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Akamai vs Prometheus

Akamai logo

Akamai

Software

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Software

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Prometheus 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; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and Prometheus differ
AttributeAkamaiPrometheus
Starting price$1000/monthFree
Pricing modelquoteopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, ApiLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded19982015

Identical on both: 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 Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

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

Prometheus

  • Cloud-native monitoring and alertingnot Akamai
  • Time-series metrics collectionnot Akamai
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot 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

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

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

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

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

Choose Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or Prometheus?
Prometheus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Prometheus.
Does Akamai or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Akamai runs on Web, Api. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Prometheus for free?
Yes. Prometheus 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 Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that Prometheus cannot?
Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery.
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