Is Akamai or Semgrep better?

Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Semgrep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Akamai or Semgrep?

Semgrep has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Semgrep.

Does Akamai or Semgrep run on more platforms?

Akamai runs on Web, Api. Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows.

Can I use Semgrep for free?

Yes. Semgrep 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 Semgrep is typically brought in for.

What can Akamai do that Semgrep cannot?

Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis.

Cloud · head to head

Akamai vs Semgrep

Akamai

Cloud

Leading content delivery and security platform

From: $1000/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Semgrep

Cybersecurity

Open-source static analysis tool for finding security bugs and enforcing code standards.

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Semgrep has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Akamai no public pricing available; custom quotes required; Semgrep free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
They diverge on capability: Akamai covers CDN, Semgrep covers Static code scanning.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akamai and Semgrep actually diverge.

Attributes where Akamai and Semgrep differ
Attribute	Akamai	Semgrep
Starting price	$1000/month	Free
Pricing model	quote	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, Api	web, api, linux, mac, windows
Category	Cloud	Cybersecurity
Founded	1998	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Semgrep

Static code scanning
Supply chain scanning
Secrets detection
Cross-file analysis
AI-powered triage and remediation
CI/CD integration

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

Semgrep

Scanning code for security vulnerabilities in CI/CDnot Akamai
Detecting vulnerable open-source dependenciesnot Akamai
Finding hardcoded secrets before code shipsnot Akamai
Enforcing custom code standards with rule setsnot Akamai
Prioritizing findings with AI-assisted triagenot 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

Semgrep

Free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
Secrets scanning is priced as a separate module ($15/contributor) from Code and Supply Chain.
Self-managed repositories and custom CI/CD require the Enterprise tier.
AI credits are limited per tier and additional usage requires upgrading.

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

Semgrep

Free

FreeFree
- Up to 10 contributors
- Code and Supply Chain scanning
- 60 AI credits total
Teams$30/month
- Code, Supply Chain, or Secrets scanning per contributor
- Pro rules
- AI-powered triage and remediation
Enterprise$undefined/month
- On-prem support
- Custom CI/CD
- 50 AI credits per developer/month

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

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

Akamai review

Choose Semgrep if

You need static code scanning.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
You also want supply chain scanning.

Semgrep review

Questions people ask

Is Akamai or Semgrep better?: Neither clearly leads. Akamai starts at $1000/month and Semgrep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akamai or Semgrep?: Semgrep has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Akamai and Free for Semgrep.
Does Akamai or Semgrep run on more platforms?: Akamai runs on Web, Api. Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
Can I use Semgrep for free?: Yes. Semgrep 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 Semgrep is typically brought in for.
What can Akamai do that Semgrep cannot?: Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis.

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

Semgrep: What does Semgrep cost?

The Free edition covers up to 10 contributors; Teams starts at $30/contributor/month for Code scanning (Supply Chain also $30, Secrets $15); Enterprise is custom-priced.

Source

Akamai: Does Akamai offer a free trial?

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

Source

Semgrep: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free edition supports up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories with Code and Supply Chain scanning plus 60 AI credits total.

Source

Semgrep: How is usage metered?

Pricing is per contributor, defined as someone who made at least one commit to a scanned private repository in the past 90 days.

Source

Semgrep: Is there special pricing for startups?

Yes, Semgrep offers special startup pricing upon request for early-stage companies.

Source

Akamai vs Semgrep

Akamai

Semgrep

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Akamai

Only in Semgrep

What people use each for

Akamai

Semgrep

Where each one falls short

Akamai

Semgrep

Pricing, plan by plan

Akamai

Semgrep

Which should you pick?

Choose Akamai if

Choose Semgrep if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Akamai

More on Semgrep

Keep looking

Other head to heads