Moving from Vercel to Build
Still deciding? Build vs Vercel compares the two platforms and where each one fits. This page covers what changes technically when you move.
The execution model is the change everything else follows from. Vercel runs server-side code as invocations. Build runs processes that stay up. A frontend moves across straightforwardly; the server-side work is where the planning goes.
What carries over
Section titled “What carries over”| Carries over | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| The frontend | Yes | Build is language-agnostic. Next.js deploys through standard application deployment |
| Dockerfile builds | Yes | Vercel does not build container images. Build does |
| Cron jobs | Changes | Vercel cron triggers a function. On Build a scheduled job is an application process |
| Functions and Fluid Compute | Changes | Rewritten as routes in a persistent web process, or as workers |
| Workflows | Changes | Durable work maps to workers or scheduled jobs |
| Edge middleware and framework-specific features | Check first | Vercel-specific edge behavior has no direct equivalent |
| Marketplace databases | Changes | Build provides first-party managed data services on its own infrastructure |
| Deep Next.js integration | Changes | Build runs Next.js but does not develop it. Vercel’s integration is closer |
Execution model
Section titled “Execution model”Vercel runs server-side code as Functions and Fluid Compute. These handle substantial server-side processing. Functions run for up to 800 seconds, with 30 minutes available in beta, and Workflows handle durable work with no duration limit. The model remains invocation-based: code runs in response to a request or a trigger, and is billed around CPU, provisioned memory and invocations.
What Vercel does not run is an always-on process. A worker holding a queue connection, or a service maintaining state in memory between requests, has no home in that model.
Build runs long-lived processes in containers. A worker consuming a queue, a scheduled job, a service holding a persistent connection, and a database that stays up are all first-class. See Deploying Applications.
What this means in practice. Route handlers that fit inside a request move across with little change. Work that was split into invocations only to fit the model, or pushed onto a third-party queue service because nothing could stay up, can usually be simplified into a worker process.
Data services
Section titled “Data services”Build provides first-party managed data services, operated by the same team on the same hardware as the compute and reachable over private networking: Schema To Go (PostgreSQL), Ave To Go (MariaDB), Sequel To Go (Microsoft SQL Server), Cache To Go (Redis), Donkey To Go (MongoDB) and Spandex To Go (Elasticsearch and OpenSearch), alongside Mailer To Go and Infer To Go. See Add-on Services.
Vercel provides data through marketplace integrations with third-party providers. Those integrations are not portable: the equivalent Build add-on is provisioned and the data migrated.
Security and compliance
Section titled “Security and compliance”Vercel’s web application firewall is available on every plan, with firewall-mitigated traffic free. Build’s web application firewall is also per application and included, and uses the OWASP Core Rule Set.
Both hold SOC 2 Type 2. Vercel’s attestation covers all plans, but the report itself is available on Pro and Enterprise only. Audit logs, Secure Compute and HIPAA are Enterprise features. Single sign-on is not included in Pro either: SAML is a $300 per month add-on and SCIM a further $150 per month.
On Build, the SOC 2 report, audit logs, private networking and access controls are on every plan, and Google Workspace single sign-on is included. Build does not offer SAML or SCIM. See Security.
Billing model
Section titled “Billing model”The unit changes completely. Vercel charges $20 per user per month on Pro, plus usage metered across active CPU, provisioned memory, invocations and data transfer. Build charges a monthly pool of dyno-hours, with unlimited seats and add-on credits included in the same figure.
Capacity planning changes with it: instead of estimating invocations and CPU seconds, size the processes that will be running and convert to dyno-hours. See Dyno Sizes.
For plan capacity and what each plan includes, see Build pricing.
Migrating
Section titled “Migrating”Build deploys from Buildpacks or a Dockerfile and runs the web tier alongside workers, jobs and managed data services. Engineer-led migration support is included for every Enterprise customer. See migrating to Build.
Can Build run a Next.js application?
Yes. Build is language-agnostic and runs Next.js through standard application deployment. Vercel develops Next.js and its integration is closer, so framework-specific platform features should be checked individually.
Does Build have serverless functions?
No. Build runs persistent processes and containers. Work that suits scale-to-zero invocation is a better fit for a functions platform.
How do I replace a Vercel cron job?
As a scheduled job. The difference is that a Build scheduled job is an application process rather than a trigger that invokes a function.
Can Build run WebAssembly?
Yes. Build runs WebAssembly modules.
Do I pay per seat?
Not on Build. Seats are unlimited on every plan. Vercel charges $20 per user per month on Pro.
Last reviewed: 7 September 2026