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Cloud · head to head

Akamai vs Fastly

Akamai logo

Akamai

Cloud

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fastly logo

Fastly

Cloud

High performance edge computing platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fastly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Akamai no public pricing available; custom quotes required; Fastly bandwidth is priced per region, and delivery to India, Africa and South Korea is $0.28 per GB against $0.12 in North America and Europe
  • They diverge on capability: Akamai covers Web Application Firewall, Fastly covers Edge Compute.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and Fastly actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and Fastly differ
AttributeAkamaiFastly
Starting price$1000/monthFree
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierNoYes
Founded19982011

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

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

  • Web Application Firewall
  • Bot Management
  • Video Platform
  • API Gateway
  • Analytics
  • AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud

Only in Fastly

  • Edge Compute
  • Real-time Analytics
  • Video Streaming
  • API
  • Instant Purge
  • GitHub
  • Terraform
  • Datadog

Both cover

  • CDN
  • DDoS Protection
  • Image Optimization
  • DDoS protection
  • SSL/TLS
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Api 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 Fastly
  • DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Fastly
  • Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Fastly
  • Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Fastly
  • Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Fastly

Fastly

  • Serving static and dynamic content through a global CDNnot Akamai
  • Running edge logic and caching in front of an origin applicationnot 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

Fastly

  • Bandwidth is priced per region, and delivery to India, Africa and South Korea is $0.28 per GB against $0.12 in North America and Europe
  • The same traffic therefore costs more than twice as much depending on where the audience is, which is invisible until the bill arrives
  • The free allowance is 100 GB of bandwidth and 1M requests a month
  • Requests are billed separately from bandwidth, at $0.01 per 10,000 above the first million
  • High volume rates past 50 TB are not published and require contacting sales

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

Fastly

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • CDN
    • DDoS protection
    • Real-time analytics
  • Pay-As-You-GoFree
    • Usage-based pricing
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

  • You need web application firewall.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want bot management.
Akamai review

Choose Fastly if

  • You need edge compute.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time analytics.
Fastly review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or Fastly better?
Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Fastly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or Fastly?
Fastly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Fastly.
Does Akamai or Fastly run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Fastly for free?
Yes. Fastly 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 Fastly is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that Fastly cannot?
Akamai covers Web Application Firewall, Bot Management, Video Platform, API Gateway. Fastly covers Edge Compute, Real-time Analytics, Video Streaming, API. Both handle CDN, DDoS Protection, Image Optimization, DDoS protection.

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
Fastly: Does Fastly charge based on usage or a flat monthly fee?

Fastly operates on a usage-based model with volume discounts. They offer a free tier with 100 GB bandwidth and 1M requests for experimentation, then customers pay per unit consumed with tiered discounts as consumption increases.

Source
Akamai: Does Akamai offer a free trial?

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

Source
Fastly: What are Fastly's main service packages and their costs?

Fastly offers Network Services Packages ($1,500-$6,000/month baseline), Security Packages (custom pricing), Compute Packages ($500/month entry level), and Observability Packages ($1,500/month entry level). Enterprise solutions include custom quotes for high-volume deployments.

Source
Fastly: Can I start using Fastly for free?

Yes, Fastly offers a free tier with generous allowances for experimentation including 100 GB bandwidth and 1M requests. You can start building free and only pay when you use additional resources.

Source
Fastly: Are there surprise overage charges with Fastly?

Fastly advertises predictable pricing with no surprise overages. The pricing structure is designed to be transparent as consumption grows.

Source
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