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Akamai vs Arcserve UDP

Akamai logo

Akamai

Cloud

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Backup

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Akamai no public pricing available; custom quotes required; Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and Arcserve UDP actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and Arcserve UDP differ
AttributeAkamaiArcserve UDP
Starting price$1000/month$25/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, ApiWindows, Linux
CategoryCloudBackup
Founded19981983

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Both cover

  • Web support

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 Arcserve UDP
  • DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Arcserve UDP
  • Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Arcserve UDP
  • Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Arcserve UDP
  • Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Arcserve UDP

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protectionnot Akamai
  • Disaster recoverynot Akamai
  • Business continuitynot Akamai
  • Ransomware protectionnot Akamai
  • Compliancenot Akamai

Where each one falls short

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

Akamai

  • No public pricing available; custom quotes required
  • Sales-focused pricing model

Arcserve UDP

  • Multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • Slow restore speeds for large backup tasks and recovery operations
  • Requires full backup when changing drive sizes, causing extended backup windows

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

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

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

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or Arcserve UDP better?
Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Arcserve UDP at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or Arcserve UDP?
Akamai starts at $1000/month and Arcserve UDP at $25/month.
Does Akamai or Arcserve UDP run on more platforms?
Akamai runs on Web, Api. Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux.
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 Arcserve UDP is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that Arcserve UDP cannot?
Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Akamai: How is Akamai pricing structured?

Akamai emphasizes straightforward pricing with no hidden fees, no egress surprises, and no vendor lock-in, but specific pricing is not published. Regional pricing pages exist for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and other areas, with customers directed to contact sales.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What licensing model does Arcserve UDP use?

Arcserve UDP uses a capacity-based subscription model (Managed Capacity Program) where you license based on total front-end terabytes of protected data rather than per-device. Available in Standard, Advanced, and Premium editions.

Source
Akamai: Does Akamai offer a free trial?

Akamai offers a promotional trial with $100 in credits for Akamai Cloud, though conditions apply.

Source
Arcserve UDP: Does Arcserve UDP support cloud backup?

Yes. Arcserve UDP integrates with multiple cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Wasabi for offsite backup and disaster recovery storage.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What hypervisors does Arcserve UDP support?

Arcserve UDP supports multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and others, allowing granular recovery at the VM level with instant boot capabilities.

Source
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