# Next.js

> Why we build on Next.js: a hybrid React framework with server components, static and incremental rendering for everything from marketing sites to portals.

URL: https://www.smartastudio.com/stack/framework/nextjs

_Our default React framework for app-like builds._

Next.js is where we build most modern sites and platforms. When the surface is interactive — dashboards, portals, logged-in product — it is our first choice.

## What it is

Next.js is a React framework with a hybrid rendering model: static generation, server rendering, incremental regeneration and React Server Components in one system. It ships with routing, image optimisation, edge functions and a mature deployment story on Vercel and elsewhere.

## Why we build on it

It gives us one framework that scales from a marketing site to a member portal without switching tools. Server Components keep JavaScript off the client where it is not needed, static and incremental rendering keep pages fast, and the ecosystem — auth, payments, CMS SDKs — is deep. It is the framework behind our own Awwwards-listed site.

## Editor & developer experience

For the people running the site, Next.js gives you the modern front-end experience clients expect — fast, app-like pages, smooth transitions, logged-in areas that feel like software rather than a website. Paired with a CMS like Sanity, editors get real content control while the front end stays quick, because Server Components keep JavaScript off the browser wherever it is not needed.

For developers, it is the framework we are most productive in. One React codebase scales from a marketing page to a member portal without switching tools, the rendering model (static, server, incremental, RSC) covers almost any requirement, and the ecosystem — auth, payments, CMS SDKs, TypeScript throughout — is deep and well-trodden. The responsibility that comes with that flexibility is deciding the rendering strategy deliberately per route, rather than defaulting into shipping more JavaScript than a page needs.

## Where it earns the shortlist

Next.js earns the shortlist for anything interactive or app-like — portals, dashboards, booking systems, logged-in product — and for sites that mix static marketing pages with dynamic areas behind them. One React framework covers the whole range, backed by the largest ecosystem and hiring pool in front-end. It is our default for modern builds and the framework behind our own Awwwards-listed site, so it is a safe long-term bet rather than a niche one.

## Best for

- Interactive, app-like builds: portals, dashboards, booking systems
- Sites that mix static marketing pages with dynamic, logged-in areas
- Projects that need React's ecosystem and long-term maintainability

## Choose it when

- **The surface is app-like** — Portals, dashboards, booking systems and logged-in product feel like software.
- **You mix static and dynamic** — Marketing pages and dynamic, authenticated areas in one coherent codebase.
- **You need the React ecosystem** — Auth, payments and CMS SDKs are all first-class and well-supported.
- **Long-term maintainability matters** — A huge hiring pool means you are never locked to one agency.

## Look elsewhere when

- **The site is pure content** — A brochure site or blog with little interactivity ships less weight on Astro.
- **Page weight is the priority** — When the JavaScript budget is tight, Astro’s islands beat a React framework.
- **You want zero rendering decisions** — Next.js hands you flexibility that has to be steered; a simpler SSG may suit a simpler job.

## Watch-outs

For a purely content-led site with little interactivity, Next.js can ship more JavaScript than the job needs — that is exactly where Astro earns its place. Rendering strategy also needs deciding deliberately; the flexibility is a responsibility.

## Pricing, in plain terms

Next.js is free, open-source software — there is no licence. The cost is the build itself and where you deploy it, most often Vercel, which has a free tier and paid plans that scale with traffic and usage. For most of our clients hosting a Next.js front end lands as a modest, predictable monthly cost, and when procurement requires it we deploy to your own cloud or Cloudflare instead at no framework cost.

- **Framework:** Free / open-source
- **Hosting from:** Free tier, then usage-based
- **Model:** Build + deployment platform

[Compare Next.js vs Remix](https://www.smartastudio.com/compare/web-frameworks/nextjs-vs-remix)

## At a glance

- **Type:** React framework
- **Rendering:** Static, server, ISR, RSC
- **Best paired with:** Sanity, Vercel
- **Language:** TypeScript

## The SmartaStudio take

Next.js is our default for a reason: it scales from a marketing page to a full platform without us changing tools, and its ecosystem means you are never dependent on a niche framework or a single agency. We reach for it whenever a build has real interactivity in it. The one honest caveat is that its flexibility is a responsibility — point it at a purely content-led site and it can ship more JavaScript than the job needs. That is precisely where we reach for Astro instead.

## Related service

[Next.js development](https://www.smartastudio.com/services/nextjs-development)