# A Netlify Drop alternative Drop a folder or a zip and get a live site with no account for 6 hours, then keep it free in one click. The same deploy works from a terminal and AI agents. On the web at https://lobsite.com/alternatives/netlify-drop ```sh npx lobsite ``` The same deploy from a terminal, for the second time and every time after. 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 1. **Drop the folder** with your `index.html` (or a `.zip` of it) on the box above. It's checked in your browser before anything uploads. 2. **Press Publish it.** You get a `*.lobsite.app` address with HTTPS, live for 6 hours. 3. **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 lobsite` in the folder. It remembers the site in `lobsite.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](https://lobsite.com/tools/zip-viewer) shows file by file what would deploy. ## 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](https://lobsite.com/docs#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.