Softwr

Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Akamai vs Fly.io

Akamai logo

Akamai

Cloud & Infrastructure

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fly.io logo

Fly.io

Cloud & Infrastructure

Deploy web applications globally

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fly.io 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; Fly.io egress is priced by destination region, from $0.02 per GB in North America and Europe to $0.12 per GB for Africa and India, so the same traffic costs six times more depending on where users are
  • They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Fly.io covers Global deployment.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and Fly.io actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and Fly.io differ
AttributeAkamaiFly.io
Starting price$1000/monthFree
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Api, Docker
Founded19982020

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).

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 Fly.io

  • Global deployment
  • Docker support
  • Postgres databases
  • Redis support
  • Auto-scaling
  • Health checks
  • Backups
  • Monitoring

Both cover

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

Fly.io

  • Deploying containerised applications close to users across regionsnot Akamai
  • Running full stack apps and databases on managed machinesnot 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

Fly.io

  • Egress is priced by destination region, from $0.02 per GB in North America and Europe to $0.12 per GB for Africa and India, so the same traffic costs six times more depending on where users are
  • Stopped machines still bill at $0.15 per GB of root filesystem a month, so a paused service is not a free one
  • Volumes are billed on provisioned capacity rather than usage, at $0.15 per GB a month
  • Reservation discounts of 40% require paying a year up front, from $36 to $1,440
  • Fly Kubernetes is a separate $75 a month per cluster
  • Dedicated IPv4 addresses are $2 a month each

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

Fly.io

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 shared-cpu-1x VMs
    • 3GB persistence storage
    • 160GB outbound data/month
  • Pay-as-you-goFree
    • Unlimited applications
    • Dedicated machines
    • Global deployment

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

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

Choose Fly.io if

  • You need global deployment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Docker.
  • You also want docker support.
Fly.io review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or Fly.io better?
Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Fly.io at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or Fly.io?
Fly.io has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Fly.io.
Does Akamai or Fly.io run on more platforms?
Akamai runs on Web, Api. Fly.io runs on Web, Api, Docker.
Can I use Fly.io for free?
Yes. Fly.io 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 Fly.io is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that Fly.io cannot?
Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Fly.io covers Global deployment, Docker support, Postgres databases, Redis support. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support, Api support.
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