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Akamai vs Anyscale

Akamai logo

Akamai

Software

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Anyscale logo

Anyscale

Software

Platform for scaling AI and data workloads on Ray, built by Ray's creators

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Anyscale has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Akamai only the cloud computing services carry published rates; security and content delivery products require contacting sales for a price; Anyscale pricing for high-end H100/B200-class GPUs is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Anyscale covers Distributed model training.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and Anyscale actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and Anyscale differ
AttributeAkamaiAnyscale
Starting price$1000/monthFree
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierNoYes
Founded1998Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Akamai

  • CDN
  • DDoS Protection
  • Web Application Firewall
  • Bot Management
  • Image Optimization
  • Video Platform
  • API Gateway
  • Analytics

Only in Anyscale

  • Distributed model training
  • Multimodal data curation
  • Batch embedding generation
  • Multi-cloud orchestration
  • Governance and security
  • Observability
  • Bring-your-own-cloud deployment
  • Elastic GPU allocation

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Akamai

  • Content delivery and web performance through Ion and adaptive media deliverynot Anyscale
  • DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Anyscale
  • Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Anyscale
  • Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Anyscale
  • Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Anyscale

Anyscale

  • Training large models on distributed GPU clustersnot Akamai
  • Running batch inference and embedding jobsnot Akamai
  • Preparing multimodal datasets at scalenot Akamai
  • Post-training LLMs with reinforcement learning frameworksnot Akamai

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Akamai

  • Only the cloud computing services carry published rates; security and content delivery products require contacting sales for a price
  • Cloud pricing varies by region across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific rather than being a single rate

Anyscale

  • Pricing for high-end H100/B200-class GPUs is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Built around Ray, so teams not already using Ray face a steeper adoption curve than single-purpose inference APIs.
  • No published fixed-fee subscription tier; all listed pricing is usage-based on-demand compute.

Pricing, plan by plan

Akamai

$1000/month
  • CDN$1000/month
    • Content delivery
    • Global edge network
    • Real-time analytics
  • Security Suite$2000/month
    • DDoS protection
    • WAF
    • Bot management

Anyscale

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$undefined/mo
    • CPU only from $0.0135/hr
    • NVIDIA T4 $0.5682/hr
    • NVIDIA L4 $0.9542/hr
  • Committed contract$undefined/mo
    • Volume discounts
    • Use of existing GPU reservations

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

  • You need cdn.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want ddos protection.
Akamai review

Choose Anyscale if

  • You need distributed model training.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want multimodal data curation.
Anyscale review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or Anyscale better?
Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Anyscale at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or Anyscale?
Anyscale has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Anyscale.
Does Akamai or Anyscale run on more platforms?
Akamai runs on Web, Api. Anyscale runs on web, api.
Can I use Anyscale for free?
Yes. Anyscale has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akamai starts at $1000/month.
What is Akamai best used for?
Akamai is most often used for content delivery and web performance through ion and adaptive media delivery, ddos protection, bot management and api security, running compute, kubernetes and managed databases on akamai's cloud, edge compute with edgeworkers. Of those, content delivery and web performance through ion and adaptive media delivery and ddos protection, bot management and api security are not what Anyscale is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that Anyscale cannot?
Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Anyscale covers Distributed model training, Multimodal data curation, Batch embedding generation, Multi-cloud orchestration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Anyscale: How much does Anyscale cost?

Anyscale bills on a pay-as-you-go basis: CPU compute starts at $0.0135/hr, NVIDIA T4 at $0.5682/hr, and NVIDIA A100 at $4.9591/hr, with committed contracts offering volume discounts for larger workloads.

Source
Anyscale: Is there a free trial or credit?

New users receive $100 in Anyscale credits to explore the platform, which can be applied toward starter templates and on-demand compute usage.

Source
Anyscale: How is usage billed?

Hosted usage is billed hourly per compute instance type and invoiced monthly by credit card; bring-your-own-cloud usage is invoiced through Anyscale or the customer's cloud marketplace account.

Source
Anyscale: What support is included?

Hosted plans include business-hours support with up to 5 case submissions, while bring-your-own-cloud deployments get 24x7 enterprise SLAs and unlimited case submissions.

Source
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