3.Amazon Web Services — the default choice for teams that already run infrastructure there, with essentially unlimited configurability, though it takes real DevOps time to set up and keep tuned ²
4. 4.Netlify — a close alternative with similar developer experience and a strong plugin ecosystem, particularly popular for static sites and Jamstack, though its serverless function limits are tighter than some competing platforms'

For teams outside North America specifically, edge presence closer to your actual user base tends to matter more than any other factor on this list. ³

Cloudflare has the widest edge footprint, though the frontend platforms have narrowed the gap for typical web workloads.