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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Alibaba Cloud vs Akamai

Alibaba Cloud logo

Alibaba Cloud

Cloud & Infrastructure

Asia's leading cloud computing provider

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Akamai logo

Akamai

Cloud & Infrastructure

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Alibaba Cloud has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; Akamai only the cloud computing services carry published rates; security and content delivery products require contacting sales for a price
  • They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Akamai covers DDoS Protection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Akamai actually diverge.

Attributes where Alibaba Cloud and Akamai differ
AttributeAlibaba CloudAkamai
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelusage-basedquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliWeb, Api
Founded20091998

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 Alibaba Cloud

  • Elastic Compute Service
  • Object Storage Service
  • RDS Database
  • MaxCompute
  • Function Compute
  • Load Balancer
  • Terraform
  • Ansible

Only in Akamai

  • DDoS Protection
  • Web Application Firewall
  • Bot Management
  • Image Optimization
  • Video Platform
  • Analytics
  • AWS
  • Microsoft Azure

Both cover

  • CDN
  • API Gateway
  • Cloud deployment
  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Alibaba Cloud

  • Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot Akamai
  • Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Akamai
  • Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Akamai
  • CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Akamai

Akamai

  • Content delivery and web performance through Ion and adaptive media deliverynot Alibaba Cloud
  • DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Alibaba Cloud
  • Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Alibaba Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Alibaba Cloud

  • Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
  • Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
  • Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Alibaba Cloud

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Free tier credits
    • ECS instances
    • Cloud storage
  • Pay-as-You-GoFree
    • Flexible billing
    • No commitments
    • Global reach

Akamai

$1000/month
  • CDN$1000/month
    • Content delivery
    • Global edge network
    • Real-time analytics
  • Security Suite$2000/month
    • DDoS protection
    • WAF
    • Bot management

Which should you pick?

Choose Alibaba Cloud if

  • You need elastic compute service.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want object storage service.
Alibaba Cloud review

Choose Akamai if

  • You need ddos protection.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want web application firewall.
Akamai review

Questions people ask

Is Alibaba Cloud or Akamai better?
Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Akamai at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Akamai?
Alibaba Cloud has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Alibaba Cloud and $1000/month for Akamai.
Does Alibaba Cloud or Akamai run on more platforms?
Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Akamai runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
Yes. Alibaba Cloud has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akamai starts at $1000/month.
What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what Akamai is typically brought in for.
What can Alibaba Cloud do that Akamai cannot?
Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Akamai covers DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management, Image Optimization. Both handle CDN, API Gateway, Cloud deployment, Api support.
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