Software · head to head
Akamai vs Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Software
Run code without thinking about servers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Lambda (AWS Serverless) 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; Lambda (AWS Serverless) billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does
- They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Akamai and Lambda (AWS Serverless) actually diverge.
| Attribute | Akamai | Lambda (AWS Serverless) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1000/month | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 1998 | 2014 |
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
- Analytics
- AWS
Only in Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Function-as-a-Service
- Event-driven execution
- Auto-scaling
- Pay-per-use
- Multiple languages
- Concurrency limits
- Dead Letter Queues
- Environment variables
Both cover
- API Gateway
- Cloud deployment
- 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 Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Event-driven functions without managing serversnot Akamai
- API backends behind API Gatewaynot Akamai
- Processing S3, DynamoDB, SQS and Kinesis eventsnot Akamai
- Scheduled jobs without a always-on instancenot Akamai
- Edge compute through Lambda@Edgenot 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
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does
- Provisioned concurrency, used to avoid cold starts, is charged separately at $0.0000041667 per GB-second whether or not the function runs
- Ephemeral storage beyond the included 512 MB is metered
- Lambda@Edge costs $0.60 per million requests, three times the standard request rate
- VPC use and cross-region data transfer carry EC2 charges on top
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
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Free- Free TierFree
- 1M free requests/month
- 400,000 GB-seconds/month
- Always free
Which should you pick?
Choose Lambda (AWS Serverless) if
- You need function-as-a-service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want event-driven execution.
Questions people ask
- Is Akamai or Lambda (AWS Serverless) better?
- Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Lambda (AWS Serverless) at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Akamai or Lambda (AWS Serverless)?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Lambda (AWS Serverless).
- Does Akamai or Lambda (AWS Serverless) run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Lambda (AWS Serverless) for free?
- Yes. Lambda (AWS Serverless) 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 Lambda (AWS Serverless) is typically brought in for.
- What can Akamai do that Lambda (AWS Serverless) cannot?
- Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Event-driven execution, Auto-scaling, Pay-per-use. Both handle API Gateway, Cloud deployment, Web support.