Napkin vs Cloudflare Workers
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Napkin and Cloudflare Workers.
Quick Verdict
3.5/5
Napkin
0 reviews
4.3/5
Cloudflare Workers
0 reviews
Cloudflare Workers is rated higher (4.3 vs 3.5). Napkin lets you write and run Node.js and Python serverless functions directly in the browser with zero setup, deploying them as authenticated HTTP endpoints. Run JavaScript, Python, and Rust functions at the edge with sub-millisecond latency. Ideal for APIs, middleware, and full-stack applications needing global distribution.
Napkin Write and deploy Node.js and Python functions as HTTP endpoints from a browser editor | Cloudflare Workers Deploy serverless code globally on Cloudflare's edge network | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.5 (0 reviews) | 4.3 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | Developers who need an HTTP endpoint today — webhooks, bots, scheduled automations, and prototypes — without opening a cloud console or running infrastructure. | Latency-sensitive APIs, middleware, edge rendering and full-stack applications that want global deployment with no infrastructure to run — especially teams already using Cloudflare's storage and CDN products. |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | — | 10 vCPU |
| RAM | — | — |
| Storage | — | 1 GB |
| Bandwidth | — | — |
| SLA uptime | — | 100% |
| Data-center count | — | 330 |
| €/vCPU/mo | — | €0.00 |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | — | Global — 300+ cities |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tier | free tierddos protectionipv6eu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi accessopen source |
| Visit Napkin → | Visit Cloudflare Workers → | |
Napkin
Pros
- + Genuinely free plan: $0/month with 25,000 API calls, unlimited functions, custom domains, and team invites
- + One-click deploy from a browser editor — Node.js and Python, no cloud console or CLI required
- + Clear published limits: 500 MB/0.5 vCPU free (2 GB/2 vCPU Pro), 15s/30s timeouts, explicit rate caps
- + Endpoint SSL, auth, production logs, and scheduled triggers included on both tiers
- + Pro tier is capacity-only at $10 per user per month — no feature gating, no sales call
Cons
- - No published SLA, regions, or data residency; small-vendor reliability story
- - Free tier caps at 5 requests/second and a 15-second timeout — real design constraints
- - Browser-only workflow with no local development story and no obvious export path
- - Node.js and Python only — no Go, Rust, PHP, or Ruby runtimes
- - Stale limit figures circulate on marketing and third-party pages, so verify before budgeting
Cloudflare Workers
Pros
- + No cold starts: V8 isolates start in microseconds at 330+ locations
- + CPU-time billing with a genuinely usable free tier (100k requests/day)
- + No egress or bandwidth charges on any plan
- + Storage stack (KV, D1, Durable Objects, R2) binds declaratively and stays in-network
- + Strong docs: pricing and limits pages are explicit and example-driven
Cons
- - CPU time caps exclude compute-heavy and long-running workloads
- - Real vendor lock-in through Durable Objects, bindings and deployment model
- - KV writes ($5.00/M) and Durable Objects duration billing surprise stateful designs
- - Conceptual shift for teams used to container-based serverless
- - No uptime SLA below the Business plan
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