Marketplace — hobby stack.
For each requirement below, pick the option that fits your build — recommended first, then free and cheaper alternatives — or skip what your project doesn't need. Tap the info icon next to any requirement to see why it matters.
Domain and DNS
Your human-readable address on the web plus the DNS records that point it at your servers. Skipping this is not an option — users need a domain to reach you.Pricing & free-tier limitsCloudflare Free: $0 - 1 domain unlimited DNS, DDoS, 3 page rules / Namecheap BasicDNS $0 with domain, domain $13/yr .com / Cloudflare Free Tier $0 / Route53 $0.50/hosted zone/mo + $0.40/M queries, domain $13/yr / Pro $20/mo 20 domains WAF, analytics
SSL/TLS
Encrypts traffic between your users and your servers. Without it browsers flag your site as insecure and you lose trust and search ranking.Pricing & free-tier limitsLet's Encrypt Free: $0 - 90-day certs unlimited, auto-renew via Vercel/Netlify / Cloudflare Universal SSL $0 included / Let's Encrypt Free $0 / DigiCert Standard $218/yr OV, wildcard $600/yr, $0 after issuance
Web Hosting / Backend Hosting
Where your code actually runs and serves requests. Picking the right host affects speed, scaling, and how much ops work you do.Pricing & free-tier limitsVercel Hobby $0 - 100GB bw, 6000 exec hrs, 100GB-hrs Edge, 100 deployments/day / Netlify Free 100GB bw 300 build mins / Fly.io Free 3 shared VMs 160GB egress $0 / Pro $20/seat/mo + $40/100GB over bw + $0.18/build hr
Cloud Platform
The underlying cloud account (AWS, GCP, Azure, or an all-in-one like Vercel+Supabase) that everything else is built on. Choose early — it is hard to change later.Pricing & free-tier limitsVercel+Supabase Free $0 - all-in-one 100GB bw, 500MB DB, 1GB storage, 50k MAU / Netlify+Supabase Free same / Railway Free 500 hrs $0 / Amplify $0.15/build hr + $0.023/GB-mo hosting $0 min
Database (multi-vendor: buyers/sellers)
Persistent storage for your app’s data — users, products, orders. The single most important architectural decision for most projects.Pricing & free-tier limitsSupabase Free: 500MB DB, 50k MAU, 1GB storage, 2GB egress, 2 proj / Neon Free 0.5GB, 100 hrs compute, 10 branches / Pro $25/mo 8GB DB 100k MAU $0.00325/MAU over $0.09/GB egress over / RDS t3.micro $0.017/hr ~$12.5/mo + $0.115/GB-mo 20GB $2.3/mo
File and Object Storage / Image and Media Storage
Where you keep files users upload or you serve — images, videos, documents — and how fast they reach visitors around the world.Pricing & free-tier limitsSupabase Storage Free 1GB, 2GB egress, 200MB/file seller images / Cloudinary Free 25GB bw, 25k trans, 25GB storage / B2 Free 10GB $0.005/GB-mo after $0.01/GB egress / S3 $0.023/GB-mo + $0.09/GB egress $0.005/1k PUT / R2 Free 10GB $0.015/GB after zero egress
Authentication and Identity (buyer/seller roles)
How users sign up, log in, and are authorized. Getting roles and access control right early prevents painful rewrites.Pricing & free-tier limitsSupabase Auth Free incl 50k MAU / Clerk Free 10k MAU $0 - social, email/password buyer/seller roles / Clerk Free 10k / Auth0 Free 7.5k MAU $0.07/MAU after, 2 social / Pro $25/mo + $0.02/MAU over 10k, 50k MAU ~$825/mo
Split Payout / Marketplace Payments API (Stripe Connect test)
Moves money — charges, payouts to sellers, taxes, fraud checks. Highest-stakes integration: get it wrong and you break compliance or lose revenue.Pricing & free-tier limitsStripe Connect Test: $0 - no fees test payouts $0 simulated 2.9%+30c / Test (no fees) $0 / PayPal Sandbox $0 / Live test phase 2.9%+30c +0.25% Connect +$2/acct/mo Express $0.25/payout, 500 acct free test
Transactional Email API / Email Delivery
Where you keep files users upload or you serve — images, videos, documents — and how fast they reach visitors around the world.Pricing & free-tier limitsResend Free 3k/mo 100/day $0 / SendGrid Free 100/day ~3k/mo $0 / Mailgun Free 100/day 3mo trial $0 / Pro $20/mo 50k $0.0004/email over 100k=$40/mo + egress free
Source-code Repository
Where your source code lives and is collaborated on. Non-negotiable for any team or serious project.Pricing & free-tier limitsGitHub Free $0 unlimited public/private 500MB storage 2000 Actions mins / Free same / GitLab Free $0 5GB / Team $4/user/mo 2GB LFS protected branches CODEOWNERS 3k mins
CI/CD and Deployment Automation
Automates testing and deploying your code. Saves enormous time and prevents “works on my machine” releases.Pricing & free-tier limitsVercel Auto-Deploy $0 6000 exec hrs free auto-preview / GitHub Actions Free 2000 mins/mo $0.008/min Linux over $0.016 Win $0.08 macOS / Netlify Auto free 300 mins / Pro Pipelines $20/seat/mo +$0.18/build hr over
How this hobby marketplace checklist works.
Each requirement below is something a hobby marketplace build typically needs. Pick one of the four researched options — recommended, free, cheaper or paid — add your own with "Other", or skip the requirement if your project doesn't need it. Nothing is mandatory; the plan on the right tracks what you've decided so nothing gets forgotten.
Your picks are saved in this browser automatically, so you can come back anytime. Options are researched per build level and refreshed as vendors change their plans — always verify details on the provider's page before committing.