Netlify Pages is our free tier that offers a few things that GitLab Pages doesn't offer. For instance, we build merge requests for you and integrate them with commit statuses. So you get a real development workflow for your websites.
Did you guys change it recently? I remember it being $9/mo the other day for a custom domain, which is pretty much a prerequisite for everyone. Your current pricing is much more attractive (of course, it's free)!
you're absolutely right :) We did change it recently. Now Netlify Pages (Free plan) includes Custom Domain and HTTPS. It also gives you Continuous Delivery. Again, completely free of charge.
Lastly, any open source project get's the Pro Plan (normally $49 per month) for free as well :)