Netlify Drop made it normal to drag a folder onto a web page and get a site back. Lobsite works the same way, and the box above is a real drop zone: a folder, a zip or a single HTML file goes live with no account. The differences are in what happens next: how long an unclaimed site lasts, and how you deploy the second time.
How it works
- Drop the folder with your
index.html(or a.zipof it) on the box above. It's checked in your browser before anything uploads. - Press Publish it. You get a
*.lobsite.appaddress with HTTPS, live for 6 hours. - Keep it free. Keep it free → moves the site into a free account at the same address; it stops expiring.
The second deploy
On a drop page, the next version is another drop. Lobsite has three ways to send the next version to the same site:
- Drop it again here, in the same browser, and press Update: the address stays the same.
- From the dashboard, once the site is in your account: drop a folder or a zip on the dashboard.
- From a terminal,
npx lobsitein the folder. It remembers the site inlobsite.toml, compares files by their hash and uploads only the ones that changed.
Every deploy gets its own preview URL, and a rollback to an earlier one takes a click, with nothing uploaded again.
What a drop can hold
Without an account: up to 500 files, 5 MB per file, 50 MB per site; this page sends up to 25 MB at once (bigger sites go through npx lobsite or the dashboard). Secret files such as .env and private keys are always left out, and PDFs and executables need the paid plan. If a folder holds a single folder, that one becomes the top of the site, and a build folder (dist/, build/…) inside a project is picked out for you. The ZIP Viewer shows file by file what would deploy.
A deploy without an account is live for 6 hours. The claim link keeps it, free.
Files are stored by their hash. Redeploying an unchanged site uploads 0 bytes.
Preview before going live. Roll back in one click, redirects and all.
Point a form at /_lobsite/forms/contact. Spam filtering included.
No prompts under an agent, and a Tell the user: line with the URL and the claim link.
Every limit is published, and every error tells you what to do next.
Netlify Drop and Lobsite, side by side
As of October 2026. Netlify says it shortened the window to claim an anonymous drop from 24 hours to one hour in 2022; check Netlify's docs for its current rules.
| Netlify Drop | Lobsite | |
|---|---|---|
| Account before the first link | No | No |
| An unclaimed site lasts | About an hour | 6 hours |
| Keeping it | Sign up and claim | Keep it free →, same address |
| Next deploy | Drop again, or Netlify's CLI or Git | Drop again, the dashboard, or npx lobsite (changed files only) |
| From AI agents | Netlify's CLI or its MCP server | npx -y lobsite --yes or the MCP server, no login needed |
| Build step on the server | Yes, with Git deploys | No: you upload the built folder |
| Custom domain | Yes | Paid plan, coming soon |
| Forms | Yes (Netlify Forms) | Yes, once the site is in an account |
Netlify does far more: builds from Git, serverless functions, custom domains on its free plan. Lobsite is the simpler choice when you just want a folder online, and want the same deploy from a terminal or an AI agent afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a dropped site stay up without an account?
6 hours from the first publish. Updating it doesn't extend that; keeping it in a free account does, for good.
Can I drop a zip instead of a folder?
Yes. The zip is opened in your browser and its contents are published. If the zip holds a single folder, that folder becomes the top of the site.
Is there a size limit?
Without an account, 50 MB per site and 5 MB per file, and this page sends up to 25 MB at once. A free account allows up to 1,000 files at the same sizes; the limits table has every number.
My site shows "Not found". What's wrong?
There's no index.html at the top of what you dropped. Drop the folder that contains index.html, not the one above it; a single HTML file is renamed to index.html for you.
Can I use my own domain?
Custom domains come with the paid plan, which is coming soon. Until then every site has a *.lobsite.app address with HTTPS.