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DigitalOcean vs Akamai

DigitalOcean logo

DigitalOcean

Software

The developer cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Akamai logo

Akamai

Software

Leading content delivery and security platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DigitalOcean has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances; Akamai only the cloud computing services carry published rates; security and content delivery products require contacting sales for a price
  • They diverge on capability: DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Akamai covers CDN.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DigitalOcean and Akamai actually diverge.

Attributes where DigitalOcean and Akamai differ
AttributeDigitalOceanAkamai
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelusage-basedquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend)Web, Api
Founded20111998

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 DigitalOcean

  • Droplets (VPS)
  • Managed Kubernetes
  • App Platform
  • Managed Databases
  • Spaces (Object Storage)
  • Floating IPs
  • Load Balancers
  • Firewalls

Only in Akamai

  • CDN
  • Web Application Firewall
  • Bot Management
  • Image Optimization
  • Video Platform
  • API Gateway
  • Analytics
  • AWS

Both cover

  • DDoS Protection
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

DigitalOcean

  • Developers seeking affordable VPS starting at $4/month for small applicationsnot Akamai
  • Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot Akamai
  • Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not Akamai

Akamai

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

Where each one falls short

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

DigitalOcean

  • Data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
  • Free tier includes only 3 static sites; additional static sites require paid upgrade
  • Container registry free tier capped at 500 MiB storage; exceeding requires paid tier
  • Functions free tier allows 90,000 GiB-seconds monthly; overages billed on usage basis
  • GPU Droplets require minimum monthly commitment for lower hourly rates; on-demand significantly more expensive

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

DigitalOcean

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.

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 DigitalOcean if

  • You need droplets (vps).
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
  • You also want managed kubernetes.
DigitalOcean review

Choose Akamai if

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

Questions people ask

Is DigitalOcean or Akamai better?
Neither clearly leads. DigitalOcean 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, DigitalOcean or Akamai?
DigitalOcean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DigitalOcean and $1000/month for Akamai.
Does DigitalOcean or Akamai run on more platforms?
DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend). Akamai runs on Web, Api.
Can I use DigitalOcean for free?
Yes. DigitalOcean has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akamai starts at $1000/month.
What is DigitalOcean best used for?
DigitalOcean is most often used for developers seeking affordable vps starting at $4/month for small applications, teams deploying containerised workloads with kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster cost, data scientists and ml engineers requiring nvidia gpu access at $1.91/gpu/hour (committed). Of those, developers seeking affordable vps starting at $4/month for small applications and teams deploying containerised workloads with kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster cost are not what Akamai is typically brought in for.
What can DigitalOcean do that Akamai cannot?
DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Akamai covers CDN, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management, Image Optimization. Both handle DDoS Protection, Cloud deployment, Web support.
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