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Akamai vs PlanetScale

Akamai logo

Akamai

Software

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and PlanetScale differ
AttributeAkamaiPlanetScale
Starting price$1000/month$15/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded19982018

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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
  • API Gateway
  • Analytics

Only in PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Both cover

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

PlanetScale

  • MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Akamai
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Akamai
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Akamai
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot 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

PlanetScale

  • EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
  • ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments

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

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

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

Choose PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or PlanetScale?
Akamai starts at $1000/month and PlanetScale at $15/month.
Does Akamai or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Akamai runs on Web, Api. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
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 PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that PlanetScale cannot?
Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.
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