Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
Akamai vs Linode
Akamai
Cloud & Infrastructure
Leading content delivery and security platform
- From
- $1000/month
- Rated
- -
Linode
Cloud & Infrastructure
Affordable cloud hosting and infrastructure
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Linode 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; Linode linode.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to akamai.com/cloud/pricing; the service is now sold as Akamai Cloud
- They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Linode covers Compute instances.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Akamai and Linode actually diverge.
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 Linode
- Compute instances
- Object storage
- Block storage
- Kubernetes
- Managed database
- Load balancers
- Firewalls
- Private networks
Both cover
- 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 Linode
- DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Linode
- Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Linode
- Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Linode
- Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Linode
Linode
- Running Linux virtual machines on hourly billed shared or dedicated CPU plansnot Akamai
- Managed Kubernetes, block storage and object storage on a single cloud accountnot Akamai
- Hosting workloads in a specific one of the listed global regionsnot 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
Linode
- linode.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to akamai.com/cloud/pricing; the service is now sold as Akamai Cloud
- Charges accrue for any service on the account even when it is powered off, because RAM and network capacity stay reserved; only deleting the service stops billing
- Network transfer beyond the monthly allotment is billed from $0.005 per GB and the rate varies by region
- The Akamai Cloud pricing landing page shows no rates and directs visitors to regional pricing pages or 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
Linode
Free- Nanode 1GB$5/month
- 1GB RAM
- 1 vCPU
- 25GB SSD
- Linode 4GB$20/month
- 4GB RAM
- 2 vCPU
- 80GB SSD
Which should you pick?
Choose Linode if
- You need compute instances.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli.
- You also want object storage.
Questions people ask
- Is Akamai or Linode better?
- Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Linode at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Akamai or Linode?
- Linode has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Linode.
- Does Akamai or Linode run on more platforms?
- Akamai runs on Web, Api. Linode runs on Web, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Linode for free?
- Yes. Linode 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 Linode is typically brought in for.
- What can Akamai do that Linode cannot?
- Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Linode covers Compute instances, Object storage, Block storage, Kubernetes. Both handle DDoS protection, SSL/TLS, Cloud deployment, Web support.