# A Surge alternative

Like surge, one command deploys a folder. Lobsite also works without an account, uploads only changed files, has forms and a dashboard, and publishes limits.

On the web at https://lobsite.com/alternatives/surge

```sh
npx lobsite
```

Where you ran surge: the folder is found for you (dist, build, out, _site or public).

Surge made "one command, one folder, one URL" the way to publish a static site, and Lobsite keeps that: `npx lobsite` in a built project prints a live address. What changes is what happens around the command. There's no account to make before the first deploy, only the files that changed upload, there's a dashboard with drag and drop, and forms work without a backend.

## How it works

1. **Run `npx lobsite` where you'd run `surge`.** The folder is found for you (`dist/`, `build/`, `out/`, `_site/` or `public/`) and saved in `lobsite.toml`.
2. **Get the URL.** The first deploy makes a site at a random `*.lobsite.app` address, live for 6 hours, with no sign-up.
3. **Keep it with `npx lobsite login`** (or the claim link). From then on the same command updates the same site.

## Moving a Surge project

- **The folder.** Surge asks for the project path each time unless you pass it; Lobsite saves it in `lobsite.toml` as `dir`, so the next run asks nothing.
- **The domain.** Surge keeps the domain in a `CNAME` file. Lobsite sites get a `*.lobsite.app` address; custom domains come with the paid plan, which is coming soon. If your Surge site uses its own domain, keep it on Surge until then.
- **`200.html` and `404.html`** work the same: `200.html` is the single-page-app fallback, `404.html` your not-found page. Clean URLs work too: `/about` serves `about.html`.
- **`ROUTER` redirects** become `[[redirects]]` in `lobsite.toml`, with `:param` segments and the status you choose. The [Redirect Generator](https://lobsite.com/tools/redirect-generator) turns a list of old and new paths into the rules.
- **`.surgeignore`** becomes `.lobsiteignore`, with the same syntax as `.gitignore`.
- **`surge --preview`** becomes `npx lobsite deploy --preview`, and **`rollback`** stays `npx lobsite rollback`.

## What's different

- **Only changed files upload.** Files are stored by their hash, so redeploying after a one-line change uploads one file, and redeploying an unchanged site uploads 0 bytes. (A diff-only upload is one of Surge's longest-open requests.)
- **Errors say what to do.** A refused file or a failed deploy says what happened, why, and the fix, with a code that never changes. Nothing is blocked silently.
- **Forms.** Point a form at `/_lobsite/forms/contact` and messages reach your inbox and email, spam filtered. See [forms](https://lobsite.com/features/forms).
- **Redirects and headers on the free plan**, in `lobsite.toml`, versioned with each deploy, so a rollback restores them.
- **A dashboard**, with drag and drop of a folder or a zip, deploy history and one-click rollback.
- **Every limit is published**: files, sizes, bandwidth and deploys an hour, on the [limits](https://lobsite.com/docs#limits) table.

## Surge and Lobsite, side by side

As of October 2026, from surge.sh/pricing and Lobsite's own limits:

| | Surge (free) | Lobsite (free) |
|---|---|---|
| Account before the first deploy | Yes, made in the CLI | No: the site lasts 6 hours until you keep it |
| Sites | No published cap | 1 (the paid plan, coming soon, has 5) |
| Custom domains | Yes | Paid plan, coming soon |
| Upload on redeploy | Every file | Only changed files |
| Redirects | Paid plan ($30 a month) | Yes |
| Force HTTPS | Paid plan | Always on, with HSTS |
| Forms | No | 25 submissions a month per site |
| Dashboard and drag and drop | No | Yes |
| Bandwidth | Not published | 10 GB a month, published |

Surge's free plan is more generous with sites and domains. Lobsite is the better fit if you want to deploy without signing up first, redeploy faster, and have forms and redirects without paying.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lobsite a drop-in replacement for the surge command?

Close to it: `npx lobsite` deploys the built folder the way `surge` does. The command names differ (`deploy --preview`, `rollback`, `ls`, `rm`), and configuration lives in `lobsite.toml` instead of `CNAME` and `ROUTER` files.

### Can I keep my custom domain if I move?

Custom domains come with Lobsite's paid plan, which is coming soon. Until then, a site lives at its `*.lobsite.app` address, so a Surge site with its own domain is best moved once the paid plan launches.

### Does Lobsite support single-page apps like Surge's 200.html?

Yes. A `200.html` at the top of the site answers every path that isn't a file, with status 200, so client-side routing works.

### How much does Lobsite cost?

The free plan is free: one site, 10 GB of bandwidth a month, forms with 25 submissions a month. The paid plan is coming soon; its price is on the [pricing](https://lobsite.com/pricing) page.

### Can I deploy from CI like with a Surge token?

Not yet: CI tokens come with the paid plan, which is coming soon. Today the CLI deploys from a logged-in machine, or without an account for 6 hours.